SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 27, 2012
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear on Thursday that she was not prepared to renegotiate the European Union fiscal pact as demanded by French presidential candidate François Hollande. Her comments come as ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spain two notches. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 16, 2012
The project to set up a European rating agency to challenge the dominance of American firms is at risk of collapsing, the German business daily Financial Times Deutschland reported on Monday. International consulting firm Roland Berger can't find enough investors for its plan, the report said. But it hasn't completely given up hope. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- February 16, 2012
Europe may be losing patience with Greece, but politicians in Athens are also growing increasingly sensitive to criticism from abroad. Greek President Karolos Papoulias has now gone public with his frustration over pressure from Germany. On Wednesday night, he gave the German finance minister a tongue-lashing. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- February 14, 2012
The ratings agency Moody's has downgraded six euro-zone members, including Italy, Spain and Portugal, and warned that France, Britain and Austria may lose their triple-A rating. The agency said its decision was based on the "growing risks" caused by Europe's ongoing debt crisis. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 18, 2012
Commerzbank, Germany's second-largest bank, needs even more capital than previously believed, according to reports. The bank may be forced to take emergency steps to tackle the six-billion-euro shortfall. Meanwhile, ratings agency Moody's may downgrade Commerzbank's creditworthiness. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 18, 2012
The Germans love a good conspiracy theory. The latest is about the evil American rating agencies that want to destroy the wonderful euro. It is a viewpoint shared even in the highest political circles. But that doesn't make it any less absurd. A Commentary by Stefan Kaiser more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 17, 2012
Standard and Poor's has downgraded the European bailout fund, the EFSF, following last week's downgrade of nine euro-zone members. European politicians are doing their best to exude calm. German observers argue that the messenger shouldn't be blamed for bad news. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 16, 2012
Several German politicians have reacted angrily to the decision by Standard and Poor's to downgrade the ratings of nine euro-zone member states on Friday, complaining that the euro is "under attack." German commentators scoff at the idea on Monday, but say that the agencies have too much power. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 14, 2012
With Standard and Poor's decision to punish nine euro-zone countries with downgrades and to strip France and Austria of their AAA ratings, Germany is likely to face additional burdens in the euro bailout fund in order to ensure cheap lending to save the common currency. Some are calling for Chancellor Angela Merkel to abandon plans for a tax cut in Germany. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 13, 2012
In a major setback for euro rescue efforts, reports on Friday emerged that ratings agency Standard and Poor's was likely set to downgrade the credit ratings of France and other European Union nations. Following the news, the value of the euro fell sharply. more...
