S&P: Greek non-payment to ECB “wouldn’t mean default” June 15, 2015 If Greece fails to repay €6.7bn (£4.8bn) worth of bonds held by the European Central Bank (ECB) at the end of July, this will not constitute a default, at least under criteria from credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P). Read more: With no deal on the cards, would the Eurozone be able to contain contagion from Greek [...]
UK outlook slashed to negative by Standard & Poor’s over EU referendum risk June 12, 2015 Standard and Poor's has revised the UK's credit rating from "stable" to "negative" due to the government's promises of an EU referendum in 2017. S&P said the decision to hold an EU referendum represents a risk to the UK's economic growth – particularly to its financial services and exports sectors – and "raises questions" about [...]
Standard & Poor’s lowers Greece’s credit rating to CCC, warns it could be downgraded further June 11, 2015 Well, this is a surprise. Standard & Poor's has lowered Greece's credit rating one notch to CCC and said it could be lowered again within the next year as the country's financial situation worsens. Although normally S&P would be restricted from altering its rating of Greece outside a “pre-established calendar”, the agency said [...]
S&P downgrades Vodafone as shareholders mull Liberty deal May 28, 2015 Telecoms group Vodafone has been downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poors (S&P) which said the company is facing tough business conditions in key markets. The agency said obstacles to Vodafone include “strong sustained competition” and consolidation in the UK market that is likely to leave the firm in the number 3 position. In addition, [...]
Standard & Poor’s upgrades Nokia and puts Alcatel-Lucent on positive watch April 17, 2015 Was selling off its mobile manufacturing arm the best decision Nokia's management ever made? Following a generally positive reaction to its proposal to buy Alcatel-Lucent earlier this week, it's only gone and been upgraded by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's… In a statement today S&P said it was upgrading the Finnish former mobile manufacturer [...]
S&P 500 hits record high as Germany’s Dax passes 11,000 mark February 13, 2015 It looks like equities markets across the world will end the week on a high, after the S&P 500 hit a new high, while Germany's Dax smashed through its previous record. The S&P 500 nudged up to 2,093.57 points shortly after its opening bell this morning, slightly higher than the 2,093.55 it reached in December. [...]
Afren share price falls 16 per cent after S&P downgrade on possible default February 5, 2015 Embattled oil producer Afren's share price closed down 13 per cent today, after major credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) warned of a possible default. Afren's share price had fallen as much as 15.8 per cent to 9.35 per pence share in mid-morning trade. However, it was still above this year's low of 4.2 pence [...]
Standard & Poor’s settles for $1.4bn over ratings allegations February 3, 2015 Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has reached a settlement with US authorities to pay $1.4bn (£900m) over claims it handed out inflated ratings to debt tranches based on US mortgages. Prosecutors alleged S&P did so despite knowing risks were building in the market. McGraw Hill, which owns S&P, has agreed to pay $687.5m to the US [...]
ECB QE pushes S&P 500 into positive for the year January 22, 2015 Draghi's decision to unleash his biggest "bazooka" has helped push the S&P 500 into positive for this year. The US blue-chip index erased its losses for the year jumping 1.6% to 2,063.98 points in a late-afternoon rally on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq also erased its losses for the year, rising 1.8 per cent to 4,750.62 points. The S&P [...]
S&P: Swiss companies will shrug off a strong franc January 22, 2015 Standard & Poor's has said Swiss companies will shrug off the fall-out from a strong franc, following concerns the central bank's shock decision to remove its currency ceiling would be detrimental for the country's exporters. In a statement released today, the credit ratings agency said earnings of Swiss companies will be "moderately" affected by a [...]