27 January 2012

FITCH GOES ON RAMPAGE: CUTS SPAIN, ITALY, BELGIUM, CYPRUS, AND SLOVENIA

Fitch just cut the long-term issuer ratings of 5 EU countries:
Belgium: AA+ to AA
Spain: AA- to A
Italy: A+ to A-
Cyprus: BBB to BBB-
Slovenia: AA- to A
It affirmed Ireland's BBB+ rating with a negative outlook.
Borrowing costs have been sinking for these countries lately–particularly for Italy and Spain—after the European Central Bank announced liquidity support measures in early December that have lessened mounting worries about the health of the banking system.
While Fitch says that it supports EU leaders' actions to address the crisis so far, a lot more has to happen before these countries are out of trouble:
In Fitch's opinion, the eurozone crisis will only be resolved as and when there is broad economic recovery. It is evident that further substantial reforms of the governance of the eurozone will be required to secure economic and financial stability, including greater fiscal integration.

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