Bangkok--9 Jul--Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research has published its monthly Stress In Corporate America report, which identifies and spotlights the U.S. sectors that have the highest levels of credit stress.
As of June 29, 2009, consumer products, media and entertainment, and retail/restaurants remained the most negatively affected sectors amid the economic downturn, in light of falling consumer demand against a backdrop of economic and credit market turbulence, according to the article, titled "Stress In Corporate America: The Consumer-Based Sectors Are Still Posting The Highest Levels Of Risk (Premium)," published today on RatingsDirect.
These sectors consistently have the highest levels of risk among our lists of distressed companies (defined as speculative-grade companies with securities trading in excess of 1,000 basis points above U.S. Treasuries), weakest links (companies rated 'B-' or lower with either a negative outlook or ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications), and potential bond downgrades (investment-grade or speculative-grade companies that have either a negative outlook or ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications).
"We identified 259 companies across these sectors on the basis of the three criteria described above," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research. "Of the 259 companies, 69 are on more than one list, indicative of even higher vulnerability. Thirteen companies are featured on all three lists."
This article is part of our premium Global Fixed Income Research content, which is available to premium subscribers to RatingsDirect, at www.ratingsdirect.com. Ratings information can also be found on Standard & Poor's public Web site at www.standardandpoors.com; under Ratings in the left navigation bar, select Find a Rating. Members of the media may request a copy of this report by contacting the media representative provided.
Media Contact:
Mimi Barker, New York (1) 212-438-5054, [email protected]
Analyst Contacts:
Diane Vazza, New York (1) 212-438-2760