Fitch, İtalya'nın kredi
notunu iki kademe düşürerek "A-" olarak belirledi, İspanya'nın kredi
notunu da "A"ya düşürdü. Belçika'nın kredi notunu bir kademe
düşürerek "AA" olarak güncelleyen Fitch, Slovenya'nın kredi
notunu 2 kademe düşürerek "A" olarak belirledi. Fitch, Kıbrıs'ın kredi
notunu ise bir kademe düşürerek "BBB-" olarak açıkladı. İrlanda'nın
"BBB" kredi notunu teyit eden Fitch, ülkenin görünümünü negatife
çevirdi. FITCH'in açıklamasının orjinal İngilizce metni için haberin devamını tıklayın.
Fitch Ratings-London-27 January 2012:
Fitch Ratings has today concluded its review of the six eurozone sovereigns it
placed on Rating Watch Negative (RWN) on 16 December 2011.
The rating actions on the long-term (LT)
and short-term (ST) Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) are as follows:
-Belgium LT IDR downgraded to 'AA' from
'AA+'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR affirmed at 'F1+'
-Cyprus LT IDR downgraded to 'BBB-' from 'BBB'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR affirmed at 'F3'
-Ireland LT IDR affirmed at 'BBB+'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR affirmed at 'F2'
-Italy LT IDR downgraded to 'A-' from 'A+'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F2' from 'F1'
-Slovenia LT IDR downgraded to 'A' from 'AA-'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F1' from 'F1+'
-Spain LT IDR downgraded 'A' from 'AA-'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F1' from 'F1+'
-Cyprus LT IDR downgraded to 'BBB-' from 'BBB'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR affirmed at 'F3'
-Ireland LT IDR affirmed at 'BBB+'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR affirmed at 'F2'
-Italy LT IDR downgraded to 'A-' from 'A+'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F2' from 'F1'
-Slovenia LT IDR downgraded to 'A' from 'AA-'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F1' from 'F1+'
-Spain LT IDR downgraded 'A' from 'AA-'; Negative Outlook; ST IDR downgraded to 'F1' from 'F1+'
All the ratings have been removed from
RWN, with the Negative Outlook on all six countries indicating a slightly
greater than 50% chance of a downgrade over a two-year time horizon. The
eurozone 'AAA' country ceiling has been affirmed for all six sovereigns. All
senior unsecured issues of the six countries are affirmed in line with the new
rating levels above. The ratings of guaranteed issuance by National Asset
Management Ltd. are affirmed at 'BBB+' and 'F2' in line with the Irish IDRs.
As outlined in its rating review press
release of 16 December 2011, Fitch has now considered both systemic and
country-specific factors for these six sovereigns. As a result, the agency has
reduced the score it assigns to capture financing flexibility in its assessment
of the credit profiles of eurozone sovereigns that have large fiscal financing
needs and significant financial/economic imbalances.
Moreover, rising "home bias" in
the allocation of capital, the divergence in monetary and credit conditions
across the eurozone, and near-term economic outlook highlight the greater
vulnerability to monetary as well as financing shocks faced by these sovereign
governments. Consequently, these sovereigns do not, in Fitch's view, accrue the
full benefits of the euro's reserve currency status. The net impact of this
revision under Fitch's sovereign rating methodology is to lower the long-term
ratings of the affected sovereigns by one notch.
This one-notch revision was applied to
Belgium, Italy, Slovenia and Spain, but not to Cyprus and Ireland, where their
loss of market access had already been demonstrated by their need for
official/bilateral support and is already reflected in their low
investment-grade ratings. The downgrade for Cyprus, and the additional
one-notch cuts for Italy, Spain and Slovenia (ie a total of two notches for
each) reflect country-specific concerns primarily related to the banking sector
in Cyprus and Slovenia; an adverse shift in the interest-rate growth
differential and hence public debt dynamics in Italy; and a significantly
worsened fiscal and economic outlook in Spain. A more detailed rating rationale
can be found in six separate country specific press releases also being
published shortly.
Overall, today's rating actions balance
the marked deterioration in the economic outlook with both the substantive
policy initiatives at the national level to address macro-financial and fiscal
imbalances, and the initial success of the ECB's three-year Long-Term
Refinancing Operation in easing near-term sovereign and bank funding pressures.
Nonetheless, the intensification of the eurozone crisis in the latter half of
last year undermined the effectiveness of ECB monetary policy and highlighted
the financing risks faced by eurozone sovereign governments in the absence of a
credible financial firewall against contagion and self-fulfilling liquidity
crises.
Fitch recognises the significant
commitments made at the 9-10 December and previous EU Summits to enhance
economic policy coordination so as to prevent a recurrence of the severe macro-financial
imbalances that arose in the euro's first decade, as well as efforts to create
a long-term framework for fiscal stability over the medium to long term. Fitch
also anticipates that European leaders will make good on these commitments in
the forthcoming 30 January summit. In addition, the decision to bring forward
the creation of the European Stability Mechanism and increase the resources of
the IMF, if implemented effectively, is a step towards enhancing the capacity
of the eurozone to absorb adverse shocks, such as a disorderly Greek default,
although such a shock is not the agency's expectation.
In Fitch's opinion, the eurozone crisis
will only be resolved as and when there is broad economic recovery. It is
evident that further substantial reforms of the governance of the eurozone will
be required to secure economic and financial stability, including greater
fiscal integration.
As previously noted, in the absence of
greater clarity on the ultimate structure of a fundamentally reformed eurozone,
the gradualist approach adopted by politicians to systemic reform will continue
to be punctuated by episodes of severe financial volatility, entailing a
significant economic and financial cost that erodes sovereign creditworthiness.
It also means that a 'break-up' of the eurozone cannot be wholly discounted,
although in Fitch's opinion the risk of such an outcome remains small. Fitch
will continue to adopt a balanced and incremental approach to the rating of
eurozone sovereign governments in recognition of the unprecedented nature of
the systemic crisis and heightened uncertainty over the economic outlook for
the region.
The Negative Outlooks on eight eurozone
countries (the six sovereigns in this review along with 'AAA'-rated France and
'BB+'-rated Portugal) primarily reflect the risk that the crisis could
intensify further. A deeper and more prolonged economic recession than
currently anticipated would undermine political support for, and public
acceptance of, fiscal austerity and structural reform. It would also have the
potential to weaken the commitment of the economically and fiscally strongest
eurozone countries, and the ECB, to providing necessary support to eurozone
peers.
Fitch currently views that the sovereign
credit profiles of the remaining eurozone sovereign governments (with the
exception of 'CCC'-rated Greece, which has no Outlook assigned) continue to
warrant Stable Outlooks, though each will be subject to active review through
the course of the year. Fitch will consider on a country-by-country basis the
extent to which the risks associated with the crisis, as well as the
limitations on monetary and financial flexibility within the eurozone revealed
by the crisis, may impact their long-term sovereign credit profiles.
