QBIEY News Alert Qbe Ins Group Ltd (QBIEY) 9.0600 02/15/2015
Post# of 64074
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Stable for QBE Insurance Group Limited and Its Key Subsidiaries
Business Wire - Thu Jan 15, 8:48AM CST
A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a" for QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited (United Kingdom), QBE Re (Europe) Limited (United Kingdom), QBE Insurance (International) Limited (Australia) and the pooled and reinsured members of QBE North America Insurance Group. These companies are key operating subsidiaries of QBE Insurance Group Limited (QBE) (Australia), the non-operating holding company of the QBE group of companies. Additionally, A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed QBE's ICR and senior debt rating of "bbb", as well as the debt ratings of the perpetual preferred securities of "bb+". (See below for a detailed list of the debt ratings.) At the same time, A.M. Best has affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and the ICR of "a-" of QBE Optima Insurance Company, QBE's Puerto Rico subsidiary and a part of its Latin American operations. The outlook for these ratings remains stable.
UK Sports Sponsorship Market Report 2014
M2 - Wed Oct 15, 6:43AM CDT
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gjvmh9/sports) has announced the addition of the "Sports Sponsorship Market Report 2014" report to their offering. The UK sports sponsorship market has continued to decline in the years following the London 2012 Olympics, with a noticeable drop in both the value and volume of deals being signed since 2009, when market value peaked. Since then, the market has observed year-on-year double-digit declines, although much of this is due to the skewed results produced by the Olympics. Investment in sports sponsorship has also continued to be impacted by the after-effects of the recession, which has led to squeezed marketing budgets and reduced business optimism in the years following the economic downturn, which hit developed markets in 2008/2009. Increased competition from digital marketing formats has also had a negative impact on investment in sports sponsorship, with many businesses opting to funnel money away from large-scale sponsorship deals and towards cheaper, and often more measurable, marketing initiatives involving digital, mobile and social media channels. Despite the contractions observed across the sports sponsorship market in the UK in recent years, the global market has continued to witness a long-term upwards trend, with figures compiled by IEG revealing the total value of global sponsorship rights to have topped $53bn in 2013, having grown by 20.7% since 2009. This suggests that the fluctuations that have hit the UK market in recent years are not likely to be suggestive of a longer-term decline; particularly given that the UK economy once again showed signs of recovery in 2013, with even stronger growth predicted for 2014. The UK's hosting of several upcoming sporting events is also likely to drive future growth. In 2014, alone, for example, the country will play host nation to the Giro d'Italia the second-largest cycling race in the world as well as the Grand D?part of the Tour de France, the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup. The emergence of several non-traditional sports sectors, such as cycling, rowing and para-sports, following the success of Team GB athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are also likely to boost growth in the market going forwards. Key Topics Covered: 1. Foreword 2. Introduction and Definition 3. Executive Summary 4. What's KEY in the Market? 5. Market Size, Segmentation and Forecasts 6. Competitor Analysis 7. Buying Behaviour 8. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 9. PESTEL Companies Mentioned - Adidas - Aegon - Aeroflot - Barclays Bank PLC - CSM Sports & Entertainment LLC - Capital One - Fuse Sports and Entertainment - GMR (formerly Experience Worldwide) - Gazprom - Generate Sponsorship - HSBC Bank PLC - Havas Sports & Entertainment - Lloyds Bank PLC - M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - MEC Access - QBE Insurance Group - Qatar Foundation - Right Formula - Royal Bank of Scotland - Standard Live Investment - Synergy Sponsorship - brandRapport For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gjvmh9/sports