I just saw this article and it doesn't paint a nice picture of Ford or
Hewlett Packard: (HP is discussed below Ford.)


http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=artcol.jhtml&doc_id=205973


Taken from the article:
" Egan-Jones is even warier of computer maker Hewlett-Packard. Its credit
picture is as imperiled as its proposed Compaq merger, according to
Egan-Jones--which has already tossed the tech giant's debt on the junk heap
with a rating of BB+, several notches below that of the major rating
agencies. "It's appropriate to view Hewlett-Packard on a stand-alone basis,
which is not particularly attractive," Egan says. "Today it is hard to name
any business where it's the undisputed leader--even its printer business is
being attacked." Making matters worse: From October 2000, Hewlett-Packard's
interest coverage has sunk steadily from 19 to just 6.6. (By contrast, IBM's
ratio, according to Egan-Jones, is 11.7.) Hewlett-Packard officials couldn't
be reached for comment. "

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