Greek Debt Hits a New Low

S&P, Citing Default Risks, Hands Out Its Poorest Credit Rating—Triple-C

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BY STEPHEN FIDLER

Catching up to a market that has been expecting a Greek default, Standard & Poor's cut its ratings on that nation's debt by three notches, citing risks that negotiations over a new bailout package for Greece could result in default.

The agency lowered its rating from B to triple-C, one notch lower than Moody's Investors Service, which slashed its rating on Greece at the start of the month.

The cut makes Greece the lowest rated country in S&P's universe, below that of Jamaica, Pakistan and Fiji, and below Argentina and Ecuador, which have recently defaulted on their debt.

Wall Street Journal