Moody's: Asian Liquidity Stress Index rises to 25.2% in June

Moody's Investors Service says that its Asian Liquidity Stress Index (LSI) rose to 25.2% in June, from 24.0% in May, the first rise in three months.

The increase came as the number of rated high-yield companies with Moody's weakest speculative-grade liquidity (SGL-4) score increased to 31 from 30, while the number of rated high-yield companies decreased to 123 from 125 the previous month.

The indexwhich increases when speculative-grade liquidity appears to decreaseremains well below the record high of 37% reached in December 2008 amid the global financial crisis.

"Liquidity for Asia corporates is generally weaker than in the US and Europe, partly because its debt capital markets are not as mature," says Brian Grieser, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst.

"Asian corporates tend to rely more on local bank markets for uncommitted funding, and relationship banking that involves rolling over of short-term and uncommitted credit is far more common in the region" adds Grieser.

The liquidity stress sub-index for Chinese speculative-grade companies stayed unchanged at 28.6% in June as the number of Chinese companies with SGL-4 scores remained at 18, while total number of high-yield Chinese companies remained at 63.

Elsewhere in the region, the Indonesian sub-index jumped to 16.7% from 8.7% as the number of Indonesian companies with SGL-4 scores increased to 4 from 2 and the total number of high-yield Indonesian companies increased by one to 24, month-on-month.

In addition, Moody's downgrade/upgrade ratio declined to 1.5x for Q2 2015, which was well below the ratio of 4.7x for Q1 2015, and lower than the 12 month trailing average of 2.2x.

Finally, Moody's notes that 27.6% of its rated speculative-grade companies have negative-leaning outlooks; the number of negative outlooks increased by two to 32 and the number on review for downgrade remained at 2. This is well below the peak 43.2% posted in 4Q 2008.

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