The challenges facing the automotive industry are well known. Investment into electric and driverless vehicles presents a formidable looming cost for car manufacturers, and some companies have announced partnerships in order to manage the enormous sums required for future development. Fiat-Chrysler and Renault have recently proposed a €36.2bn transformative merger,

Another day, another store closing – this is the current environment for UK retailers, with the Arcadia Group announcing this week the closure of 23 stores including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge. These closures follow recent announcements that M&S will close 100 stores by 2022, and Debenhams’ ongoing administration

Oil is a temperamental commodity at the best of times, with prices heavily influenced by the slightest fluctuations in supply. The US is currently acting as the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons, with its sanctions on Iran and ongoing trade negotiations with China. If the talks go sour, diminished Chinese

Sovereign credit risk is a complex beast. It is often country—specific, but can also be driven by regional and global themes.  Currently, all three factors are in play. Looking ahead, changing geopolitical alliances, trade flows and supply chains will have a more profound and far-reaching effect. It all adds up

Credit Benchmark has published the latest monthly credit consensus data (from March 2019) based on contributions from 30+ financial institutions, covering over 27,400 separate legal entities. The monthly upgrades and downgrades overview is now based on data adjusted for changes in contributor mix. Monthly consensus upgrades and downgrades: Last month

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Markets Committee is set to meet this week for the third time this year. Although no interest rate movements are expected, investors will still be watching to see if the Fed will continue its ‘wait and see’ approach. Considering the outcome of the March FOMC