NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Capital IQ and SNL, a business unit of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) and a leading provider of research, analytics and data, released its annual analysis of emerging issues to watch: Sector Disruptors: 2016 Winners And Losers. The report spotlights what are seen as the most disruptive new technologies, legislative and regulatory issues, and changing patterns of consumer behavior, and weighs their potential impacts on each sector of the S&P 500 and international markets.

Addressing all ten sectors of the S&P 500, the Sector Disruptors report identifies potential sector winners and losers based on whether companies can adapt to new marketplace changes. Having successfully anticipated many of the market-moving events of 2015 - including the impact of falling energy and commodity prices, increased adoption of video streaming services, and emergence of wearable consumer technologies - the Sector Disruptors report tackles a new line-up of issues for the year-ahead.

Following are some of the key observations:


    --  Possible Dividend Cuts from Larger Energy Companies: With its announced
        dividend cut in January, Noble Energy became among the first of what is
        likely to become a number of larger U.S. petroleum producers that will
        slash 2016 dividends in order to combat the effects of stubbornly poor
        crude oil prices. Those who survive the year with their dividends intact
        will likely be those with low payout ratios and either modest free cash
        flow deficits (or surpluses), enabling them to ride out a period of low
        prices.


    --  Mobile Phone Consumer Leasing Programs Take Root in Telecom: 2015
        officially marked the end of the two-year mobile phone contract. In its
        place, leasing options are already starting to generate interest from
        U.S. consumers. Those most likely to benefit will be mobile service
        providers who already have viable leasing programs in place to
        capitalize on the trend.


    --  The Emergence of Blockchain in Financial Services: Large financial firms
        have just started taking Blockchain seriously as an emerging technology
        that has the potential to revolutionize the speed and accuracy of asset
        valuation, recording and trading. Those most likely to benefit will be
        those that realize the greatest efficiency gains from the new
        technology.


    --  Divergent Monetary Policies in U.S. and Europe: While the European
        Central Bank (ECB) recently signaled it would further trim interest
        rates and expand monetary stimulus, the U.S. Federal Reserve has decided
        to raise its interest rates for the first time since 2006. The resultant
        weakening of the Euro against the U.S. dollar should provide a valuable
        boost to exporters in Europe.

"We're living through an unprecedented era of rapid change in which a single, breakthrough piece of technology or the stroke of a regulator's pen can have far-reaching and meaningful impact on today's industry leaders," said Michael Thompson, Chairman, S&P Investment Advisory Services. "By looking across the major U.S., European, and Asian stock indices through the lens of marketplace disruption, we believe we are shedding valuable light on the major trends that will impact financial markets over the next year."

The S&P Capital IQ Sector Disruptors: 2016 Winners And Losers addresses each sector of the S&P 500, along with spotlights on Europe and Asia, and is available. To access the full research note, please click here.

About S&P Capital IQ and SNL

S&P Capital IQ and SNL Financial, a business unit of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE:MHFI), is a leading provider of financial and industry data, research, news and analytics to investment professionals, government agencies, corporations, and universities worldwide. The newly combined firm integrates news, comprehensive market and sector-specific data and analytics into a variety of tools to help track performance, generate alpha, identify investment ideas, understand competitive and industry dynamics, perform valuation and assess credit risk. For more information, visit www.spcapitaliq.com or www.snl.com.

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SOURCE S&P Capital IQ and SNL