S&P Ratings

U.S. corporate upgrades (103) outpaced downgrades (63) in fourth-quarter 2013 due to improving credit conditions in the sector. And Standard & Poor’s expects the credit landscape to continue to stabilize in 2014. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Director Sudeep Kesh discusses the outcomes for 2013 and what likely lies ahead this year for companies.

По мнению Standard & Poor’s, публикация Банком России списка системно значимых финансовых институтов может повлиять на конкурентную и регулятивную среду в банковском секторе, хотя и не окажет непосредственного влияния на рейтинги российских банков. В этом выпуске CreditMatters TV ведущий аналитик Ирина Велиева обсуждает возможные последствия публикации списка системно значимых российских банков.

U.S home prices continue to rise at rates not seen since February 2006. The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index reported 13.6% year-over-year growth in October. Meanwhile, the homebuilders and real estate composite spread has tightened. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Associate Director Gregg Moskowitz discusses the key trends and data points.

In this first segment of U.S. Consumer, Retail, and Health Care Weekly, Standard & Poor’s Director Charles Pinson-Rose reviews the recent rating actions we took on Ruby Tuesday, Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Armored Autogroup, New Albertson's, BDF Acquisition Corp., Leonardo Acquisition, and PFS Holding Corp.

The U.S. cultural institutions that Standard & Poor’s rates have displayed a lot of financial stability in the past few years. However, these entities will face budget constraints and fund-raising challenges in 2014. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Director Charlene Butterfield takes a big picture look at the sector and what lies ahead.

Standard & Poor’s believes that the eventual publication of the list of systemically important Russian banks might impact sector’s regulatory and competitive environment, although without immediate impact on the banks’ ratings. In this CreditMatters TV, ratings specialist Yulia Kozlova discusses potential consequences of the publication of this list.

In this CreditMatters TV segment, Kim Eng Tan, Senior Director and Head of Asia-Pacific Sovereign Ratings, shares his views on whether the findings from the latest China’s government debt audit affect its sovereign ratings.

Covering noteworthy research produced by S&P analysts in the region, "Latin America Monday Morning Round-Up" provides investors with a quick credit overview to start their week. Associate, Sandra Tinoco hosts this weekly segment of CreditMatters TV.

Although Time Warner Cable rejected Charter Communications Inc. recent merger proposal, the two sides could still reach an agreement. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Managing Director Richard Siderman discusses the details of the current proposal and how an eventual merger could affect ratings.

In the fourth quarter, we downgraded 51 emerging market issuers and upgraded 48. Latin America had the most upgrades while EMEA had the most downgrades. The sovereigns and banking sectors drove most of our rating actions and outlooks. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Associate Director Sarab Sekhon discusses our findings and what could lie ahead.

Upgrades outpaced downgrades in Europe during fourth-quarter 2013, thanks to a broader, albeit still modest, economic recovery in the region. Challenges remain in the region with our ratings on a few sovereigns still on negative outlook. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Senior Director Jacinto Torres breaks down our findings and what’s in store for Europe in 2014.

Standard & Poor’s conducted a study last year that benchmarked bankruptcy filings with our recovery estimates to learn more about ratings performance, particularly regarding U.S. media and entertainment companies. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Director Minesh Patel discusses the study’s key findings.

Late last year, Standard & Poor’s met with institutional investors to address questions regarding the state of the U.S. leveraged lending market. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Director Minesh Patel addresses the key questions. Topics include the state of the credit cycle and middle market lending.

About 98% of the transportation companies that Standard & Poor’s rates stand at investment grade. However, budget constraints and federal funding shortfalls continue to cloud our otherwise stable outlook on the sector. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Managing Director Peter Murphy explains how these factors could affect the sector’s credit picture.

The number of rated issuers in the U.S. (including Bermuda and the Cayman Islands) has risen to 3,168, as of Sept. 30, from 3,121 in the previous quarter. And the share of issuers rated speculative-grade inched up slightly. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Associate Director Gregg Moskowitz explains the key trends and data points.