Moody’s Ratings downgraded the United States’ debt on Friday, stripping the country of its last perfect credit rating. The move could rattle financial markets and push up interest rates.Video above: Best money moves to make right now in a volatile economyOf the three major credit rating agencies, Moody’s was the lone holdout, maintaining its outstanding rating of AAA for U.S. debt. Moody’s held a perfect credit rating for the United States since 1917.It now ranks U.S. creditworthiness one notch below that, at Aa1, joining Fitch Ratings and S&P, which lowered their credit ratings for U.S. debt in 2023 and 2011, respectively.The decision to downgrade debt was influenced by “the increase over more than a decade in government debt and interest payment ratios to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns,” Moody’s said in a statement. Moving forward, Moody’s said it expects borrowing needs to continue to grow and for it to weigh on the U.S. economy as a whole.Spokespeople for the White House and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to CNN.Moody’s said the U.S. is is no immediate danger of being downgraded again: The credit-rating agency considers the U.S. outlook “stable” in part because of “its long history of very effective monetary policy led by an independent Federal Reserve.” President Donald Trump, however, has recently raised questions of whether he’d continue to respect the central bank’s independence as he threatened to fire Chair Jerome Powell.Aa1 is still quite strong, despite its notch below perfect. The ratings agency noted that America’s system of governance, albeit challenged, gives Moody’s confidence that the United States still deserves a near-perfect, if not AAA, credit rating.“The stable outlook also takes into account institutional features, including the constitutional separation of powers among the three branches of government that contributes to policy effectiveness over time and is relatively insensitive to events over a short period. While these institutional arrangements can be tested at times, we expect them to remain strong and resilient,” Moody’s said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Moody’s Ratings downgraded the United States’ debt on Friday, stripping the country of its last perfect credit rating. The move could rattle financial markets and push up interest rates.
Video above: Best money moves to make right now in a volatile economy
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Of the three major credit rating agencies, Moody’s was the lone holdout, maintaining its outstanding rating of AAA for U.S. debt. Moody’s held a perfect credit rating for the United States since 1917.
It now ranks U.S. creditworthiness one notch below that, at Aa1, joining Fitch Ratings and S&P, which lowered their credit ratings for U.S. debt in 2023 and 2011, respectively.
The decision to downgrade debt was influenced by “the increase over more than a decade in government debt and interest payment ratios to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns,” Moody’s said in a statement. Moving forward, Moody’s said it expects borrowing needs to continue to grow and for it to weigh on the U.S. economy as a whole.
Spokespeople for the White House and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to CNN.
Moody’s said the U.S. is is no immediate danger of being downgraded again: The credit-rating agency considers the U.S. outlook “stable” in part because of “its long history of very effective monetary policy led by an independent Federal Reserve.” President Donald Trump, however, has recently raised questions of whether he’d continue to respect the central bank’s independence as he threatened to fire Chair Jerome Powell.
Aa1 is still quite strong, despite its notch below perfect. The ratings agency noted that America’s system of governance, albeit challenged, gives Moody’s confidence that the United States still deserves a near-perfect, if not AAA, credit rating.
“The stable outlook also takes into account institutional features, including the constitutional separation of powers among the three branches of government that contributes to policy effectiveness over time and is relatively insensitive to events over a short period. While these institutional arrangements can be tested at times, we expect them to remain strong and resilient,” Moody’s said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.