A man passes near clocks at the Warsaw Stock Exchange on Aug. 9, 2011.
(KACPER PEMPEL/REUTERS)
Stocks have plunged around the world following the news that credit rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded America from its prestigious AAA rating to AA+, despite a last-minute compromise to raise the debt ceiling.
So how does America’s credit rating now stack up against other countries’? Who has a perfect rating and who has gotten the dreaded “highly speculative” mark?
Chartsbin, a Web-based data visualization tool, has this map that shows S&P’s credit rating for each country:
via chartsbin.com
S and P’s ratings are as follows:
AAA: The best-quality borrowers, reliable and stable
AA: Quality borrowers, a bit higher risk than AAA
A: Economic situation can affect finance
BBB: Medium-class borrowers, which are satisfactory at the moment
BB: More prone to changes in the economy
B: Financial situation varies noticeably
CCC: Vulnerable and dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet financial commitments.
CC: Highly vulnerable.
C: Even more highly vulnerable.
D: Defaulting on commitments.
Ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Loading...
Comments