Katrina's Effects on Stocks

Over the past week, our analysts have been closely tracking Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans disaster. While the companies most affected by the storm and its aftermath reside in the energy and insurance sectors, the ripple effects are spreading throughout corporate America. With thousands of homes destroyed, for example, the collateral backing a significant number of mortgage loans has suddenly been wiped out. And as senior stock analyst Dreyfus Neenan puts it, there remains a slight risk of latent, harmful second-order financial impacts, such as a devastating concentration of reinsurance exposure, changes in interest rates, or a slowdown in economic growth.

On Friday, our energy team assessed the impact of Katrina on oil and gas production, refineries, utilities, and infrastructure (such as pipelines and storage facilities).

 Katrina and Energy Infrastructure
 Katrina's Impact on Refineries 
 Katrina's Effect Will Linger for Gas Utilities 
 Gulf Energy Production Update

For the impact on the insurance industry, Dreyfus Neenan analyzes the effects on property/casualty insurers, reinsurers, financial guarantors, and mortgage and title insurers.

 Katrina's Insurance Impact Update

Below you'll find our other industry-specific analyst commentary related to the disaster.

 Katrina Affects Commodity Prices 
 Katrina's Effects on Banks 
 Katrina's Impact on Restaurants 
 Gas Prices May Crimp Consumption 
 Hoteliers Survey Katrina Damage 
 Katrina's Effect on Chemical Producers

Stay tuned for more analyst coverage in the weeks ahead.