Bangkok--4 Dec--Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's investment-grade and speculative-grade spreads compressed yesterday to 221 basis points (bps) and 696 bps, respectively. By rating, the 'AA', 'A', and 'BBB' spreads compressed 2 bps each to 151 bps, 189 bps, and 276 bps, respectively. The 'BB' spread tightened 7 bps to 517 bps, 'B' tightened 8 bps to 692 bps, and 'CCC' compressed 11 bps to 1,090 bps.
Industry spreads also tightened across the board. Industrials compressed by the largest margin of 4 bps to 354 bps, followed by telecommunications, which tightened 3 bps to 339 bps. Financial institutions, banks, and utilities followed, tightening 2 bps each to 379 bps, 313 bps, and 218 bps, respectively.
Despite material tightening since their record highs in December 2008, the speculative-grade spread remains range-bound within a default cycle, and the investment-grade spread continues to face pressure from financial institutions and banks. In addition, speculative-grade defaults continue to accelerate, as does the preponderance of credit downgrades. Because of these factors, we expect spreads to remain at their elevated levels for some time as investors, the credit markets, and the economy cautiously tread through the current recessionary period.
Media Contact:
Mimi Barker, New York (1) 212.438.5054,
[email protected]
Analyst Contact:
Diane Vazza, New York (1) 212-438-2760
Key Contacts:
Americas Media Relations: (1) 212-438-6667
media_
[email protected]
Americas Customer Service: (1) 212-438-7280
[email protected]