In downgrading United States government debt to C-, Weiss Ratings says it is NOT predicting a default, but the downgrade adds urgency to Weiss ratings' earlier recommendations to avoid all medium- or long-term government securities. Weiss says you can still hold short-term T-bills. But be sure to hedge against the growing dollar risks .
Here is the press release Weiss issued today about the downgrade
Weiss Ratings Downgrades United States Debt to C-Minus
JUPITER, Florida (July 15, 2011) — Weiss Ratings, an independent rating agency of U.S. financial institutions and sovereign debts, has downgraded the debt of the United States government from C to C-minus.
The C-minus rating for the U.S. reflects a continued deterioration in the weaknesses cited in the Weiss Ratings release of April 28, 2011, including heavy debt burdens, shaky international stability, and poor economic health.
Weiss Ratings senior financial analyst Gavin Magor commented in the Weiss Ratings press release: “Our downgrade today is not contingent on the outcome of the debt ceiling debate in Washington. It is driven exclusively by the numbers, which indicate that, in addition to a decline in the long-standing weaknesses we noted three months ago, the U.S. has already lost the golden halo that helped guarantee liquidity and acceptance of its government securities in global markets.”
On the Weiss Ratings scale, which ranges from A (excellent) to E (very weak), a C-minus rating is the approximate equivalent of a triple-B-minus on the scales used by other credit rating agencies, or approximately one notch above speculative grade (junk).
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