Rising Stars Hit A Six-Year Low Of 22 Issuers In Full-Year 2009, Article Says

Bangkok--21 Jan--Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded one issuer to investment grade ('BBB-' and higher) from speculative grade ('BB+' and lower) this past month, said an article published today by Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research, titled "Global Potential Rising Stars (Premium)." "This brings the total number of rising stars in 2009 to 22 issuers, affecting debt worth US$63.39 billion, or ?38.98 billion," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research. "This is the lowest annual tally of rising stars since 2003, when Standard & Poor's upgraded 20 issuers to investment grade." We define potential rising stars as entities rated 'BB+' with either a positive outlook or ratings on CreditWatch with positive implications. Since last month, three issuers were removed and one issuer was added to our list of global potential rising stars, bringing the total to 12 with US$21.06 (?12.95) billion in rated debt. By issuer count, this is the same as the average of the past 12 months. In contrast, the count of entities about to cross over in the opposite direction (potential fallen angels) is at 72, with rated debt worth US$200.46 (?123.25) billion, down from the 18-year record high of 82 in March. The standard version of this article is part of our standard Global Fixed Income Research content. The premium version contains expanded analysis of the article's most significant points, typically broken out by sector and region. Also in the premium version are in-depth charts and tables, the underlying data of which are available for download. Ratings information can also be found on Standard & Poor's public Web site by using the Ratings search box located in the left column at www.standardandpoors.com. 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 Key Contacts: Americas Media Relations: (1) 212-438-6667 media_ [email protected] Americas Customer Service: (1) 212-438-7280 [email protected]