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Cities with the Most CSI Companies

March 15, 2011

Houston, Texas is the home base for more publicly-traded CSI companies than any other city in the latest index of 2,062 companies ranked by credit standards.  California has four cities in the top ten.

In his landmark book A History of the South published in 1953, Southern historian Francis Butler Simkins described Houston as a "raw and rollicking place" still reaping the benefits of the giant oil boom that hit Texas in the late 1800s.  Read below to learn where most CSI companies are based and the industries and companies located in those cities.

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CSI No. 1: Arena Resources, Inc.

December 10, 2010

Before being acquired in July 2010, few companies delivered as much value to its shareholders than Arena Resources, Inc., an oil exploration company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma that sits atop the 2,062-company Credit Standards Index (CSI).

"This transaction recognizes the value Arena has created for its stockholders and provides its stockholders with a meaningful stake in the combined company," said Phil Terry, President and CEO of Arena Resources, in a press release dated April 4, 2010 that announced the sale of his company to

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Economic Profile: ArcelorMittal

March 16, 2010

The 2009 financial results for ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel manufacturer with operations and customers in 177 countries, illustrate the true depths of the global recession, according to the company's recently released annual filing.  Global GDP declined 2.0 percent. 

The 2009 sales for ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company based in Luxembourg, plummeted to $65.1 billion from $124.9 billion in 2008, a drop of 48 percent, according to the company's financial results released last month in the company's annual report.  Get the details in this article.

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Software Industry: Compare & Contrast

December 31, 2009

Adobe Systems, Inc., based in San Jose, California, has the highest credit standards of the 122 publicly-traded software technology companies in the Credit Standards Index (CSI) with a CSI score of of 1.40.  CDC Corp. (shown in photo), based in Hong Kong, is last with a CSI score of 4.30.

Adobe Systems, Inc. leads all software technology companies in credit standards for the second consecutive year further illustrating the close correlation between credit standards and profitability.  Adobe's net profit was 24.4 percent, the tenth highest in the industry.

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Utilities Industry: Compare & Contrast

November 12, 2009

NRG Energy, Inc., based in Princeton, New Jersey, has the highest credit standards of all publicly-traded utilities with  a CSI score of 2.40.  Constellation Energy Group, Inc, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is last with a CSI score of 4.70 on a scale of 1 to 5. 

In January of 2008, Constellation Energy's stock was trading at almost $100 per share, current ratio was at 1.35, well over the industry benchmark of 1.10, and operating cash flow was running at 4.4% of revenue.  Less than a year later, the $20 billion utility had to be rescued by Warren Buffett. 

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CSI No. 1: First Solar

October 7, 2009

First Solar, Inc., a semiconductor company that manufactures solar modules, has the highest credit standards among 2,117 publicly-traded companies, according to the latest information from the Credit Standards Index (CSI) published annually by CreditPulse. 

As the world's energy demands grow, power companies continue to pursue alternative energy sources that are clean, reliable, resourceful and, renewable, if possible.  Solar power is one renewable energy source that may be gaining in prominence, as evidenced by the company that sits

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CSI No. 1: Qualcomm, Inc.

January 31, 2008

QUALCOMM, Inc. of San Diego, California has the highest credit standards among publicly traded companies, according to CSI data, while generating record revenues, earnings and operating cash flows.

In the past decade, the world has witnessed a revolution in wireless communications driven by the miniaturization and enhanced capabilites of integrated circuits. One of the companies at the forefront of this revolution, and perhaps best positioned for its future, is QUALCOMM, Inc. in San Diego, California.

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