OREANDA-NEWS. Chilean corporates face challenging conditions due to weak macroeconomic conditions, lower commodity prices, and aggressive capex plans financed using debt, according to Fitch Ratings' Chilean Corporate Outlook Report.

"Credit metrics continue to deteriorate in Chile. Approximately 15% of the corporates have Negative Rating Outlooks," according to Alejandra Fernandez, a Director at Fitch. "Of the four issuers with Negative Outlooks: GeoPark and CAP are under enormous pressure due to low commodity prices, Masisa's results are suffering because of weak conditions in Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina, while Entel's leverage has increased significantly due to its aggressive investments in Peru."

Leverage has increased for the majority of the 28 Chilean corporates with international ratings over the past few years. As of March 31, 2015, the median net debt/EBITDA ratio was 3.5x. This ratio compares with 2.4x in 2011. Negative operating cash flow trends have been a key driver of higher leverage. The cash flow from operations of these issuers has deteriorated by double digits since 2012.

Another key contributor to rising debt levels has been debt-funded M&A activity, which has expanded the presence of many corporates in Peru, Colombia and Brazil. Among these countries, the investments in Brazil remain as pressure points for Chilean corporates. Among the 10 issuers with operations in Brazil, Masisa remains in the weakest position, followed by Latam. Andina is also expected to come under pressure from negative consumer trends in that market.

Positively, foreign exchange risk is largely manageable for the 28 Chilean corporates in aggregate. Derivatives are common and issuers can find instruments that match the terms of the bonds. Issuers have done a reasonable job balancing the currency of their debt versus the currency of their cash flow.

Fitch's Five Report Outlook series will be released one report per day as follows:

Aug. 17: Brazil Corporate Outlook Update - Dark Days to Continue
Aug. 18: Chile Corporate Outlook Update - Challenges Persist
Aug. 19: Colombia Corporate Outlook Update - Resilient Credit Quality
Aug. 20: Mexico Corporate Outlook Update - Slow but Steady
Aug. 21: Peru Corporate Outlook Update - Facing Hard Times