LONDON (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) June 22, 2000--Standard&Poor's today assigned its first double-'A'-minus long-term corporate credit ratings to BASF AG. The outlook is stable. At the same time, the 'A-1'-plus short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings on BASF AG and BASF Corp. were affirmed. BASF Corp. is BASF AG's single-most important subsidiary, operating the group's entire business in the U.S., which is the world's largest chemical products market. The ratings reflect BASF group's broadly diversified portfolio of commodity and specialty products, its leading market positions in the global chemicals industry, and the group's ability to run large and low-cost integrated production sites. The increasing importance of activities in health and nutrition, and BASF group's growing strategic position
