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Moody's downgrades five Dubai state-linked firms 
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UAE. Moody's Investors Service has downgraded various government-related issuers (GRIs) in Dubai.
However, the ratings remain investment-grade and are substantially above those that would be based on the entities' stand-alone credit quality.
The downgrades reflect recent disclosures that reveal the increasing conditionality under which government support may be provided to the entities, it said.
Ratings affected by today's action are the following companies:
* DP World issuer and debt ratings were downgraded to A3 from A1;
* Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) issuer and debt ratings were downgraded to A3 from A1;
* DIFC Investments (DIFCI) issuer and debt ratings were downgraded to A3 from A1;
* Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) issuer and debt ratings were downgraded to Baa1 from A3;
* Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group (DHCOG) issuer and debt ratings were downgraded to Baa1 from A3;
* Emaar Properties issuer ratings were maintained at Baa1.
The ratings outlook for DP World, Dewa, DIFCI and Jafz is negative, reflecting ongoing economic pressures. The ratings of both DHCOG and Emaar have been maintained on review for downgrade, pending the completion of Moody's ongoing assessment of the impact of the proposed merger of Emaar with DHCOG's real estate operations.
The downgrades follow recent disclosures of increased conditionality around when support could be provided to these GRIs. This includes the specific criteria that will be considered by the recently established Dubai Financial Support Fund when assessing whether financial assistance should be provided. Among these criteria are whether the GRIs are able to demonstrate sustainable business plans, the on-going support of their existing financial creditors, and realistic prospects of fulfilling their repayment obligations.
The government also reiterated that GRI debt obligations not benefiting from a guarantee are not regarded as obligations of the government and that the government is under no obligation to extend support to any such GRI either directly or through the Support Fund.
Moody's is therefore making a greater distinction between its view of the creditworthiness of Dubai's GRIs and that of the Dubai central government, which is itself viewed by Moody's as benefiting from support from the UAE federal government (rated Aa2, stable). The UAE federal government continues to be seen as an important source of support for Dubai and for funding future increases, if required, to the Dubai Financial Support Fund.
Moody's views the liquidity profiles of four of the six rated GRI's (DP World, Dewa, Jafz and Emaar) as fairly robust, with only moderate maturities until 2012. Moody's notes that DIFCI and DHCOG are understood to have already received liquidity support and will likely require additional liquidity support in the future.
Moody's assumes that the second $10 billion tranche will be funded imminently to further prop up the gradually depleting Support Fund.
Dubai's recent successful government bond issuance is also likely to be supportive to Dubai's liquidity profile and alleviate some of the pressures that would arise from further bail-outs, although the use of proceeds has not been specified.
In terms of stabilizing the outlooks, an overall upturn in economic activity and sound liquidity management are key factors for the majority of the rated GRIs, particularly those with sound underlying business models. Those companies in more vulnerable sectors (real estate) may potentially remain under pressure over a more prolonged period.
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