September's U.S. Auto Sales Rate Exceeds Standard & Poor's

U.S. light vehicle sales improved 13% year over year in September. In addition, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) totaled 14.9 million units for the month, exceeding Standard & Poor's estimate of 14.2 million units. The SAAR finished at its highest total since March 2008, before the spike in gas prices and the economic downturn caused a sharp, sustained drop in sales. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Associate Director Nishit Madlani discusses what's fueling the improvement, including pent-up demand and inventory restocking in Japan. Topics include market share trends, risks, and our outlook and base-case assumptions for the sector.