OREANDA-NEWS. March 16, 2015. The latest edition of Fitch Ratings' Inside Credit newsletter features a European high yield and leveraged finance market overview, including the impact of the ECB's QE program.

ECB asset purchases are likely to intensify the search for yield amid an ongoing scarcity of assets, as savings continue to exceed demand for investment in continental Europe, according to Fitch. ECB asset purchases may also help anchor current benchmark rates while improving headline GDP and credit spread performance. However, rising trade and capital imbalances in Europe may reveal fragilities reminiscent of 2007, when excessive credit growth in unproductive fixed assets and consumption in the deficit economies led to a severe reversal.

On 18 March 2015, Fitch Ratings will hold a webcast on the drivers and credit dynamics of the European high yield and leveraged finance markets. For more information, or to register, please click here: http://fitch2015.nyws.com/events/hywebcast

Other topics covered in this week's edition of Inside Credit include:

-Chinese money market fund growth to slow
-Large U.S banks meet CCAR hurdles
-USD55 Brent may hit weaker EMEA oil ratings
-Sanctions a bigger threat to Russian oil than weak prices
-Brazilian banks brace for rising provisions this year
-Extended U.S. refinery strike could tighten supply balances
-What do European investors expect from QE?
-Insurers begin to unlock the power of Big Data
-Visualizing global credit risk through CDS spreads

'Inside Credit' is a weekly snapshot of Fitch Ratings' noteworthy content, selected from all sectors and regions. To receive the weekly edition, distributed every Friday at 8am ET, please sign up here:

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