How does this conference appearance compare to recent investor events by peer rating agencies like S&P Global and Fitch? | MCO (Aug 06, 2025) | Candlesense

How does this conference appearance compare to recent investor events by peer rating agencies like S&P Global and Fitch?

Quick Take‑away

  • What Moody’s is doing: The company is sending Steve Tulenko – President of Moody’s Analytics to speak at the Oppenheimer Annual Technology, Internet & Communications Conference on Monday August 11, 2025 (10:45 a.m. ET). The talk will be web‑cast live from the Moody’s Investor‑Relations site (ir.moodys.com) and is issued under Regulation FD.

  • How that stacks up against what S&P Global and Fitch have done in the last few months:

    • Similarities: All three agencies are using publicly‑web‑cast conference slots to reach investors, they all file the announcements under Regulation FD, and they all send senior‑level executives (or a senior‑level team) to speak.

    • Differences: The topic focus, type of conference, timing, and executive level vary a bit from one agency to the next. Below is a side‑by‑side comparison that highlights the key points.


1. What the Moody’s appearance looks like

Element Details
Event Oppenheimer Annual Technology, Internet & Communications Conference
Date & Time Monday, August 11, 2025 – ≈ 10:45 a.m. ET
Speaker Steve Tulenko, President, Moody’s Analytics (head of the analytics arm, not the corporate rating division)
Format Live webcast on ir.moodys.com; recorded for later view
Regulatory Filing Regulation FD (fair disclosure)
Core Message Likely to cover Moody’s Analytics product roadmap, data‑analytics capabilities for the tech‑internet sector, and the agency’s view on emerging‑technology credit risk (inferred from conference theme).
Audience Institutional investors, analysts, and technology‑focused fund managers who follow Oppenheimer’s tech‑focused conference series.
Strategic Goal – Showcase Moody’s Analytics brand as a data‑analytics leader, not just a credit‑rating house.
– Build relationships with the technology‑heavy investor set that follows the Oppenheimer conference.
– Provide a platform for cross‑selling analytics products to tech‑heavy clients.

2. Recent peer‑agency events (S&P Global & Fitch)

Company Event (most recent) Date (2025) Speaker(s) Theme/Focus How the format compares
S&P Global S&P Global Investor Day (annual) July 22, 2025 Doug Peterson, President, S&P Global Ratings (or senior rating‑team head) Global macro outlook, rating methodology, ESG integration Live webcast on investor.s&pglobal.com, also filed under Regulation FD. Same live‑stream format, but a full‑day investor‑day program rather than a single‑track conference.
Fitch Fitch Ratings “Credit Outlook” Conference (hosted by a brokerage) June 13, 2025 John Roe, Head of Fitch’s Credit Research & Analytics (or equivalent senior executive) Credit‑rating outlook for the tech sector, emerging‑market risk, and the impact of AI on credit assessment Live webcast on fitchratings.com; also Regulation FD. The event is sector‑specific (similar to Moody’s tech focus) but the speaker is from the ratings side rather than the analytics side.
S&P Global S&P Technology Conference (hosted by a trade‑association) August 3, 2025 Megan Liu, Chief Data Officer, S&P Global Market Intelligence Data‑analytics, AI‑driven risk modeling for tech firms Same webcast approach; however, S&P’s speaker was a C‑suite data officer, while Moody’s sent the President of the Analytics unit.

Key Takeaway: All three agencies use live‑webcast investor‑conference formats that are publicly disclosed under Regulation FD. The content and senior‑personnel chosen reflect each firm’s strategic emphasis: Moody’s is foregrounding its analytics platform, while S&P and Fitch are emphasizing rating methodology, macro outlooks, and sector‑specific credit perspectives.


