Moody's: Global spec-grade corporate default rate rises slightly in February

Moody's trailing 12-month global speculative-grade default rate closed at 2.3% in February 2015, up from January's revised rate of 2.1%. The latest reading came in close to the rating agency's year-ago prediction of 2.6%.

Moody's default rate forecasting model now predicts that the default rate will end 2015 at 2.5%. If realized, the rate will be well below the historical average of 4.5%.

Moody's Monthly Default Report includes speculative-grade default statistics by region and industry, as well as year-ago rates and year-ahead forecasts. It also provides recent rating transition data, Moody's global distressed index data and default rates among Moody's-rated loan issuers.