Moody's cuts US outlook to ‘negative’, Washington is furious (2024)

Moody's on Friday lowered its outlook on the US credit rating to "negative" from “stable" on Friday. The rating agency said it expects America's fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability. Moody's retained its AAA credit rating on US government debt. This year Fitch also lowered uts rating of the US. Fitch Ratings lowered its rating to AA from AAA in August.

Moody's retains India 2023 growth at 6.7% on strong domestic demand

Why Moody's cut outlook on US credit rating

Moody’s Investors Service has changed the outlook of the US debt to negative after markets closed on Friday.

According to the rating agency, the diminished fiscal strength of the US, undone by extreme partisanship in Washington, was a key driver of the action.

"In the context of higher interest rates, without effective fiscal policy measures to reduce government spending or increase revenues, Moody’s expects that the US’ fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability," the agency said.

Further the rating agency projected that “continued political polarization within US Congress raises the risk that successive governments will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability".

US risks its top credit rating with shutdown: Moody's report

On keeping the country's ratings at Aaa, Moody’s said that it expects the US to “retain its exceptional economic strength." “Further positive growth surprises over the medium term could at least slow the deterioration in debt affordability," the agency added.

Moody's affirms India's Baa3 rating, maintains ‘stable’ outlook on economy

How the US govt reacted?

The Biden administration condemned Moody's decision.

"While the statement by Moody's maintains the United States' Aaa rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. "The American economy remains strong, and Treasury securities are the world's preeminent safe and liquid asset."

Moody's downgrades credit ratings for 10 US banks, more cuts likely; stocks fall 1-3%

The federal government's budget deficit jumped to $1.7 trillion in the budget year that ended September 30, up from $1.38 trillion the previous year.

What another downgrade could mean for the US

A lower rating on US debt could cost taxpayers if it leads borrowers to demand higher interest rates on Treasury bills and notes.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury has risen significantly since July, from about 3.9% to 4.6% Friday, an unusually sharp rise.

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Published: 11 Nov 2023, 06:26 AM IST

Moody's cuts US outlook to ‘negative’, Washington is furious (2024)

FAQs

Moody's cuts US outlook to ‘negative’, Washington is furious? ›

Why Moody's cut outlook on US credit rating. Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook of the US debt to negative after markets closed on Friday. According to the rating agency, the diminished fiscal strength of the US, undone by extreme partisanship in Washington, was a key driver of the action.

Did Moody's cut the US outlook to negative? ›

As Moody's lowers the US credit outlook, what could this mean for consumers in the future? Moody's, a leading risk assessment agency, has lowered the United States government's credit ratings outlook from "stable" to "negative," citing political polarization in Congress.

What does negative outlook mean in Moody's? ›

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Moody's on Friday changed the outlook on the government of United States of America's ratings to "negative" from "stable". The rating agency said it expects United States' fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability.

Which country has the highest credit rating? ›

Some of the top examples include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Hong Kong. These are all countries that generally carry a credit rating of AAA.

Why are Moody's downgrading banks? ›

The ratings could be downgraded if credit performance deteriorates meaningfully relative to through-the-cycle expectations. The emergence of evidence of further challenges in governance, oversight, risk management and internal controls could also trigger a downgrade.

What does moody outlook mean? ›

A Moody's rating outlook is an opinion regarding the likely direction of a rating over the medium term.

Did Moody's downgrade us? ›

New York, November 10, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has today changed the outlook on Government of United States of America's (US) ratings to negative from stable and affirmed the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Aaa.

What does "negative outlook" mean? ›

A negative outlook in a credit rating signifies that there is a higher probability of a rating downgrade in the medium term. This outlook is assigned by rating agencies when they identify factors or risks that could weaken the issuer's credit profile or financial strength over time.

What is the Moody's outlook for the United States? ›

Rating Action:

New York, November 10, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has today changed the outlook on Government of United States of America's (US) ratings to negative from stable and affirmed the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Aaa.

Why did Moody's downgrade the US? ›

Moody's Lowers U.S. Credit Rating to Negative, Citing Large Federal Deficits.

What is China's credit rating? ›

While it lowered its ratings to negative outlook from "stable", indicating a downgrade is possible over the medium term, Fitch affirmed China's issuer default rating at 'A+', its third-highest category. S&P, the other major global rating agency, also rates China A+, the equivalent of Moody's current A1 rating.

Does China have a credit rating? ›

The China social credit system rates individuals based on the aggregation and analysis of data. In some trials, this has involved a single numerical score (usually between 1 and 1000, like a FICO score), or a letter grade (usually from A-D).

Does the US still have an AAA credit rating? ›

Home / Economy / Articles / What is the US credit rating, and what does its downgrade mean? On August 1, 2023, Fitch Ratings, one of the country's three major credit rating agencies, announced that it had downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA+.

Which banks will fail in 2024? ›

Republic First Bank, a regional lender based out of Philadelphia, became the first bank failure of 2024 on Friday when it was shut down by Pennsylvania's bank regulator and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) seized control of the operation.

Which regional banks are in trouble? ›

The unexpected collapses of three banks - Silicon Valley and Signature in March 2023 and First Republic in May - put a spotlight on how lenders managed risks to assets and liquidity as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively to bring surging inflation under control.

Did Moody's Investors Service cut its view on the entire banking system to negative from stable? ›

Moody's Investors Service cut its outlook for the US banking system to negative from stable, citing the run on deposits at Silvergate Capital Corp., SVB Financial Group's Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank that led to the three lenders' collapse in less than a week.

Did Moody's downgrade outlook on Bangladesh's banking system to negative? ›

Moody's had downgraded the outlook to negative from stable in March last year when Bangladesh went for the IMF loan programme. Moody's in its latest outlook mentioned that the economy's operating environment would deteriorate as economic growth slows and inflation remains elevated.

What is the outlook for Moody's US bank system? ›

Given the review for downgrade, an upgrade of U.S. Bancorp's ratings is unlikely in the next 12 to 18 months. The BCA and ratings could be confirmed if U.S. Bancorp's capital continues to strengthen at an accelerated pace and Moody's believes it will remain on an upward trajectory.

What is the outlook for Moody's Chemicals? ›

The credit ratings agency bumped up its chemical outlook from “negative” to “stable.” It expects the chemical sector's profits before taxes to decline by 9% during 2023 and return to 2022 levels next year. Prices for commodity chemicals have stabilized after a sharp drop in the second half of 2022.

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