S&P Threatens U.S. Debt Downgrade

Maybe this will speed those talks along. Standard & Poor, the ratings agency, has put the U.S. on “CreditWatch with negative implications,” and said that there is a 50 percent chance that it will downgrade its credit rating within three months, “owing to the dynamics of the political debate on the debt ceiling.” In a statement, the company also said, “The political debate about the U.S.’ fiscal stance and the related issue of the U.S. government debt ceiling has, in our view, only become more entangled.” Moody’s Investors Service issued a similar warning earlier this week.