On 23 July 2020, the European Systemic Risk Board published a technical note summarising the findings of a cross-sectoral, top-down analysis that sought to quantify the aggregate potential impact of large-scale corporate bond downgrades. This column summarises the main findings of the exercise, provides a rationale for such analyses, and suggests repeating such system-wide exercises regularly and on a global level to uncover vulnerable links and improve institutions’ own risk management.