S&P Issues a Warning on Japan’s Credit Rating
January 27th, 2010Via: Daily Finance:
Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s says it may downgrade Japan’s current AA sovereign debt rating by one “notch,” which would bring it to AA-. That’s particularly noteworthy because Japan is either the world’s No. 2 or No. 3 economy by GDP, virtually tied with China. S&P has officially changed its outlook on Japan’s debt from stable to negative.
In a statement S&P says an actual rating downgrade could occur “if economic data remain weak and measures to boost medium-term growth are not forthcoming, given the country’s high government debt burden and its weak demographic profile.” Japan’s problems don’t begin to approach those of Greece and Ireland, where national solvency is an issue. It does, however, point to the extent to which the debt of the world’s largest and most developed economies are under scrutiny.
S&P and other credit rating agencies have recently expressed their concerns about U.S. and U.K. sovereign debt, however without directly threatening changes in their rating status.
S&P…as much credibility as…
(sorry, bad pun!)
it’s hilarious how much power these entities wield!
(well, quite funny in an Onion kind of way)