scholarly journals An Analysis of the Informational Value of Sovereign Credit Ratings

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Kok-Tiong Lim ◽  
Kian-Teng Kwek
Keyword(s):  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Price Discovery ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Credit Ratings ◽  
Credit Default Swap ◽  
Bond Yields ◽  
Sovereign Credit ◽  
Sovereign Credit Ratings ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Informational Value

The sovereign credit ratings (SCRs) have been an integral part in the global financial system in asset allocation and price discovery. The zero bound policy rate (ZBPR) and quantitative easing programme (QEP) rolled out by the four key central banks as antidotes to the global financial crisis (GFC) would have altered the assumed premise on SCRs relevancy. This preliminary study is crafted for a validation on whether the SCRs informational value on sovereign bond yields (SBYs) and sovereign credit default swap spreads (SCDSSs) was indeed affected when ZBPR and QEP were in effect. A sample of 32 countries with observations spanning from 2008 to 2017 to encompass the period of ZBPR and QEP in effect was used for analysis. The empirical results show that SCRs informational value was indeed rendered irrelevant on SBYs price discovery since 2008 and the effect on SCDSSs came in later from 2012 onwards.

Sovereign credit ratings, relative risk ratings and private capital flows: evidence from emerging and frontier markets

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Supriyo De ◽  
Sanket Mohapatra ◽  
Dilip Ratha
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
Capital Flows ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Credit Ratings ◽  
Private Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sovereign Credit ◽  
Sovereign Credit Ratings ◽  
Private Capital Flows ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Relative risk ratings measure the degree by which a country’s sovereign rating is better or worse than other countries (Basu et al., 2013). However, the literature on the impacts of sovereign ratings on capital flows has not covered the role of relative risk ratings. This paper aims to examine the effect of relative risk ratings on private capital flows to emerging and frontier market economies is filled. In the analysis, the effect of relative risk ratings to that of absolute sovereign ratings in influencing private capital flows are compared. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the influence of sovereign credit ratings and relative risk ratings on private capital flows to 26 emerging and frontier market economies using quarterly data for a 20-year period between 1998 and 2017. A dynamic panel regression model is used to estimate the relationship between ratings and capital flows after controlling for other factors that can influence capital flows such as growth and interest rate differentials and global risk conditions. Findings The analysis finds that while absolute sovereign credit ratings were an important determinant of net capital inflows prior to the global financial crisis in 2008, the influence of relative risk ratings increased in the post-crisis period. The post-crisis effect of relative ratings appears to be driven mostly by portfolio flows. The main results are robust to an alternate measure of capital flows (gross capital flows instead of net capital flows), to the use of fixed gross domestic product weights in calculating relative risk ratings and to the potential endogeneity of absolute and relative ratings. Originality/value This study advances the literature on being the first attempt to understand the impact of relative risk ratings on capital flows and also comparing the impact of absolute sovereign ratings and relative risk ratings on capital flows in the pre- and post-global financial crisis periods. The findings imply that emerging and frontier markets need to pay greater attention to their relative economic performance and not just their sovereign ratings.

Price Discovery and Transmission Mechanism between CDS and FX markets

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58
Author(s):  
Hong Bae Kim ◽  
Sang Hoon Kang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Price Discovery ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Credit Default Swap ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Volatility Transmission ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Fx Market

This study investigated the relationship between the CDS (credit default swap) market with the FX spot (FX swap) market, including the period of recent global financial crisis. A measure for market efficiency is the condition that the derivative markets dominate the asset market in price discovery. In our case, however, FX market should be leading the CDS market. We found FX (spot and Derivatives) market has co-integration relationship with CDS market. Looking at Gonzalo Granger (GG) and Hasbrouck's price discovery measure, we found the FX spot and derivatives market dominated CDS market in price discovery. This study has also examined the direction of shock spillover and volatility transmission between Korean CDS spread and Foreign exchange spot (FX swap) markets using the VECM bivariate GARCH approach. Our evidence suggested the presence of bi-directional shock volatility and volatility transmission between the CDS market and FX spot market partially exist. However, volatility spillover effects from CDS market to FX Swap market are stronger than in the reverse direction during the global financial crisis, indicating that the CDS spread signaling sovereign risk play a more important role in influencing the volatility of FX derivatives market. There are some particular features in FX market. The volatility and shock of CIP deviations reflecting arbitrage opportunities in FX swap market are influenced by those of CDS spread in tranquil period prior to Lehman failure. But after Lehman failure CDS played a crucial role in signaling credit risk in FX derivatives market. We found that higher liquidity and trading volume of market matters more in price discovery and information transmission.

