Experian announced that it has joined forces with Moody's Analytics to create a business index and detailed report that provides insight into the health of U.S. businesses. The new Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index will be reported quarterly to show fluctuations in the market and discuss factors that are impacting the business economy.

"Experian's data, analytics and tools provide organizations with the services they need to be successful and enable them to make more profitable financial decisions," said Allen Anderson, president of Experian's Business Information Services. "Over the past two years, we have published a Business Benchmark Report that provided insight into the credit health of U.S. businesses. Now, working with Moody's Analytics we are able to take the next step in researching and reporting the impact of current economic trends on the business community, to provide another layer of valuable insight into what is affecting the business marketplace."

The Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index tracks how businesses are faring over a period of time compared with a base point, with the first quarter of 2011 being equal to 100. The key factors that comprise the index are commercial credit data (including growth of credit balances and delinquency rates measured on a dollar basis) combined with a variety of macroeconomic data (including growth rates for employment, income, retail sales, investment, output and industrial production).