S&P: How Tougher Regulations Would Prompt French Banks To Bolster Capital

How Tougher Regulations Would Prompt French Banks To Bolster Capital (00:04:20 min)

French banks continue to post adequate results and benefit from sound asset quality. However, they will continue to operate in a constraining playing field featuring low domestic economic growth, uncertain capital markets, and stricter regulations. The tighter regulatory regime should prompt banks to bolster their capital. In this CreditMatters TV video, Standard & Poor's Director Elisabeth Grandin takes an in-depth look at the situation.

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Bloomberg: BNP Paribas Merges Sigma, Harewood to Create Theam Fund Unit

BNP Paribas Merges Sigma, Harewood to Create Theam Fund Unit
By Fabio Benedetti-Valentini - Mar 16, 2011 1:54 AM GMT+0900

BNP Paribas (BNP) SA, Europe’s largest bank, combined its Sigma and Harewood asset-management units to create Theam, a division specializing in exchange-traded funds and alternative management.

WSJ: Anxiety Spreads to Japan's Neighbors

ASIA NEWS|MARCH 15, 2011, 3:49 P.M. ET
Anxiety Spreads to Japan's Neighbors

By JAMES HOOKWAY

Fears about the potential for a transborder nuclear disaster spread across Asia Tuesday as Japan's nuclear crisis deepened, even as experts and officials sought to calm fraying nerves in countries as far away as Singapore and the Philippines.

WSJ: Fed Leaves Policy Unchanged Amid Global Shocks

ECONOMY|MARCH 15, 2011, 3:12 P.M. ET
Fed Leaves Policy Unchanged Amid Global Shocks

By LUCA DI LEO And JEFFREY SPARSHOTT

The Federal Reserve kept its easy-money policies intact as markets reeled from a series of global shocks that could upset a firming U.S. recovery, which Fed officials indicated was just starting to take hold.

Reuters: BNP to merge fund management units into "Theam"

BNP to merge fund management units into "Theam"
PARIS, March 15 | Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:58am GMT

PARIS, March 15 (Reuters) - France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) announced on Tuesday the details of a merger of two fund management units, Sigma and Harewood Asset Management, in a bid to boost cross-selling and growth.

WSJ: Hedge Funds Had Bets Against Japan

MARKETS|MARCH 15, 2011
Hedge Funds Had Bets Against Japan
Even Before the Disaster, Big Investors Were Wagering on Economic Problems

By GREGORY ZUCKERMAN And TOM LAURICELLA

The catastrophe in Japan has placed renewed focus on the country's already fragile economy—and brought unexpected profits to investors who have long bet that the nation eventually will be dragged down by its debt problems.

S&P: Korea's Oil Refining And Marketing Sector: Why Credit Quality Should Hold Up In 2011

Korea's Oil Refining And Marketing Sector: Why Credit Quality Should Hold Up In 2011 (00:08:39 min)

Korea's oil refining and marketing sector is likely to get another lift as the recovery in refining margins continues into 2011. In this podcast, Sangyun Han, Standard & Poor’s Associate Director of Asia-Pacific Corporate Ratings, explains why we expect the credit quality of the three major companies in the sector, SK Innovation, GS Caltex, and S-Oil Corp, to improve. Han also discusses the risks facing the sector.

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S&P: What's Behind New Recovery Assumptions For U.S. Speculative-Grade Oil Refining Companies

What's Behind Standard & Poor's New Recovery Assumptions For U.S. Speculative-Grade Oil Refining Companies (00:07:54 min)

We recently introduced new assumptions for our recovery methodology to the debt of U.S.-based, speculative-grade-rated oil refining companies. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor's Associate Director David A. Kaplan, CFA, addresses key questions raised by these adjustments. Topics include a summary of the new valuation assumptions, what's spurring the assumptions, the treatment of refinery operations expected to be shut down or converted to storage terminals, and potential rating implications.

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S&P: This Week In Structured Finance: The CMBS “Leading Indicators” Index

This Week In Structured Finance: The CMBS “Leading Indicators” Index (00:06:12 min)

In this CreditMatters TV segment, Howard Esaki, Head of Structured Finance Research, discusses the new CMBS “Leading Indicators” Index, which quantifies credit risk in U.S. CMBS. Ted Burbage, Head of Investor Relations, conducts the interview.

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S&P: Middle East Unrest's Credit Impact: Inflation Is Returning To Europe Sooner Rather Than Later

Middle East Unrest's Credit Impact: Inflation Is Returning To Europe Sooner Rather Than Later (00:08:14 min)

In this podcast, Jean-Michel Six, Standard & Poor's chief economist, Europe, discusses how political unrest in the Middle East is affecting economic conditions in Europe. Topics include rising inflation, the potential for a new oil shock, and geopolitical risks.

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