ratings agencies

What must the summit produce in order to address these and help solve the Europe crisis once and for all? The answer is very much in keeping with Wolfgang Munchau’s excellent take in his column in yesterday’s FT. Hopes have coalesced around…

"Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today placed its long-term sovereign ratings on 15 members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU or eurozone) on CreditWatch with negative implications. "

The euro sold off amid the rumors of the S&P decision to put on credit watch 15 euro zone countries. Spared was Greece, in a world of its own, and Cyprus, which was already on credit watch. It sold off further in Asia, but Europe has…

Sean Egan explains that this downgrade came because of increasing concerns that France's banks will have to be bailed out by the government. Video below

The major currencies are consolidating in yesterday's broad trading ranges, but the "real" action is in the European bond markets, with acceptable auctions in Spain and France, helping support of a bond market rally that was already…

Below are the five ways now being discussed to tackle the euro zone sovereign debt crisis. I should say that overall, it is still unclear how far along European leaders are in defining a mutually agreeable outcome. Just this morning, I have…

There have been several developments and they have imparted conflicting impulses into the market. The S&P downgrade of a number of large banks based on a new methodology that has been unfolding over the past couple of years comes at a…

Sean Egan, president of Egan-Jones Ratings Co., talked to Bloomberg Television yesterday about the agency's decision to cut Italy’s credit rating to BB from BB+. The rationale is simply that public debt in Italy is growing while GDP is not.…

A French press report warned that S&P could put France on negative credit watch within a couple of weeks. Moody's warned that all 27 EU countries are at risk from the euro zone debt crisis. Moody's also placed subordinated debt,…

"While the need to preserve confidence may imply some continuing (though potentially declining) support for senior debt -- given the potential for contagion across the banking system -- the rationale for continuing to assume the willingness…