New York CNN —Fitch Ratings downgraded US long-term debt late on Tuesday from AAA to AA+, citing this spring’s debt ceiling standoff as a major reason. In the midst of the very tense debt ceiling standoff of 2011, Standard and Poor’s downgraded US debt for the first time in history. “My sense is that the Fitch downgrade of the US credit rating is an insignificant development and will not move financial markets or the economy,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US. “The majority of our clients’ investments in China are through index funds, and we are one of 16 asset managers currently offering US index funds investing in Chinese companies,” BlackRock said in a statement to CNN. “With all investments in China and markets around the world, BlackRock complies with all applicable US government laws.

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Persons: New York CNN — Fitch, Fitch, ”, Joseph Brusuelas, ” Fitch, Larry Summers, Janet Yellen, “, Dow, BlackRock, Larry Fink, Henry Fernandez, MSCI, Mike Gallagher of, Raja Krishnamoorthi, ” BlackRock, ” MSCI Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, AAA, AA, RSM, Federal Reserve, Fitch, Treasury, US, Twitter, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Tech, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Congressional, Chinese Communist Party of, BlackRock, CNN, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Republican, “ Locations: New York, America, United States, States, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Illinois, MSCI, China