The cost of insuring Sony Corp. bonds is the most expensive relative to its Asian rivals in at least two years as Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics faces a legal backlash over data breaches of its PlayStation Network and Sony Online unit.
Since warning customers on April 26 of the attack by computer hackers, five-year credit-default swaps on Sony's debt have climbed 18.6 basis points to 88.1 basis points, the highest level since July 2009, CMA prices show. An index of swaps tied to 13 technology companies, including Samsung Electronics Co., fell 2.1 basis points in the same period to 125.3, shrinking the gap between the two to about the narrowest since May 2009.
Sony Chairman Howard Stringer apologized for last month's incursion by hackers who may have stolen credit-card data, compromising the accounts of more than 100 million customers. Shares of Tokyo-based Sony have dropped 6.3 percent since the warning of the breach, extending a decline sparked by production disruptions after the record March 11 quake.