ISDA and S&P Indices to Co-brand S&P Credit Default Swap Indices

NEW YORK, Tuesday, September 13, 2011 – The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) and S&P Indices announced today that they will co-brand S&P’s existing Credit Default Swap (CDS) Indices as S&P/ISDA CDS Indices. The S&P/ISDA CDS Indices seek to reflect the credit default swap market for U.S. corporate credits and increase transparency for market participants.



“We are very pleased to announce this partnership with S&P Indices,” said Robert Pickel, ISDA Executive Vice Chairman. “The S&P/ISDA CDS Indices will continue to provide market participants a key benchmark designed to further increase transparency and efficiency in the OTC derivatives market.”



“We are excited to co-brand our family of CDS indices with ISDA, the premier trade organization of participants in the over-the-counter derivatives markets,” said Alexander Matturri, Executive Managing Director at S&P Indices. “S&P/ISDA CDS Indices offer market participants additional, important transparency and insight into the credit default swap market. By working closely with ISDA and market participants, we expect to broaden the family of S&P/ISA CDS indices and attract even greater interest in these indices by both institutional investors and dealers alike.”



The current family of indices to be co-branded by ISDA and S&P Indices includes the CDS Benchmarking Indices, the CDS Sector Indices and the CDS Sovereign Indices, which consist of the following:



‾          S&P/ISDA 100 CDS

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Investment Grade

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. High-Yield

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Homebuilders Select 10

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Consumer Discretionary Select 20

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Consumer Staples Select 10

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Energy Select 10

‾          S&P/ISDA CDS U.S. Health Care Select 10

‾          S&P/ISDA International Developed Nation Sovereign CDS

‾          S&P/ISDA Eurozone Developed Nation Sovereign CDS



Additional information, including current spread and daily CDS price changes, on the S&P/ISDA CDS Indices is available on the ISDA CDS MarketplaceSM and S&P Indices.



For More Information, Please Contact:

Lauren Dobbs, ISDA New York, +1 212 901 6019, ldobbs@isda.org

Rose Millburn, ISDA London, +44 203 088 3526, rmillburn@isda.org

Donna Chan, ISDA Hong Kong, +852 2200 5906, dchan@isda.org 

David Guarino, S&P Indices New York, +1 212 438 1471 dave_guarino@standardandpoors.com



About ISDA

Since 1985, ISDA has worked to make the global over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets safer and more efficient. Today, ISDA is one of the world’s largest global financial trade associations, with over 825 member institutions from 57 countries on six continents. These members include a broad range of OTC derivatives market participants: global, international and regional banks, asset managers, energy and commodities firms, government and supranational entities, insurers and diversified financial institutions, corporations, law firms, exchanges, clearinghouses and other service providers. Information about ISDA and its activities is available on the Association's web site: www.isda.org.



About ISDA CDS MarketplaceSM

ISDA CDS MarketplaceSM (www.isdacdsmarketplace.com) was launched by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) in August 2009. The website brings together information, data and statistics on the credit default swaps (CDS) business. ISDA CDS MarketplaceSM was developed with the support of the DTCC Deriv/SERV LLC, a subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ("DTCC"), Markit, Moody's Analytics, and Standard & Poor's Indices. The site consists of four main sections: About the CDS Market, Daily Prices, Exposures & Activity, and Market Statistics.



About S&P Indices

S&P Indices, a world leading index provider, maintains a wide variety of investable and benchmark indices to meet an array of investor needs. Over $1.25 trillion is directly indexed to Standard & Poor's family of indices, which includes the S&P 500, the world's most followed stock market index, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, the S&P Global BMI, an index with approximately 11,000 constituents, the S&P GSCI, the industry's most closely watched commodities index, and the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index, the premier investable index for U.S. municipal bonds. For more information, please visit: www.standardandpoors.com/indices.



Standard & Poor’s does not sponsor, endorse, sell or promote any S&P index-based investment product. This document does not constitute an offer of services in jurisdictions where Standard & Poor’s or its affiliates do not have the necessary licenses. Standard & Poor’s receives compensation in connection with licensing its indices to third parties.





ISDA® is a registered trademark of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.

Business Monitor International Report Highlights the Risks of a Double-dip Recession

Press Release
LONDON, August 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Business Monitor International (BMI) has released its latest special report, "Market Meltdown: Global Economy On The Edge" evaluating the major risks to the world economy arising from the recent slump in global stock prices and rise in vulnerable government bond yields.

With the Eurozone affected by the on-going sovereign debt crises, the US faced with debt concerns after losing its AAA credit rating, and Japan still suffering from the consequences of March's earthquake, the global economy is threatened by a risk of another recession.

On August 5 2011, Standard & Poor's (S&P) lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating for the United States to AA+ from AAA, while maintaining a negative outlook. Prior to S&P's announcement, poor Q211 GDP data and revisions to the GDP series going back to 2010 had a significant impact on the US economic outlook. The report focuses on the recent market developments, outlines revisions to BMI's US growth forecasts and provides insight into the US ratings downgrade. Furthermore it examines a possibility of a double-dip recession in the US.

BMI also analyses the implications of the Eurozone debt crisis for European politics, financial market strategies and the European banking sector. Considering market scepticism over the sustainability of the Eurozone, the current crises represent the biggest test for European institutions since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and one with far graver economic implications.

Moreover, "Market Meltdown: Global Economy On The Edge" assesses the contagion risks of the eurozone and US crises for Asia; from banking sector exposure, the stress on states with weak fiscal positions, and the impact on China's economy and the rest of the region should global trade flows be disrupted by a weakening US dollar, or lower import demand from the US and Europe.

BMI's unique combination of global macro-economic forecasting, industry knowledge and long track-record of emerging markets forecasting enables global investors, strategists and decision-makers across the corporate spectrum to identify key market opportunities and avoid market risks wherever they operate.

About Business Monitor International:

Business Monitor International (BMI) established in 1984 with headquarters in London is recognised as a leading independent source for analysis and forecasts on Country Risk and Industry, spanning 175 countries. BMI provides research to multinational corporations, banks, funds, research centres and governments in 140 countries around the world, including more than 400 of the Fortune Global 500 companies.

PR contact:
Matthew Brooks
Head of Strategic Analysis & Product Development
Senator House
85 Queen Victoria Street
EC4V 4AB
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+44(0)20-7248-0468
http://www.businessmonitor.com