Insights

With tighter global monetary policy already hitting heavily indebted households and firms, could default rates also reach record levels? This insight looks at the relationship between the Fed Effective rate and US Business Loan Delinquencies.

As the pandemic eases and workers return to their offices, companies that were COVID beneficiaries are facing the double hit of a return to more traditional buying habits and an inflation squeeze on household budgets.

The latest whitepaper from Credit Benchmark illustrates the global credit trends in the first quarter of 2022. With global growth rebounding strongly at the start of 2022, consensus credit trends mirrored this recovery across a broad range of sectors. But as inflation grows and interest rates look likely to jump, will heavily indebted companies drive credit defaults higher?

The Ukraine war has seen countries scrambling to secure energy supplies, boosting the need for renewable sources. But with renewable energy paradoxically dependent on the increasingly volatile climate, diversity in technologies is critical to ensure stable supplies from renewable sources. Credit Consensus Ratings are available for a variety of wind and solar firms, with this report showing some divergences in credit quality.

The Fed is taking an aggressive approach to rising inflation with predictions of imminent rate hikes, and some UK sectors will feel the flow-on impact harder than others. This report shows the historical impact of Fed rates, among other factors, on the credit quality of UK Corporate sectors.

The global construction industry is facing renewed challenges: just as the COVID-driven labour and materials shortages showed signs of easing, the Ukraine war is hitting the industry in two specific areas: steel and glass. But not all firms are affected equally – this report analyses credit improvement in US Construction & Materials companies.