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Oil and Gas DSO Drops, Bad Debt Allowance Rises

June 11, 2008

No other industry impacts our global economy more than oil and gas. From energy to manufacturing to distribution, very little gets done until the tank gets filled. In 2006, total revenues for the oil and gas industry group of the Credit Standards Index (CSI) exceeded $2.2 trillion. Read below as CreditPulse reports on the credit and accounting benchmarks for 22 of the largest crude oil and natural gas companies.

The days' sales outstanding, or DSO, benchmark for the oil and gas industry comprised of the major multi-national oil companies using 2006 data dropped significantly from that of 2005, however, that improvement was offset by a slight increase in bad debt allowance. Petro Canada and Suncor Energy, also of Canada, tied for the best CSI score of 2.20 on a scale of 1 to 5.

Paper and Paper Products Industry Benchmarks

June 5, 2008

Modest cash flow, above averge debt and below average current ratio highlight the latest key credit benchmarks for companies in the paper and paper products industry, according to the latest data from the Credit Standards Index (CSI). Bad debt allowance and DSO remain strong in one of the world's core manufacturing industries.

The days' sales outstanding, DSO, benchmark for the 30-company paper and paper products industry rose by a fairly significant 1.57 days from the 2005 figure, meanwhile, bad debt allowance fell slightly indicating tighter credit standards.

1st Quarter 2008 GDP Rises 0.9%

May 29, 2008 

Real gross domestic product (GDP) continues to stay in positive territory despite lower consumer sentiment and higher credit worries, however, a closer look at the numbers reveal potential trouble ahead. 

Driven largely by service exports and government spending, the U.S. gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to preliminary information released today from the U.S. Commerce Department.  The preliminary rate of growth surpassed the advance estimate by 0.3 percent.  The final figure, based on more complete data, will be released on June 26th. 

Semiconductor Industry Credit Benchmarks Fall as Profits Rise

April 2, 2008

Semiconductor companies moved toward greater efficiency as evidenced by the fall in two key credit and effeciency benchmarks -- days' sales outstanding (DSO) and bad debt allowance (BDA). Not suprisingly, profits rose, according to the latest data from the Credit Standards Index (CSI).

The average annual DSO benchmark for the semiconductor industry fell to 50.52 days from the 2005 figure of 52.81, a drop of 2.29 days, according to the latest data from the Credit Standards Index (CSI). Equally impressive, bad debt allowance fell to 3.0% from its 2005 figure of 3.3%, a drop of .3%. Median DSO came in at 48.91, almost three full days below the 2005 median of 51.74. Median BDA is 1.6%, 0.5% lower than the 2005 mark of 2.1%.

Fourth Quarter GDP Remains Positive at 0.6%

March 27, 2008

Real gross domestic product increases for the fourth consecutive quarter in 2007; the 25th consecutive quarter of growth. The U.S. economy has not receded since the third quarter of 2001.

Don't tell the banking industry and most of those on Wall Street, but the United States economy is still growing albeit at the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2007, according to the finalized figures released earlier this morning from the U.S. Commerce Department.

Genesis Microchip, Inc. Acquired By STMicroelectronics NV

March 21, 2008

CSI No. 37 Genesis Microchip, Inc. acquired by CSI No. 371 STMicroelectronics NV in a semiconductor industry transaction earlier this year.

Genesis Microchip, Inc., a $214.6 million (2007 figure) integrated circuit manufacturer based in Santa Clara, California was acquired on January 25, 2008 by STMicroelectronics NV, a $9.8 billion semiconductor manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland for a reported price of $328.81 million or $8.65 in cash per common share.

Industry Spotlight: Wholesale Distribution

March 19, 2008

The DSO benchmark for wholesale distributors is slightly higher; bad debt allowance slightly lower, according to the latest data from the 2006 Credit Standards Index (CSI).  Success in the wholesale distrubution business model depends on effeciency and standards.  Find out which of the 61 companies in this closely monitored industry grouping have the highest and lowest effeciency and standards ratings.

Chemicals & Synthetics DSO Benchmark Falls Slightly to 57.27 Days

March 5, 2008

The Days' Sales Outstanding, more commonly known as DSO, benchmark for the chemicals and synthetics industry fell slightly to 57.27 days based on the latest figures compiled for 62 companies for the credit standards index (CSI), a ranking of public company credit standards published annually by CreditPulse.

Aspen Technology De-listed From NASDAQ

New York, February 19, 2008 -- Aspen Technology, Inc., a software and computer programming company based in Burlington, Massachusetts, has been delisted from NASDAQ as of the opening of trading on February 19, 2008 for failing to meet the latest in a series of missed filing deadlines. As of February 19th, Aspen still had not filed a Form 10K annual report for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, which was due in mid-September 2007. Aspen was 15 days late in filing its 2006 10K.

Software Technology DSO Benchmark Rises to 80.02 Days

January 29, 2008

The Days' Sales Outstanding, or DSO, benchmark for the software technology industry rose slightly to 80.02 days based on the 2006 financial figures recently compiled for the Credit Standards Index (CSI), an annual ranking of over 2000 publicly-traded companies based on credit standards published annually by CreditPulse. 80.02 days represents an increase of 1.18 days over the 2005 figure of 78.84. Median DSO came in at 77.63 days 2.64 days over the 2005 median of 74.99.