The US Department of Justice and securities regulators are probing potential violations by credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's in connection with its ratings of structured products, the company said this week.
Risk rating agency Standard & Poor’s praised Uruguay’s fiscal moderation in the last eight years since the budget’s fiscal deficit has been below 2% of GDP but criticized the “political limitations” which impede the achievement of a better performance.
Rating Agency S&P announced on Thursday it was downgrading Spain-based energy company Repsol-YPF after Argentina’s government announced the expropriation of 51% of its shares. The rating was lowered from BBB to BBB (minus), the agency said in a statement.
Uruguay’s credit rating was raised one level by Standard & Poor’s, which means the country has returned to investment grade for the first time in a decade.
Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were among 15 Spain-based financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation's grade last month.
Standard & Poor's will likely downgrade Greece's ratings to selective default when the country concludes its debt restructuring, but that will not necessarily destroy the credibility of the European Union, an official with the ratings agency said on Tuesday.
Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s downgraded the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) from “AAA” to “AA+,” although it does not rule out it would increase it again if it bolsters its funds, according to a communiqué released on Monday.
Ratings downgrades in the Euro zone by S&P underline why Europe must seal a pact to tighten fiscal rules quickly and get its permanent bailout fund up and running as soon as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.
Stock markets and the Euro traded lower Friday as Greek debt swap talks were put on hold and France’s Finance minister confirmed that Standard & Poor’s has downgraded the country’s credit rating.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Standard & Poor’s downgrade warning for 15 Euro- area governments will spur European leaders to double efforts to resolve the debt crisis at the Dec. 8-9 summit.