July 24. Standard & Poor's has upgraded its long-term rating for NLMK to the investment level of BBB-. The rating carries a stable outlook. Earlier, the long-term corporate credit rating for NLMK was BB+, also with a stable outlook. Additionally, S&P confirmed NLMK's Russian-scale long-term rating at ruAA+. "An upgrade in the credit rating reflects good credit quality, strong profit reliability due to vertical integration, and improving diversification of the company's activities", S&P said in its press-release.