About one-seventh of Asian Pacific corporate bonds outstanding could come under pressure if the Persian Gulf war and higher oil prices persist, S&P Global reported Thursday.
"A prolonged oil shock could undermine the credit quality of 15% of rated Asia-Pacific corporates tested under our downside scenario," advised S&P Global. "That's up from 9% under our base case of a quicker end to war."
The Asia-Pacific is more exposed to a Middle-East related energy shock than most other regions, and vulnerable to "disruptions to energy and raw material supplies, demand destruction, margin compression, and working capital volatility," advised S&P Global.
Nearly 90% of the crude oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz is bound for Asia, and Persian Gulf petroleum accounts for about 40% of Asia-Pacific's energy imports, noted the credit-rating agency.
In Asia, industries and enterprises that rely on jet fuel, diesel, and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) "face the highest shortage risk," reported S&P Global.
Business sectors most affected include chemicals, downstream oil and gas, airlines, automobile-manufacturing, engineering and construction, and building materials.
In terms of nations, South Korea, Japan, and mainland China "have largely mitigated near-term supply disruption," through use of adequate reserves, but "other countries have had to announce various measures to manage a potential energy supply crunch," said S&P Global.
Not only corporates, but some sovereign bonds could be affected if high prices persist.
The Philippines sovereign credit-rating was reduced to BBB+ "stable" from "positive" last week, due to exposure to oil shocks, said S&P Global.