Colin Barr
Fortune
The United States has lost its gold-plated triple-A rating — in the eyes of credit traders, at least.
U.S. sovereign debt was the third-worst performer in a closely watched derivatives market during the third quarter, CMA said Tuesday in its quarterly review of global sovereign credit risk.
The cost of insuring against a default on U.S. government bonds via so-called credit default swaps rose 28% in the quarter ended Sept. 30, the firm said.
That puts the United States’ third-quarter performance behind only two other nations, both of which are struggling with the early stages of sovereign debt crises: Ireland, whose CDS prices rocketed 72% to a record amid growing questions about the costs of a massive bank bailout, and Portugal, whose costs jumped 30%.
What’s more, the decline leaves U.S. debt trading at an implied rating of double-A-plus for the first time in memory.
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