For lots of investors, Standard & Poor's is the gold standard of credit reporting. As a subsidiary of S&P Global, Standard & Poor's (commonly known as S&P) boasts operations in more than two dozen countries, providing the investment community with independent credit ratings on such financial vehicles as stocks, mutual funds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds. In addition to its credit ratings, risk management, investment research, data, and valuations, Standard & Poor's is known for its indexes, including the S&P 500 index. Founded in 1860, S&P was acquired by McGraw-Hill just over a century later.