Assured Guaranty Plunging (AGO)

Shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd.

are plunging this morning, after S&P cut its rating on the company. Standard & Poor's cut its rating to AA+ from AAA, but gave it a stable outlook. The ratings service cited a depleted demand for bond insurance. "We believe the current state of the financial guarantee market, with only one organization issuing new policies, is symptomatic of investors' and issuers' diminished demand for bond insurance," S&P said in a statement. At last check, shares of AGO were down 10.5% to $19.03, a loss of $2.25.