Paris -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 3/18/98 -- Standard&Poor's today affirmed its triple-'B'-minus long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Cap Gemini S.A. At the same time, the outlook was revised to positive from stable, reflecting the possibility of a rating upgrade in the short to medium term. With turnover of FFr20.2 billion ($3.4 billion) in 1997, up by 18% on a constant consolidation and exchange-rate basis, France-based Cap Gemini is ranked second in Europe's rapidly growing information technology (IT) services market, behind the leader International Business Machines Corp. (single-'A'-plus/Stable/'A-1'). The group has benefited in the past few years from the shift in its business portfolio toward growth segments, particularly systems integration and outsourcing. Cap Gemini
