Global Default Rate Drops to 2.44%

The 12-month trailing speculative-grade default rate dropped to 2.44% in January from 2.76% in December, according to Standard & Poor’s Global Fixed Income Research...

Triple-C HY Bonds Hit Record Issuance

Junk bonds rated in the CCC category by Standard & Poor’s or Caa category by Moody’s Investors Service have hit a year-to-date record for issuance...

American Beacon Launches HY Fund

American Beacon Advisors launched a new high yield fund, the mutual fund manager said today. The fund will be managed by subadviser Strategic Income Management...

S&P Defends Proposed New Criteria

Standard & Poor’s defended its proposed ratings methods for bond insurers on Wednesday, a day after the plan drew harsh criticism...

S&P: HY Market Sets January Record

The junk bond primary market had the busiest January on record, according to a report issued today by Standard & Poor’s. Total new issues reached...

Assured Calls Out S&P Move

The head of the only active U.S. bond insurer on Tuesday objected to the new bond-insurer ratings methodology proposed by Standard & Poor’s, calling it unjustified...

Moody’s: Upgrades Lead Downgrades in 2010

Upgrades are significantly leading downgrades for this year, according to a report published by Moody’s Investors Service...

Moody’s: Euro HY Pari Passu But Not Par with Loans

European junk bonds may rank pari passu with loans, but that does not mean they are on par with bank debt, according to Moody’s Investors Service...

S&P: Refinancing Problems Possible Starting 2013

While maturities will generally be manageable over the next five years, lower-rated bonds may have a hard time getting refinanced in 2013 and 2014, according to a report issued Wednesday by Standard & Poor’s...

Moody’s: Risk 2010 Style Is not Your 2007 Risk

Current high yield bond spreads reveal an increased tolerance for risk, though that tolerance is far from the destabilizing levels of previous bull markets, according to Moody's...

More