Citing the “increased resilience to external shocks” Fitch upgraded Uruguay to BB from BB-, two levels below investment-grade and in line with Standard & Poor's. Moody's Investors Service rates Uruguay at Ba3, three levels below investment grade. Fitch last increased the country's rating in July 2007, taking it up one level from B+.
The International Monetary Fund has warned developed nations they face an “urgent” need to cut their budget deficits. Its warning comes as a slew of European countries face public unrest over their attempts to do just that.
Portugal has become the latest country to introduce austerity measures, after both Greece and Spain took similar steps to stabilize public finances in the face of massive debt.
The Argentine government said it will refinance 89% of the debt that most of the country’s provinces hold with the federal government, announced President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Economy Minister Amado Boudou.
In an extensive report, the Task Force Argentina (TFA)—which represents Italians holding some 4.5 billion US dollars in defaulted Argentine sovereign bonds—gave an ambiguous declaration over Argentina's debt-swap plan.
Eight banks are facing a US investigation into the rating of their mortgage products, the BBC understands. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is looking at whether the relationship between the banks and credit rating agencies was manipulated to gain better ratings for risky securities.
A recent study from the Central Bank of Chile written by economists José Miguel Matus, Nancy Silva, Alejandra Marinovic y Karla Flores found that Chilean household debt increased from 23% of GDP in 2000 to 39.1% in 2009.
Under pressure from Europe to deliver (shape up or ship out) Spain's PM has outlined a plan to tackle the country's budget crisis, amid concerns that problems afflicting Greece may spread across the Eurozone.
United States shares closed lower on Tuesday as global stock markets stalled on niggling worries over European debt problems. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index closed down 0.34% following a turbulent day's trading, and a nearly 4% rise on Monday.
Argentine Economy Minister Amado Boudou held a meeting Tuesday with 40 international investors at the New York Palace Hotel, within the framework of his United States road show to encourage bondholders to join the Government's debt-swap.