Three credit rating agencies have a long history in the U.S. Learn about what they do and how they developed. https://t.co/TqefojqMuW ...

Volta Finance Limited (VTA / VTAS)May 2025 monthly reportNOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION, OR PUBLICATION, IN WHOLE OR PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES Guernsey, June 24, 2025 AXA IM has published the Volta Finance Limited (the “Company” or “Volta Finance” or “Volta”) monthly report for May 2025. The full report is attached to this release and will be available on Volta’s website shortly (www.voltafinance.com). Performance and Portfolio Activity Dear Investors, In May, Volta Finance’s net performance reached ...

CHANHASSEN, Minn., June 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LTH) ("Life Time" or "the Company") today announced that it has closed on its sale-leaseback transaction of three properties for approximately $150 million in gross proceeds. Terms were similar to previous transactions. Additional details were not disclosed.Additionally, on June 18, 2025, prior to the completion of the sale-leaseback transaction, S&P Global Ratings ("S&P") upgraded the Company's issuer credit rating to 'B ...

Core Viewpoint - First Horizon Corporation's credit ratings outlook has been upgraded to positive by Moody's, reflecting improvements in its regional banking franchise and deposit quality [1][9]. Group 1: Ratings and Outlook - Moody's upgraded First Horizon's long-term issuer rating and senior unsecured notes, affirming its Baa3 long-term issuer rating [1]. - The positive outlook is attributed to First Horizon's strengthening regional banking franchise in the Southeast and effective risk management [2][6]. - Moody's expects ongoing improvements in asset quality and funding despite uncertain economic conditions [2]. Group 2: Financial Performance - First Horizon has demonstrated consistent performance with decent asset quality, strong capitalization, and adequate liquidity [3]. - The bank's tangible common equity (TCE) ratio is 10.6% and the CET1 ratio is 10.9% as of March 2025, both within or slightly above target ranges [5]. - Profitability is recovering, supported by specialty lending and effective deposit pricing management, although fee income remains volatile [5][9]. Group 3: Risk Management and Future Prospects - Moody's noted that an upgrade is likely if First Horizon continues prudent risk management and improves deposit quality [7]. - The bank's deposit franchise has shown resilience, particularly after the collapse of its planned merger with Toronto-Dominion Bank [4]. - Ongoing improvements in capital, asset quality, and funding diversification support the positive outlook [6]. Group 4: Market Performance - Over the past year, First Horizon's shares have increased by 36.5%, outperforming the industry's growth of 24.4% [8].

Core Viewpoint - Fitch Ratings has upgraded the outlook of UBS Group AG to Positive from Stable, affirming its long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A' and UBS AG's and UBS Switzerland AG's at 'A+' due to the successful integration of Credit Suisse and expected improvements in profitability [1][2]. Group 1: Integration and Execution Risk - Execution risk for UBS is expected to decline as the integration of Credit Suisse progresses, with minimal residual risk anticipated after client migration and system decommissioning, expected to be completed by the end of 2026 [2]. - UBS has effectively managed integration risks over the past two years, preventing operational disruptions and maintaining a prudent risk culture, with the wind-down of non-core assets ahead of schedule [3]. Group 2: Business Model and Profitability - The integration of Credit Suisse is projected to enhance UBS's business model by increasing scale and diversifying revenue, supporting its strategy and leadership in global wealth management [4]. - Fitch anticipates UBS's profitability will recover to pre-acquisition levels by 2026, with the operating profit/risk-weighted assets ratio expected to rise from 0.2% in 2023 to 2.5% in 2026 and 3% in 2027 [5]. Group 3: Financial Strength and Stability - UBS's capital position remains robust, with a CET1 ratio expected to exceed the medium-term guidance of 14% until integration completion, and it maintains one of the highest Basel leverage ratios among European banks [6]. - The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) was reported at 181% in Q1 2025, indicating a stable funding profile [6]. Group 4: Risk Management - UBS is expected to continue effectively managing integration risks, ensuring stable operations and minimizing disruptions, with a loans-to-deposits ratio improving to 83% in Q1 2025 [7]. - The bank's low impaired loans ratio of close to 1% reflects its prudent risk culture, significantly better than its European peers [7]. Group 5: Overall Outlook - The Positive Outlook from Fitch indicates expectations for UBS to restore profitability to pre-acquisition levels while maintaining strong asset quality, solid capital, and resilient funding [8]. - UBS's successful integration of Credit Suisse is anticipated to durably strengthen its business model, reinforcing its leading position in global wealth management [8].

Core Viewpoint - Moody's downgraded the U.S. government's credit rating from "Aaa" to "Aa1," marking it as the last major credit rating agency to do so, following S&P Global and Fitch [1][2] Group 1: Credit Rating Downgrade - The downgrade reflects concerns over growing fiscal deficits and elevated total debt, with the U.S. running over a $1.8 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2024 and having over $36 trillion in total debt [3][4] - Moody's indicated that the U.S. fiscal performance is likely to deteriorate compared to its past and other highly rated sovereigns, with expectations of larger deficits as entitlement spending rises [3][4] Group 2: Future Projections - Fiscal deficits could reach 9% of GDP by 2035, up from the current 6.4%, while total debt is projected to rise to approximately 134% of GDP, surpassing levels seen during World War II [4] - Annual interest payments on the debt, which accounted for 18% of revenue in 2024, are expected to increase to 30% by 2035 [4] Group 3: Legislative Impact - House Republicans' proposal to make temporary tax cuts permanent could add an estimated $4 trillion to the fiscal deficit over the next decade, excluding interest payments [6] Group 4: Market Reactions - Historical responses of the S&P 500 to previous credit downgrades show initial sell-offs followed by recoveries, indicating that the market may not react severely to the downgrade [7][10] - The muted market response to the recent downgrade may be attributed to prior warnings from Moody's and the established understanding of the U.S. debt situation [11]

Shares of New Fortress Energy (NFE -14.54%) fell on Wednesday. The company's stock plummeted 14.5% as of market close. The leg down comes as the S&P 500 (^GSPC -1.61%) and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC -1.41%) lost 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively.New Fortress is excluded from Puerto RicoThe liquefied natural gas (LNG) company will not be able to take part in a key government auction in Puerto Rico. It was revealed late yesterday that New Fortress has been disqualified from a Puerto Rican government auction to sec ...

DETROIT, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DT Midstream, Inc. (NYSE: DTM) announced that it has achieved an investment grade rating with two agencies: With investment grade ratings from these two credit agencies, DTM expects an improvement in liquidity and reduced interest expense. "Achievement of an investment grade credit rating was a strategic goal we had since we became a standalone public company," said David Slater, President and CEO. "The ratings upgrades are a recognition of the strength of our balan ...

Economic Indicators - The Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.69%, 1.95%, and 0.58% respectively in the last trading week [1] - The consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.2% in April, with a year-on-year increase of 2.3%, the lowest since February 2021 [2] - The producer price index (PPI) declined by 0.5% in April, with a 12-month increase of 2.4% [2] - Retail sales increased by 0.1% in April, aligning with market expectations [2] - Consumer sentiment index fell to 50.8% in May, the lowest in its history [2] Company Performance - IHS Holding Limited's shares increased by 33.6% since being upgraded to Zacks Rank 1 on March 21 [3] - British Land Company PLC returned 16% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 2 on March 21 [4] - Stantec Inc. and Bankinter, S.A. saw share increases of 21.4% and 10.8% respectively after their upgrades to Outperform [8] - Axon Enterprise, Inc. and Quanta Services, Inc. gained 23.6% and 18.1% respectively over the past 12 weeks [11] Portfolio Performance - The Zacks Model Portfolio of Rank 1 stocks outperformed the S&P 500 index by over 12 percentage points since 1988, with an annualized average return of +23.5% [5][7] - The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +18.41% in 2024, compared to +25.04% for the S&P 500 index [12] - The Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) returned +3.20% in Q1 2025, outperforming the S&P 500 index's -4.30% decline [16] - The Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) returned +5.74% in Q1 2025, compared to the S&P 500 index's -2.41% pullback [19] Long-term Performance - The Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +1832.3% since 2012, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 index's +434.2% [22] - The Zacks Focus List portfolio has an annualized return of +11.33% since 2004, compared to +9.95% for the S&P 500 index [14]

Shares of New Fortress Energy (NFE -3.39%) were in free fall this week. The company's stock plummeted 62.7% as of 1:55 p.m. on Friday. The collapse came as the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both saw major gains.The liquefied natural gas (LNG) company reported its first-quarter numbers this week, revealing a staggering loss much more significant than Wall Street expected.New Fortress is deep in the redNew Fortress Energy reported a Q1 2025 loss of $0.73 per share, much worse than analysts had expected and ...