About Us

Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Social Media

Bluesky • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

Meet the Laser Focus World Team

Editorial

Sales

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology
My Watchlist
Indicators
Industrial Laser Index
Markets
Stocks
ETFs
Tools
Markets:
Overview
News
Currencies
International
Treasuries

Credit Benchmark Launches Credit Risk Index (CRI): A New Gauge of Risk Sentiment on Private Markets

By: via Business Wire

New monthly index delivers the definitive measure of credit quality trends among U.S. Private Corporates - filling a critical data gap for risk managers and investors.

Credit Benchmark, the leading provider of consensus-based credit risk data from global banks, today announced the launch of our flagship Credit Risk Index (CRI) – the first monthly measure designed to track credit deterioration and improvement among U.S. private corporates and financials. Recent corporate defaults have underscored the need for more transparency within private markets. The CRI will help address this by providing a gauge of risk sentiment in a part of the market that is otherwise opaque.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251015665571/en/

Credit Risk Index (CRI)

Credit Risk Index (CRI)

Built on Credit Benchmark’s proprietary dataset covering roughly $9 trillion in loans outstanding, the flagship CRI tracks nearly 3,000 private companies in the U.S. Unlike public-market indices or ratings-agency data, the CRI is grounded in actual credit risk sentiment from global financial institutions, providing a uniquely independent and timely measure of credit risk across industries.

The index captures net credit downgrades versus upgrades, where a positive reading signals rising risk and a negative reading reflects improvement. The August 2025 CRI for U.S. Private Corporates rose 0.3%, marking the third increase in four months after moderate improvement earlier this year. That means downgrades once again exceeded upgrades for exposures held on bank balance sheets—a sign that credit pressures are building after a brief period of relief. Over the past three years, the 3,000 companies in the index have seen 4,053 downgrades versus 2,872 upgrades, with net downgrades recorded in 30 of the past 36 months.

Sector-level data reveal significant divergences: risk in the auto sector surged more than 12% in August and 66% over the past year, driven by strains in auto parts suppliers. Health care has seen a 15% rise in risk since May, while industrial goods, household goods, media, and tech have also deteriorated. By contrast, financial services, insurance, real estate, and utilities have shown resilience and modest improvement.

“The CRI addresses a blind spot in regard to understanding credit risk trends in private markets,” said Michael Crumpler, CEO at Credit Benchmark. “It will help risk professionals better monitor these markets by providing an objective, data-driven risk view based on bank sentiment — not secondary market pricing. The CRI will also help market practitioners detect and get ahead of credit deterioration early, so they can more proactively manage their exposures.”

The CRI offers a trusted, transparent, and independent lens into private market credit risk, enabling use cases from portfolio monitoring to macro stress testing and investment committee reporting. Each monthly release includes a “Quick Take” summary for rapid insights into market stress.

The Credit Risk Index for U.S. Private Corporates will be updated on the first Friday of each month, with the index now available and additional industry aggregates and portfolio-mapped views available for customers.

For full access, visit www.creditbenchmark.com.

“The CRI addresses a blind spot in regard to understanding credit risk trends in private markets,” said Michael Crumpler, CEO at Credit Benchmark. 

Contacts

More News

View More
Advanced Micro Devices Eyes $300 as AI Demand Surges
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers AMD AMZN GOOGL MSFT NVDA ORCL
Qualcomm: What Last Friday’s Drop Says About Its Q4 Prospects
Via MarketBeat
Tickers AMD NVDA QCOM
3 Rare Earth Stocks Powering America’s Critical Minerals Boom
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence Economy
Tickers CRML LAC MP
Why Analysts Are Upgrading Ratings After Klarna's IPO
Via MarketBeat
Topics Initial Public Offering
Tickers AFRM BAC GAP JPM KLAR WMT
Palantir’s New Healthcare Deal Boosts AI and Data Reach
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers ONMD PLTR
Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.
© 2025 FinancialContent. All rights reserved.