S&P report on our cautious outlk for US, Asia metals & mining

Dec 05- Standard & Poor's Ratings Services published a report discussing its outlook for the U.S. and Asia-Pacific metals and mining sector. The Credit FAQ is titled "What's Behind Our Cautious Outlook For U.S. And Asia-Pacific Metals And Mining Companies."
"Most rated metals and mining companies are entering 2012 with stable outlooks, in part because of their strong performance in 2010 and during the first half of this year," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Michael Scerbo. "However, we believe that their business prospects are weakening, which could slow the positive rating trends we saw in 2010 and in the early part of 2011."
On Nov. 3, 2011, Managing Directors Michael Scerbo and Suzanne Smith met with investors in Singapore to discuss the rating agency's more cautious credit outlook for metals and mining companies. In addition to addressing questions about sector performance, the analysts commented on recent events and on how these might affect ratings. The report includes questions and answers from the event.