Argentine shares and bonds plunged on Thursday as investors reacted to the failed negotiations between Argentina and the holdout hedge funds in New York. At the Buenos Aires City stock market the Merval index closed down by 8.4% to 8,187.99 points, far from yesterday’s record 6.9% climb.
The meeting between Argentine private bank representatives and the 'holdouts' over the debt held by the hedge funds has been adjourned and will be resumed on Thursday, according to Buenos Aires financial daily Ambito.com.
Fitch Ratings on Thursday reaffirmed Brazil's BBB credit rating with a stable outlook, but added it expects the next government to control spending in order to avoid additional fiscal deterioration that could trigger a downgrade.
Standard & Poor's cut its rating of Argentina's long-term foreign currency debt rating to CCC- from CCC+ with a “negative” outlook. A CCC rating is defined as “currently vulnerable and dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet financial commitments,” according to S&P.
Standard & Poor's (S&P) decided on Tuesday to maintain Uruguay's sovereign debt risk rating unchanged at the lowest investment grade BBB-, because although it has solid growth prospects, predictable policies and a favorable debt profile, the country still has limited fiscal and monetary flexibility and lives in a neighborhood experimenting 'economic stress'.
Brazil's central bank on Tuesday said it will continue to respond to challenges in the international scenario after Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the country's credit ratings. This includes a rigorous set of macroeconomic policies, a flexible exchange rate regime and the use of liquidity buffers to smooth out moves in asset prices the bank said in a statement.
Standard & Poor's cut Brazil's sovereign debt rating closer to speculative territory in a blow to President Dilma Rousseff administration. Brazil had its long-term debt rating downgraded to BBB minus, the agency's lowest investment-grade rating. S&P changed its outlook to stable from negative, meaning further downgrades are unlikely for now, which will come as a relief for both politicians in Brasilia and financial markets.The move was widely expected but the timing surprised some investors.
The U.S. Federal Reserve will start scaling back its monthly bond-buying program as early as next month, but the reduction will be gradual. The Federal Reserve has been buying 85 billion dollars a month in government bonds in an effort to keep interest rates low and boost economic growth.
Another setback for the French government as the rating agency Standard & Poor’s cut its appraisal of the country’s credit worthiness. It reduced its rating one notch to AA from AA+.
Argentina’s long-term sovereign foreign currency credit rating was cut one level by Standard & Poor’s, which cited a US Appeals Court ruling that prevents the country from honouring its debt without also paying holders of defaulted bonds in full.