S&P: Foreign Sales by U.S. Companies Continue to Rise

NEW YORK, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's, the world's leading index
provider, announced today that for fiscal year 2008, S&P 500 companies with
full reporting information posted 47.9% of their sales from outside of the
United States versus 45.8% in 2007 and 43.6% in 2006. The data is derived from
the 253 companies within the S&P 500 that have full reporting information.

"Despite the global recession's impact on local markets, companies are
continuing to generate more and more sales from outside of the United States,"
says Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst at Standard & Poor's and author
of the report. "This trend is expected to continue as an increasing number of
U.S. companies continue to shift labor, capital, and resources to foreign
countries, where a growing worldwide middle-class is emerging."

Standard & Poor's Index Services findings were based on fiscal year 2008 data
for issues with full reporting information. Of the 253 companies with full
reporting information, European sales represented 27.7% of their foreign
sales, with 9.3% coming from Canada. Asian sales represented 13.2%, which is
down from 16.8% in 2007.

Standard & Poor's Index Services also determined that foreign income taxes
increased $11.5 billion or 9.3%, while U.S. federal income taxes declined
$43.9 billion or 29.1%, in fiscal 2008.

"It's no longer just jobs that we're exporting, it's taxes," adds Silverblatt.
"Foreign income taxes paid increased $11.5 billion in 2008, while those paid
to the U.S. government declined $43.9 billion. Taxes paid to the United States
now represent a minority of the income taxes paid by U.S. companies."

The full report can be accessed by going to:
www.indexpublications.standardandpoors.com.

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STANDARD & POOR'S INDEX SERVICES
S&P 500 FOREIGN REGIONAL SALES DATA

FOREIGN FOREIGN FOREIGN
SALES SALES SALES
2008 % OF 2007 % OF 2006 % OF
US$ FOREIGN US$ FOREIGN US$ FOREIGN
REGION MILLIONS SALES MILLIONS SALES MILLIONS SALES
Africa $143,103 5.84% $156,401 6.82% $119,142 5.57%
Asia $323,903 13.21% $384,466 16.76% $405,526 18.97%
Australia $4,802 0.20% $4,917 0.21% $3,448 0.16%
Europe $678,897 27.69% $660,453 28.79% $664,663 31.09%
North
America $251,047 10.24% $204,749 8.92% $101,553 4.75%
South
America $122,088 4.98% $85,723 3.74% $76,859 3.59%
Foreign
Countries $928,211 37.85% $797,510 34.76% $766,848 35.87%
Total $2,452,051 100.00% $2,294,219 100.00% $2,138,039 100.00%

STANDARD & POOR'S INDEX SERVICES
S&P 500 FOREIGN SALES SECTOR REPORT

% OF TOTAL FOREIGN SALES
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Consumer Discretionary 44.05% 42.46% 38.76% 37.28% 34.98% 34.59%
Consumer Staples 46.95% 39.06% 36.57% 37.51% 38.89% 34.48%
Energy 50.47% 55.69% 56.50% 56.62% 53.51% 60.03%
Financials 34.09% 31.59% 29.93% 31.36% 32.06% 28.53%
Health Care 48.61% 44.54% 41.76% 37.54% 40.81% 39.09%
Industrials 46.14% 44.11% 41.14% 39.68% 41.47% 40.47%
Information Technology 55.27% 55.38% 53.50% 54.86% 61.18% 52.83%
Materials 49.66% 46.99% 42.22% 40.81% 40.66% 39.16%
Telecommunication
Services
Utilities 52.18% 55.16% 63.60% 60.48% 58.52% 53.62%
Total Non-U.S. 15%-85% 47.94% 45.84% 43.55% 43.26% 43.75% 41.84%

STANDARD & POOR'S INDEX SERVICES
S&P 500 2008 INCOME TAXES PAID, US$
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
FOREIGN US$
MILLION $135,129 $123,610 $112,686 $91,794 $72,172 $51,670
U.S. US$
MILLION $107,205 $151,104 $155,269 $141,471 $100,376 $70,254

FOREIGN % CHANGE 9.32% 9.69% 22.76% 27.19% 39.68%
U.S. % CHANGE -29.05% -2.68% 9.75% 40.94% 42.88%

FOREIGN $
MILLION CHANGE $11,518 $10,924 $20,893 $19,622 $20,503
U.S. $
MILLION CHANGE -$43,900 -$4,165 $13,799 $41,095 $30,122

FOREIGN %
OF TOTAL 55.8% 45.0% 42.1% 39.4% 41.8% 42.4%
U.S. % OF
TOTAL 44.2% 55.0% 57.9% 60.6% 58.2% 57.6%

SOURCE Standard & Poor's

David Guarino, Communications, +1-212-438-1471,
dave_guarino@standardandpoors.com, or Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index
Analyst, +1-212-438-3916, howard_silverblatt@standardandpoors.com, both of
Standard & Poor's