S&P: To Preserve Credit Quality, U.S State And Local Governments Face Hard Choices

To Preserve Credit Quality, U.S State And Local Governments Face Hard Choices (00:09:11 min)

Standard & Poor’s expects U.S. state and local governments to maintain medium to high investment-grade ratings in 2011. However, difficult economic and revenue conditions could result in severe budget conditions, requiring tough choices by government officials. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Managing Director Steve Murphy and Director Gabe Petek discuss the dynamics shaping the municipal markets, how the U.S. economy could affect state and local governments, state budget decisions, and pensions.

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S&P: European Economic Outlook: The Effects Of Higher Inflation On Growth Prospects

European Economic Outlook: The Effects Of Higher Inflation On Growth Prospects (00:14:38 min)

In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Chief European economist Jean-Michel Six reviews the likely effects of higher inflation and rising oil prices on Europe’s economies. Monetary policies in the U.K. and Eurozone are likely to turn much less accommodative sooner than we had expected. Meanwhile, consumers, confronted by higher energy and food prices, will rebalance their spending. As a result, the outlook for growth has become more uncertain.

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Reuters: PIMCO Total Return dumps government-related debt

PIMCO Total Return dumps government-related debt

By Jennifer Ablan
NEW YORK | Wed Mar 9, 2011 2:40pm EST

(Reuters) - The world's largest bond fund dumped all of its U.S. government debt in the biggest signal yet of how negative investors have become about the U.S. Treasury market.

CNN Money: Oil and gold: Rally won't last

Oil and gold: Rally won't last

By Hibah Yousuf, staff reporter|March 8, 2011: 5:47 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Oil above $100! Gold hitting new records! Don't fear the headlines. Most market experts think oil and gold prices will settle down as the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East region subsides.

Fitch: U.S. Senior Fixed Income Investors More Optimistic on Economy, Credit in 2011

Fitch: U.S. Senior Fixed Income Investors More Optimistic on Economy, Credit in 2011

Fitch Ratings-New York-04 March 2011: Optimism has increased among U.S. senior fixed income investors with views turning more constructive on economic growth, lending, and fundamentals across multiple asset classes, according to the most recent Fitch Ratings/Fixed Income Forum (FIF) Survey of Senior Investors. The survey was conducted from mid-January to mid-February, 2011.

S&P: U.S. Leveraged Debt: How Much Credit Risk Remains?

U.S. Leveraged Debt: How Much Credit Risk Remains? (00:07:56 min)

Although credit spreads in the secondary market have improved enormously, the fundamental assessments of credit risk captured in corporate credit and recovery ratings tell a different story. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Managing Director Bill Chew provides a comprehensive look at the U.S. leveraged finance market. Topics include the improving trends in default rates, our outlook for default risk, and recovery trends.

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Moody's Downgrades Greece

ECONOMY|MARCH 7, 2011, 1:28 P.M. ET
Moody's Downgrades Greece

By NATASHA BRERETON And ALKMAN GRANITSAS

SINGAPORE—Moody's Investors Service Inc. lowered Greece's credit rating by three notches Monday and signaled it could cut the rating even further, dragging the country's debt deeper into junk-grade territory.

WSJ: Asia Wealth Leads to Hedge Fund Shuffle

THE VIEW FROM HONG KONG|MARCH 7, 2011
Asia Wealth Leads to Hedge Fund Shuffle

By ALISON TUDOR

HONG KONG—Asia's growing wealth is causing a major personnel shuffle in the hedge-fund world, as global funds look to establishing footholds while star managers strike out on their own.

S&P: Comments On Recent U.S. Housing Data

Standard & Poor’s Comments On Recent U.S. Housing Data (00:05:01 min)

In this podcast, Standard & Poor's Senior Director Erkan Erturk, Structured Finance, comments on this week's key U.S. housing data and what we expect for the industry this year. Topics include the reasons behind the continuing falloff in home sales, major industry risks, and declining home prices.

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S&P: This Week in Structured Finance Credit

This Week in Structured Finance Credit (00:05:45 min)

In this CreditMatters TV segment, Managing Directors Howard Esaki and Ted Burbage discuss this week's Structured Finance highlights. In the CMBS market, delinquency rates showed a small increase, while hotel revenue numbers improved, by 7% year-over-year. In the ABS sector, auto sales were stronger than expected. For RMBS, we are not seeing much activity, and we do not expect much movement in the residential private label market for some time.

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