scholarly journals Failed Attempt to Break Up the Oligopoly in Sovereign Credit Rating Market after Financial Crises

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-163
Author(s):  
Alicja Malewska
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crises ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
Credit Ratings ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Sovereign Credit ◽  
Sovereign Credit Ratings

For decades, the credit rating market has been dominated by three major agencies (Moody's, S&P and Fitch Ratings). Their oligopolistic dominance is especially strong in sovereign credit ratings industry, where they hold a collective global share of more than 99%. Global financial crisis and the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis exposed serious flaws in rating process and forced public authorities to act. This study investigates effectiveness of new regulations adopted in the United States and in the European Union after financial crises in terms of reducing oligopolistic dominance of the “Big Three” in sovereign credit ratings market. The study applies descriptive statistical analysis of economic indicators describing concentration rate in a market, as well as content analysis of legal acts and case study methodology. Analysis shows that the Dodd-Frank reform and new European rules on supervision of credit rating agencies were not effective enough and did not lead to the increased competition in the market. The evidence from this study is explained using two alternative perspectives – economic theory of natural oligopoly and hegemonic stability theory coming from international relations field.

The politics of creditworthiness: political and policy commentary in sovereign credit rating reports

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Zsófia Barta ◽  
Kristin Makszin
Keyword(s):  
Credit Rating ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sovereign Credit ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
Sovereign Credit Ratings ◽  
Standard And Poor's ◽  
Common Notion ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Lower Uncertainty

Abstract How much do politics and politically sensitive policy choices matter for sovereign credit ratings? We contend that while policy is consistently important for rating decisions, attention to politics varies with perceived uncertainty. Quantitatively analysing the text of 635 sovereign rating reports issued by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) between 1999 and 2012 for 40 European countries, we find that S&P scrutinises policy with similar intensity across countries, but political scrutiny was less intense in developed countries and prospective European Union members (categories formerly associated with lower uncertainty) than in emerging countries until the crisis dispelled illusions of lower uncertainty in these categories. Our findings nuance the common notion that financial market actors allow countries perceived to belong to low-risk categories more “room-to-move” in their political and policy choices, by showing that in rating decisions such permissiveness only applied to politics – but not to policy – and it ended with the global financial crisis.

scholarly journals Sovereign credit ratings and CDS spreads in Emerging Europe

Equilibrium ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-438
Author(s):  
Łukasz Dopierała ◽  
Daria Ilczuk ◽  
Liwiusz Wojciechowski
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Credit Ratings ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Credit Rating Agencies ◽  
Rating Agencies ◽  
Sovereign Credit ◽  
Sovereign Credit Ratings ◽  
The Impact

Research background: Sovereign credit ratings play an important role in determining any country’s access to the international debt market. During the global financial crisis and the European debt crisis, credit rating agencies were harshly criticized for the timing of their announcements regarding ratings downgrades and the ranges of those downgrades. Therefore, it is worth considering whether the sovereign credit rating is still a useful benchmark for investors. Purpose of the article: This article examines whether credit rating agencies still provide financial markets with new information about the solvency of governments in Emerging Europe countries. In addition, it describes the differences in the effect of particular types of rating events on financial markets and the impact of individual agencies on the market situation. Our study also focuses on evaluating these occurrences at different stages of the business cycle. Methods: This article uses data about ratings events that took place between 2008 and 2018 in 17 Emerging Europe economies. We took into consideration positive, neutral, and negative events related to ratings changes and the outlooks reported by Fitch Ratings, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s. We used a methodology based on event studies. In addition, we performed Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and used a logit model to determine the usefulness of cumulative adjusted credit default swap (CDS) spread changes in predicting the direction of ratings changes. Findings & Value added: Our research provides evidence that the CDS market reflects information regarding government issuers up to three months before ratings downgrades are announced. Information reported to the market by ratings agencies is only relevant in the short timeframe surrounding ratings downgrades and upgrades. However, positive credit rating changes convey more information to the market. We also found strong evidence that, in the post-crisis period, credit ratings provide markets with less information.

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