Bangkok--24 Mar--Standard & Poor's
The number of issuers poised for upgrades increased by 17 this month to a total of 218 globally, said an article published today by Standard & Poor's, titled "Upgrade Potential Across Credit Grades And Sectors (Premium)."
"The total this month is 68 more than the count at this time in 2009, and it exceeds the trailing-12-month average by 46," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research Group. "Upgrade potential has gained some ground since September, when the tally exceeded the trailing-12-month average for the first time in nearly two years."
Potential upgrades are defined as issuers that have either a positive outlook or ratings on CreditWatch with positive implications across rating categories 'AA+' to 'B-'.
Since our previous report, we have added 47 issuers to our list of potential upgrades and removed another 30.
Potential bond upgrades belonging to the 'B' rating category, including the 'B+', 'B', and 'B-' rating designations, continue to lead the list, constituting 43% of the total pool, followed by the 'BBB' rating category, which accounts for 26% of the total pool of potential bond upgrades.
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,
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Analyst Contacts:
Diane Vazza, New York (1) 212-438-2760
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