The Investext Group Offers Political Risk Services' International Country Risk Guide Online.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 1997--The Investext Group, the leading online provider of investment research and market intelligence to the international business community, has added Political Risk Services' (PRS) International Country Risk Guide to the Investext database, providing researchers with direct access to PRS' unique financial, economic and political intelligence for over 130 international markets.

A global leader in country intelligence and data, PRS has provided unprecedented risk analysis and forecasting for nearly 20 years. Their International Country Risk Guide analyzes the financial, economic and political environments in developed and emerging countries, providing insight into investment risks and business opportunities, as well as the impact of current and future worldwide events.

Chris Rath, new products manager for PRS, explains that this information is essential for researchers investigating international markets. "The ICRG model provides a concise and complete overview of the risk involved for business and financial players in both emerging and established markets," he said. "Our ratings, current analyses and forecasts give a clear picture of how conditions can affect the bottom line."

"The International Country Risk Guide has an excellent track record for accurate foresight into foreign conditions," explains Jim Bode, contributor relations director for The Investext Group. "For Investext users who research and evaluate international companies and markets, the ICRG risk ratings give a clear snapshot of foreign economic climates."

The International Country Risk Guide incorporates several economic risk factors to determine a country's investment potential, including loan default, delayed payment of suppliers' credits, political leadership, civil war, inflation and international liquidity ratios. In addition to these factors, PRS uses political, financial and economic information to evaluate a country's environment and give a clear outlook on business risks and opportunities. Each country is given a risk rating, which users can customize to give more weight to particularly relevant factors.

"The flexibility of the ICRG model makes it the ideal predictive tool for international investments," comments Rath. "Every situation is different. This system allows you to calculate risks associated with each situation, so you can make educated decisions. The addition of ICRG to the Investext database allows immediate access to this important data, which researchers can use to support their company and industry intelligence and gain a more complete perspective on a particular business climate."

As the world's largest online collection of investment research reports, The Investext database offers expert analysis from over 400 top international investment banks, brokerages, consultants and research firms. The database is used extensively by investment and business professionals to gain competitive intelligence, industry insight and product analysis information on thousands of companies and industries worldwide. Anyone with a computer and modem can access the database through I/PLUS Direct, The Investext Group's online delivery service. Investext reports are also available on a number of well-established online services, including LEXIS-NEXIS, Knight Ridder's DIALOG and DataStar, and Dow Jones News/Retrieval.

A unit of Thomson Financial Services (TFS), The Investext Group provides investment and market research information to the international business community. For more information, contact The Investext Group at 1-800-662-7878, or at http://www.investext.com .

TFS is a leading provider of quality financial information, research, analysis, and software products to the global investment and corporate communities. Part of The Thomson Corporation, a $7-billion company based in Toronto, TFS employs more than 4,500 people in over 35 offices around the world.

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