One of the top credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor's, has downgraded the United States' top-notch AAA rating for the first time ever. S&P cut the long-term US rating by one notch to AA+ with a negative outlook, citing concerns about budget deficits.
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he is not sure whether the bitterly fought debt agreement to be considered by the US Senate will avoid a downgrade of the U.S. top-tier credit rating.
The credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s upgraded on Monday Uruguay’s rating by one notch to BB-plus, only one notch below investment grade, praising years of “prudent and consistent” economic policies in the country.
European Commission strongly criticised international credit ratings agencies following the downgrade of Portugal by Moody's. The Commission said the timing of the downgrade was questionable and raised the issue of the appropriateness of behaviour of the agencies in general.
Colombia’s credit rating was raised to investment grade by Moody’s Investors Service, matching a move by Standard & Poor’s two months earlier, as economic growth accelerates and the threat posed by guerrilla groups and organized crime recedes.
A complicated week for Japan: car production in April plunged as manufacturers continue to face a shortfall in parts supply and credit rating agencies downgraded the outlook on the country’s debt to negative from stable.
UK's credit rating has been cut by the Dagong rating agency of China. The agency blamed the UK's sluggish growth, which it said would be stuck in the 1.3%-1.5% range for two more years, hurting government finances.
Standard and Poor's cut Greece's credit rating further into junk territory, reflecting growing doubts that the Euro zone's most fragile economy can manage its debt without imposing losses on private bondholders.
Brazil’s credit rating was raised one level by Fitch Ratings, which cited the economy’s growth prospects and budget policy under President Dilma Rousseff.
The weight of Japan's public debt, the highest in the world, is unsustainable in the medium and long term warned this week Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund.