Market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has called for a meeting with all the seven credit rating agencies in the wake of two recent downgrades in Jindal Steel & Power and Amtek Auto, which have caused turmoil in a few mutual funds. Sebi officials will be discussing with top managers from ratings agencies about market conditions and how the credit profile changes can impact the corporate bond market and the mutual fund industry. Sebi is also looking at the ratings processes of agencies, as any change in ratings usually has an impact on the market price and yield of the bond.
Late August, while CARE Ratings suspended its ratings on Amtek Auto and Brickworks downgraded the company, ICRA, on September 9, downgraded Jindal Steel & Power.Since some of the mutual fund schemes had exposure to bonds issued by these two companies and they face some losses. Sebi has said that it is working to protect the interest of investors in those mutual funds and has also asked fund houses about their exposure in these papers.
Sebi has also asked mutual fund houses to report the downgrades in the bonds in which they invest to their trustees on a real-time basis and then to the regulator on a monthly basis and about their exposure to corporate bonds. Most fund houses investing in India hold corporate debt until maturity. The regulator has asked funds for details that include the rationale for the purchase, and assessments of a credit downgrade risk.
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