9 Jun 2012

US rating held, but outlook still negative

11:34 am on 9 June 2012

Standard Poor's has held its US sovereign rating steady at AA+, but also kept its negative outlook on the United States, citing a political deadlock in Washington over fixing the fiscal deficit.

The United States lost its AAA credit rating from Standard Poor's last August

However, the agency said on Friday that conditions had not changed significantly to merit another rating shift.

But it said the US could face another downgrade by 2014 if politicians do not address the deficit and reduce debt over the medium term.