Insights

Shifting energy sector dynamics have been a bonanza for US oil and gas companies, with prices spiking and share prices following suit. Strong share performance does not always correlate with strong credit quality, however. This analysis shows the relationship between Credit Consensus Ratings and US energy sector equity price changes in 2022.

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.