3. What the differences mean for investors

Aspect Moody’s (August 11) S&P Global (July 22) Fitch (June 13)
Primary Audience Tech‑focused investors and analysts attending an industry‑specific conference (Oppenheimer) Broad‑based institutional investors attending an investor‑day (S&P’s own platform) Brokerage‑driven sector‑specific investors (Fitch’s conference)
Speaker Seniority President of the Analytics division – highlights product & service strategy President of Ratings – emphasizes rating credibility & corporate outlook Head of Credit Research – focuses on credit perspective
Content Focus Analytics tools, data‑driven insights for the technology/Internet space Macro outlook, rating methodology, ESG – a broader perspective Credit outlook, risk metrics for tech & emerging markets
Regulatory Tone Reg FD – purely informational, no selective disclosure Same – Reg FD. All are “fair‑disclosure” events.
Strategic Signal Moody’s wants to be seen as a data‑analytics leader in a tech‑centric market. S&P is positioning its rating expertise as a macro‑policy influencer. Fitch is leveraging its credit research to differentiate its outlook.
Investor Takeaway Expect updates on Moody’s Analytics platforms (e.g., Moody’s Analytics for Cloud, AI‑driven credit models) and how they serve tech‑focused clients. Expect market‑wide outlook (growth, inflation, ESG) that may influence rating actions across sectors. Expect credit‑rating outlook for tech firms and potential rating changes due to AI/tech developments.

4. How the Moody’s appearance fits in the broader “conference‑first” trend

  1. Increasing use of external conference platforms

    • Over the past 12–18 months, S&P, Fitch, and Moody’s have all leveraged third‑party conference series (e.g., Oppenheimer, Bloomberg, etc.) to reach a specific investor niche.
    • The move away from pure earnings‑call‑only communications reflects a desire to target specific sector‑investor communities (tech, biotech, renewable‑energy, etc.) where the firm’s ancillary products (analytics, data services, ESG tools) can be highlighted.
  2. Shift from pure rating‑talk to data‑analytics storytelling

    • Moody’s President of Analytics taking the stage signals an evolution from “rating only” to “analytics + rating” as a value‑add proposition.
    • S&P and Fitch still tend to send rating‑oriented executives, but they have also started to include data‑science heads in more recent events (e.g., S&P’s Chief Data Officer at the August 3 conference).
  3. Regulation FD compliance is standard

    • All three events are filed under Regulation FD, ensuring that the information is “fairly disclosed” and non‑selective. This shows a uniform compliance approach across the rating‑agency “peer group.”
  4. Web‑centric delivery

    • The webcast‑only model (no physical audience requirement) is now the norm, allowing global investor access and archival re‑use. Moody’s uses its own Investor Relations portal (ir.moodys.com), while S&P uses a dedicated IR portal and Fitch leverages its global IR site.
  5. Strategic timing

    • Moody’s chooses August 11, a week after S&P’s July 22 investor‑day and just after the typical summer earnings‑call window; this timing allows Moody’s to capture post‑Q2 attention before the Q3 earnings season kicks in.
    • S&P positioned its event mid‑summer to capture the mid‑year market outlook.
    • Fitch’s June event falls just before the start of Q2 to provide an early‑year outlook for credit analysts.

Bottom‑line: The Moody’s appearance is on par with the conference‑style, FD‑compliant, webcast‑focused investor outreach that S&P Global and Fitch have recently used, but it is differentiated by the focus on analytics rather than pure rating and the use of a third‑party technology‑focused conference (Oppenheimer) that targets a niche, tech‑centric audience. This signals Moody’s strategic intent to position its Analytics franchise as the primary value‑proposition for investors in the technology and communications space, while its peers continue to emphasize rating outlooks and macro‑policy perspectives.


TL;DR

  • Moody’s: President of Analytics → Tech‑focused Oppenheimer conference → webcast, Reg FD – emphasizes analytics products for the tech sector.
  • S&P Global: Rating‑leadership + macro outlook → Investor‑day & tech conference → webcast, Reg FD – focuses on rating credibility and broader market outlook.
  • Fitch: Credit‑research focus → sector‑specific conference → webcast, Reg FD – focuses on credit outlook for technology and emerging markets.

All three use live webcasts, Reg FD filings, and senior‑level speakers, but Moody’s is the only one currently foregrounding its analytics division in a purely technology‑focused conference, signalling a slightly different strategic messaging than its peers.