ProfitGuard’s Recently Reviewed Debtors
July 28, 2010 - - Listed below are just a few debtors that ProfitGuard has recently reviewed, including Aleris International, Allotech International, Essar Steel Algoma, Norandal Aluminum, Inc. and State Metal Industries. If you would like a complete and detailed report on any of companies below, you can place your order at www.eprofitguard.com.
S&P: Metals and Mining Sector's Slow Recovery
July 28, 2010 - - On July 2, 2010, S&P released their outlook on the metals and mining industry: As demand and business conditions for the U.S. metals and mining sector gradually recover, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services expects credit quality to continue to improve--albeit slowly. In our opinion, pricing and demand should support better credit profiles in 2010 for most companies, particularly when compared to their very weak performance in the first half of 2009.
Recent Industry Developments
July 28, 2010 - - A number of significant events recently have shaped the current business environment within the metals industry. Below are some noteworthy events:
S&P: For U.S. Capital Goods, Credit Quality Gradually Improves, but Sustainability Is Key
July 28, 2010 - - On July 2, 2010, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' outlook for credit quality in the U.S. capital goods sector continues to slowly improve in 2010, although we believe the sustainability of the global economic recovery remains at risk. Currently, 16% of our sector ratings still have a negative outlook, down from 28% at the end of the first quarter of this year. After lowering ratings on various companies during 2009, the pace of outlook revisions to stable from negative and company upgrades increased in the first half of this year. This reflects our view of underlying sector fundamentals that we believe have continued to gradually improve, despite potentially volatile market conditions, as well as an increasing number of companies reducing debt and strengthening liquidity.
Effect of Oil Spill on OCTG Sector
July 28, 2010 - - There has been a lot of speculation recently on the impact of the BP oil spill in the OCTG market. What is the likely impact of an offshore drilling moratorium? For local Gulf communities, it will likely be devastating; for the OCTG industry, the damage should be minimal.
Industry Spotlight: Transportation Sector
July 28, 2010 - - In this article, we will focus on the transportation industry which is a large consumer of metal and has shown some signs of improvements recently, due to the recovery in the US and global economies. We expect a slow recovery to take place in this segment considering that real GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.7% in the first quarter of 2010, compared to the fourth quarter of 2009 where real GDP which increased 5.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
