Moody’s Investors Service

US stock futures are lower this morning, ahead of jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 26 points to 12,737.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 4.50 points to 1,337.70. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 2.50 points to 2,555.00. US stocks closed lower on Wednesday,...

Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) had its credit rating lowered by Standard & Poor's on Wednesday, with the credit rating agency citing Sony's weak profit outlook. The credit rating agency lowered Sony's rating one notch from A- down to BBB+, with a negative outlook. Sony, which was once one of the...

Moody's Investors Service announced on Tuesday that the subordinated debt of 87 banks from 15 European countries is at risk of downgrade. Moody's blamed the possible bank downgrades on the reduced likelihood that the banks would receive state support in the event of a banking collapse. Eurozone...

After having its credit rating lowered to junk status, Hungary is the latest European country to see its borrowing costs climb higher. The country was downgraded by Moody's Investors Service from Baa3 to Ba1 with a negative outlook a week after it had to ask the International Monetary Fund ("IMF...

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet warned the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday that the financial crisis facing the eurozone is systemic and that Europe's leaders must take decisive action in order to prevent it from escalating and spreading. Trichet will soon be stepping...

Dexia SA agreed to sell its Belgian banking retail operations to the Belgian government for 4 billion euros ($5.4 billion) in order to prevent the Belgian-French financial institution from going bankrupt. Dexia had recently lost access to short term funding because of concerns over its debt...

Banking stocks across Europe have been rising since European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that the eurozone's leaders were considering recapitalizing the region's banks. Banking stocks had already been given a boost after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe needed to...

Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday downgraded its ratings of Italian bonds to A2 with a negative outlook, down three levels from the previous rating of Aa2. Moody's Investors Service went on to say that all but the highest rated eurozone countries were also under pressure and could face future...

Moody's Investors Service downgraded 8 Greek banks on Friday, citing the banks' exposure to Greek government bonds and a worsening Greek economy. Earlier this year, all of Greece's major banks agreed to a government bond swap that resulted in them reporting billions of euros in losses, which hurt...

The Capitol of Greece was brought to a standstill on Thursday as thousands of public transport workers went on strike in protest of the latest round of austerity measures that are aimed at convincing Greece's international creditors that the country is serious about reducing its fiscal deficits....

It was reported on Tuesday morning that the state-run Bank of China has halted FOREX swaps with several top European banks. The banks included Societe Generale and Credit Agricole, which were downgraded by Moody's Investors Service last week, and BNP Paribas, which Moody's said it will need more...

In what is becoming an all too familiar occurrence, on Wednesday millions of Greeks took part in nationwide strikes, with thousands taking to the streets in protest against further austerity measures. The Greek government says that the new round of austerity measures is needed in order to receive...

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting the release of the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting and ISM services-sector data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 29 points to 12,308.00, while those for the S&P 500...

The likelihood that Portugal will seek a bailout increased after the resignation of the country's prime minister, who had been trying to push through structural reforms that are needed for the country to reduce its fiscal deficit and lower its borrowing costs. Like many leaders throughout Europe...

Just weeks after lowering Spain's sovereign debt rating, Moody's Investors Service downgraded the credit rating of thirty of Spain's smaller banks on Thursday, while leaving the credit ratings of the country's three biggest banks unchanged. There is growing resistance in some of the more...