Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put further stress on an auto supply chain already taxed by a shortage of key parts such as microchips. These supply disruptions, along with broader macroeconomic issues such as inflation, led us this month to cut our light vehicle sales growth estimates for 2022. Production bottlenecks will be largely resolved next year, but consumer demand may suffer because of inflation. A bright spot for the auto sector is the fast growth of the electrified vehicle market, especially in China and Japan.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised questions about how companies’ credit quality will hold up if the conflict escalates. Some companies are set to benefit as commodity prices soar. But others are at risk from commodity price and supply-chain shocks, or financial and economic disruptions. Which companies and regions are most exposed and what do they have in common? And away from the conflict, global telecoms companies are stepping up investment in 5G – the fifth generation of network technology. It’s new, it’s a little puzzling, and it’s expensive for the companies that need to adapt to it—and for now at least it’s not clear how they’ll get a return on their investment.

Marina Albo of the Corporate Finance team explains that most companies’ direct exposure to Russia is low outside the energy sector, but indirect exposure – through energy and commodity costs and access – is widespread. Then Paolo Leschiutta outlines why operating profit growth is slowing for consumer products companies.

Amid increased cyberattack risk, Marie Fischer-Sabatie and Matt Cahill discuss differences in cyber risk preparedness among hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. Then Farah Zakir does the same for business and consumer service companies, and Jonathan Reid for companies in the chemicals and other basic commodities sectors.

Paloma San Valentin of the Corporates team discusses the impact of rising inflation on a wide range of global industries. Then, at 10.10 minutes, Emile El Nems takes a closer look at how higher prices are affecting the US building sector.

Jonathan Root and Pete Trombetta discuss the recovery prospects for the airlines, cruise and lodging sectors globally in 2022 amid Omicron and other disruptions. And Sandra Beltran explains how increased travel will benefit a range of entities in Latin America and the Caribbean this year.

Ed DeForest, Richard Morawetz and Gloria Tsuen of the Corporates team discuss the stable outlooks for nonfinancial companies in the Americas, EMEA and Asia (ex Japan) in 2022, highlighting differences and risks among regions and sectors. And Christina Boni and David Beadle explain why Moody’s recently changed the outlook for both the European and US retail sectors back to stable from positive.

Our new corporate finance podcast series focuses on the market forces shaping credit across industries - from airlines to pipelines and computer chips to potato chips. In the inaugural episode, Annalisa Di Chiara, Richard Etheridge and Christina Padgett discuss the current credit trends in the higher-risk segment of the corporate debt market, highlighting regional differences. And (starting at 13:03 minutes) covenant specialist Evan Friedman explains how changing market conditions contribute to weaker creditor protections.

On Moody’s Talks - Behind the Bonds, hosts Tania Hall and Jeff Pruzan join analysts from Moody’s corporate finance group worldwide to discuss the market forces shaping credit across industries - from airlines to telecoms and everything in between. These forces include the uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, digital transformation, cyber risk, climate-change imperatives and much more. Please join us as we connect the dots on corporate credit quality.