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Moody's Ratings
The 40 per cent trans-shipment tariff by the US will create major compliance issues for companies in India and the ASEAN region, with high risks for sectors like machinery, electrical equipment and semiconductors, Moody's Ratings said on Tuesday. In July 31, US President Donald Trump announced a 40 per cent tariff on goods deemed to have been transshipped, beyond the broader country-level tariffs. Moody's, in its 'Trade Asia-Pacific' report, said it remains unclear how the Trump administration defines trans-shipment, but the measures appear to target products originating in China and shipping through third countries with lower tariffs. Stating that lack of clarity around trans-shipment tariff poses risks to ASEAN economies, Moody's said if the US maintains a narrow interpretation targeting only goods imported from China, minimally processed or re-labelled and re-exported to the US the economic impact on regional economies may be limited. However, a broader and more punitive ...
India may be subject to lower tariffs than many countries in the Asia Pacific, which could help the economy attract further investment and become a global manufacturing base, Moody's Ratings said on Thursday. In its outlook on Asia Pacific sovereigns, Moody's Ratings said many export-reliant APAC economies were hit with very high US tariffs in April. While negotiations will likely lead to some reduction in tariffs and other trade barriers on a bilateral basis, policy uncertainty is challenging investment decisions and disrupting trade. Uncertainty about trade policy and a potential overhaul of global trade have raised cyclical and possibly structural credit risks in APAC, it said, adding that economies like Vietnam and Cambodia, which benefited from a diversification of investment and manufacturing out of China and now face high US tariffs, are particularly at risk. "In contrast to countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, India has the potential to emerge as a beneficiary of a ...
Moody's Ratings on Wednesday said it has upgraded Tata Motors Ltd's corporate family rating by two notches to Ba1 from Ba3 citing sound governance practices, particularly the company's creditor-friendly financial policies, track record and management prudence. The ratings agency also said it has upgraded Tata Motors Ltd's (TML) senior unsecured instruments' ratings to Ba1 from Ba3. As per Moody's obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk. Moody's said in a statement that it has also maintained the positive outlook on all ratings. "TML's two-notch rating upgrade with a positive outlook follows the company's sustained track record in achieving revenue growth, improving profitability and reducing debt using its large free cash flow despite its elevated capital expenditure to refresh its products," Moody's Ratings Senior Vice President Kaustubh Chaubal said. The latest rating action considers the impact of TML's sound ...
Moody's Ratings on Thursday said India will remain the Asia-Pacific region's fastest-growing economy in 2024, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. In a report titled Credit Conditions Asia-Pacific H2 2024 Credit Outlook, Moody's Ratings said Indonesia, the Philippines and India led the way in terms of growth in first half of 2024 and should continue to outperform pre-COVID growth numbers on the back of rising exports, local demand and government spending on infrastructure. "India will remain the region's fastest-growing economy, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. We anticipate policy continuity after the general election, and a continued focus on infrastructure development and encouragement of private sector investment," it said. Moody's said stronger portfolio inflows are likely in India and ASEAN economies, because of robust corporate credit metrics and appealing valuations. Last month, the rating agency projected India to grow 6.8 per cent in t
Israel's finance minister on Sunday slammed the decision by financial ratings agency Moody's to downgrade Israel's credit rating, saying the announcement is a political manifesto that did not include serious economic claims. Moody's dropped the rating on Israel's debt on Friday, warning that the ongoing war in Gaza and a possible war in the north with Hezbollah could adversely affect Israel's economy. It is the first time Moody's has lowered Israel's credit rating, which is used by investors to measure the riskiness of investing in a global entity or government. Moody's downgraded Israel from A1 to A2 and said the outlook for the country's economy was negative. The A2 rating nonetheless continues to carry relatively low risk, according to Moody's. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich angrily dismissed the decision. The announcement reflects a lack of confidence in Israel's security and national strength, and also a lack of confidence in the righteousness of Israel's path against its ..
Ratings agency Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday said it has downgraded its rating on the senior unsecured bonds issued by Vedanta Resources to Ca from Caa3. The rating for the Corporate Family Rating (CFR) of Vedanta Resources was also downgraded to Caa3 from Caa2, Moody's said. "We view the debt restructuring as default avoidance and assess that the creditors have incurred an economic loss with respect to the original promise. We consider the transaction to be a distressed exchange under our criteria, which underpins our downgrade of VRL's ratings," Moody's Senior Vice President Kaustubh Chaubal said. Last week, Vedanta Resources, the UK-headquartered parent company of Vedanta group, received bondholders' approval to restructure four series of bonds. "Proforma the debt restructuring, holdco VRL's near-term liquidity will improve only slightly and its refinancing wall will start building up as it approaches its next bond maturity in April 2026. "Furthermore, a springing covena