2012 Annual Global Corporate Default Study And Rating Transitions

In 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' downgrade of the U.S. had spillover effects on corporate borrowers throughout the country. A year later, the same happened with Europe's economic turmoil and sovereign debt crisis. Nevertheless, corporate borrowers showed some resilience during 2012. In the full year, 84 global corporate issuers defaulted, up from 53 in 2011 and nearly the same as the 2010 total of 83 (see table 1).