1. AM Best
Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is a full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the insurance industry. Policyholders refer to Best's ratings and analysis as a means of assessing the financial strength and creditworthiness of risk-bearing entities and investment vehicles.
Sovereign Credit Rating of the Philippines from AM Best:
The Country Risk Tier (CRT) reflects A.M. Best’s assessment of three categories of risk: Economic, Political and Financial System Risk. The Philippines has high levels of economic, political and financial system risk. A.M. Best considers the majority of countries in Southeast Asia to be categorized as CRT-3 or CRT-4. The exceptions are Vietnam, the sole CRT-5, and Singapore the sole CRT-1.
The global economic slowdown led to a decline in demand for exports from the Philippines. At the same time domestic consumption has slowed as remittance inflows wane. Resulting in real GDP growth of less than 1% in 200, however, a recovery is underway in 2010 as appropriate monetary and fiscal policies along with a recovering world economy help spark economic growth.
As far is the credit rating of Philippines is concerned, it has a CRT-4 meaning relatively unpredictable and nontransparent political, legal and business environment with underdeveloped capital markets; partially to fully inadequate regulatory structure.
2. Moody
Moody’s credit ratings are opinions of the credit quality of individual obligations or of an issuer’s general creditworthiness (without respect to individual debt obligations or other specific securities). Examples include our long-term obligation ratings, syndicated loan ratings, bank deposit ratings, national scale ratings and insurance financial strength ratings.
Moody’s rating systems have evolved in response to the increasing depth and breadth of the global capital markets. Much of the innovation in Moody’s rating system is a response to market needs for clarity around the components of credit risk or to demands for finer distinctions in rating classifications.
Sovereign Credit Rating of the Philippines from Moody:
Moody's Investors Service raised its credit rating on the Philippines by one notch to just two ratings below investment grade, in the latest acknowledgment of the economic progress made by the fast-growing Southeast Asian nation.
Moody's raised its rating to Ba2, bringing it in line with ratings from rivals Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch Ratings. Moody's said its rating outlook is stable. The bump will help reduce the nation's cost of borrowing.
Moody's is the second ratings company to upgrade the Philippines under the year-old leadership of President Benigno Aquino. S&P raised its rating on Philippine credit to BB from BB- in November.
3. Fitch Ratings
Fitch Ratings is a global rating agency committed to providing the world’s credit markets with independent and prospective credit opinions, research, and data. With 50 offices worldwide, Fitch Ratings’ global expertise, built on a foundation of local market experience, spans across capital markets in over 150 countries. Fitch Ratings is widely recognized by investors, issuers, and bankers for its credible, transparent, and timely coverage.
Sovereign Credit Rating of the Philippines from Fitch Ratings:
London-based Fitch Ratings has maintained its stable outlook for the Philippines, saying the country is “reasonably healthy” despite the disorder in the global economy.
Eight days after Moodys upgraded the country’s credit rating to two notches below investment grade, the Philippines enjoyed another boost to its international image as Fitch Ratings upgraded the country’s credit rating to just a notch below investment grade. With the decision, the Philippines’ credit rating on its long-term foreign obligations now stands at BB+, an improvement from the previous BB. The Fitch upgrade is the 4th positive ratings action in the 11 months of the Aquino administration and is unprecedented in Philippine history because it’s the first time since June 2003.
On the other side, Philippines has its fiscal weak spot – poor revenue collection and a weak tax base. But Fitch said there were signs of early successes in efforts to improve tax compliance. It plans to cut the deficit to 3.2% of GDP this year -- Fitch said it expected the deficit to fall to 3% -- and to 2% in 2013 and beyond. President Benigno Aquino, who took office on June 30 last year, has been working on lifting revenue by fighting corruption in the collection process and enforcing existing tax laws before looking at increasing tax rates. The government has also introduced tighter controls on budget spending, and has planned an ambitious public-private partnership (PPP) program to fund much-need infrastructure work without stretching state finances.
4. Standard and Poor’s
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services traces its history back to 1860, the year that Henry Varnum Poor published the History of Railroads and Canals of the United States. Poor was concerned about the lack of quality information available to investors and embarked on a campaign to publicize details of corporate operations. Standard & Poor’s has been publishing credit ratings since 1916, providing investors and market participants worldwide with independent analysis of credit risk.
Standard & Poor’s credit ratings are not intended to indicate the value, suitability, or merit of an investment. They are opinions of credit quality and, in some cases, the expected recovery in the event of default. S & P's credit rating opinion is on the general creditworthiness of an obligor, or the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a particular debt security or other financial obligation. Over the years credit ratings have achieved wide investor acceptance as convenient tools for differentiating credit quality.
Sovereign Credit Ratings of Philippines from Standard and Poor’s:
Standard & Poor's upgraded the Philippines' credit rating by one notch in accordance with the country's improving economy and debt reduction efforts. The upgrade to BB, with a stable outlook, from BB- was a statement of confidence on the country's bright prospects moving forward. S&P said the new rating, which remains two levels below investment-grade, was prompted by the Philippines' strong external liquidity and growth prospects, which provide buffer against adverse shifts in trade or investment sentiment.
President Benigno Aquino reacted quickly to the rating upgrade, with his spokeswoman describing it as an endorsement of his government, which took office on June 30. The Aquino government has been controlling its spending to keep the budget deficit within the official ceiling of P325 billion this year.
The Philippines’ strengthening credit profile continues to be internationally recognized by both markets and the rating agencies. Upgrades from Fitch Ratings and Moody bring the Philippines closer to investment grade status and are clear acknowledgements of the country’s improving macroeconomic fundamentals.
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