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☆ Republican hopefuls’ deficit goals are all talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Participants in the party’s first debate for the 2024 election on Wednesday night promised to shrink the government’s budget shortfall. Yet Republicans have a bad track record for cutting federal debt, and some candidates are already touting pricey projects and tax cuts. The last Republican president to run a budget surplus was George W. Bush in 2001, but even that year was partly influenced by the cost-cutting measures put in place by his Democratic predecessor. With Congress balking at such a combinations, Republican candidates’ plans are all talk, little hope of action. That budget deficit is 122% larger than the shortfall seen in the same period last year.

Persons: Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, jockeying, “, Donald Trump, George W, Bush, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Arkansas, New, U.S, South Carolina, North Dakota, Republican, Reuters, Republicans, South, Democratic, U.S . Office, Management, Former New, Congressional, Cato Institute, Fitch, Treasury Department, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, Florida, U.S, WASHINGTON, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, South Carolina, Former New Jersey, Arkansas, Ukraine, China, The U.S

There are multiple types of index funds, including:Broad market index funds: Index funds that try to track the overall performance of an entire asset class throughout the entire stock market. Fixed-income and debt index funds: Index funds that track bond indices for low expense ratios. International index funds: Index fund that invests funds in assets outside of the US. Sector-based index funds: Index funds that invest funds in a specific sector of the market, such as technology or even certain company services. Socially responsible index funds: Similar to sector-based index funds, socially responsible index funds invest specifically in companies that focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) services.

Persons: Warren Buffett, It's, Julian Schubach, Louis, Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, you've, Schwab Organizations: Service, Independence, US, Rutgers, Nasdaq, Nasdaq Stock Market Dow, NYSE, New York Stock Exchange, U.S, Federal Reserve Bank of St, Market, Fidelity, Vanguard, Chevron Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chevron

☆ Berkshire Hathaway stock scales record as operating profit tops $10 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berkshire Hathaway logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidAug 7 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway's (BRKa.N) stock price set a record high on Monday, rising more than 2%, after the conglomerate run by billionaire investor Warren Buffett said quarterly operating profit topped $10 billion for the first time. In morning trading, Berkshire's stock price rose $14,300, or 2.7%, to $547,900, surpassing the previous high $544,000 set on March 28, 2022. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Meyer Shields, who rates Berkshire "market perform," raised his price target to $565,000 from $545,000. In 2023, Berkshire shares have slightly trailed the index, after outpacing it in 2022.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Warren Buffett, Clayton, Brian Meredith, Keefe, Meyer Shields, Buffett, Jonathan Stempel, Chuck Mikolajczak, Lance Tupper, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Clayton Homes, Apple, Berkshire, UBS, Woods, Thomson Locations: Berkshire, New York City, U.S, Omaha , Nebraska, New York

☆ Berkshire posts record operating profit, rising rates boost Buffett's returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The earnings impact of higher interest rates on investment income is offsetting the economic softness caused by those same rates," he added. Investors closely watch Berkshire because of Buffett's reputation, and because results from the Omaha, Nebraska-based company's operating units often mirror broader economic trends. NOT LOVING VALUATIONSQuarterly operating profit rose 7% to $10.04 billion, or about $6,938 per Class A share, from $9.42 billion a year earlier. Berkshire repurchased $1.4 billion of stock in the quarter, down from $4.4 billion from January to March. Overall profit from Berkshire Hathaway Energy, where Berkshire has a 92% stake, was little changed at $785 million.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Rick Wilking, Berkshire Hathaway, Jim Shanahan, Edward Jones, Buffett, Cathy Seifert, Seifert, PacifiCorp, Jonathan Stempel, Ira Iosebashvili, Angus MacSwan, Jan Harvey, Alistair Bell, Diane Craft Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Omaha , Nebraska U.S, REUTERS, Berkshire, Berkshire's Clayton Homes, Profit, BNSF, Forbes, Berkshire repurchased, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Occidental Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, Berkshire, Alleghany, Oregon, An Oregon, Occidental, New York

☆ Berkshire posts record operating profit, $35.9 billion of net income
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Quarterly operating profit topped $10 billion for the first time but grew just 7%, in part from recent purchases of the Alleghany insurer and Pilot truck stop operator. Second-quarter operating profit rose to $10.04 billion, or about $6,938 per Class A share, from $9.42 billion a year earlier. Net income totaled $35.91 billion, or $24,775 per Class A share, compared with a year-earlier $43.62 billion loss. Pilot added $114 million to operating profit. Overall profit from Berkshire Hathaway Energy, in which Berkshire has a 92% stake, was little changed at $785 million.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Rick Wilking, Berkshire Hathaway, Cathy Seifert, Seifert, Buffett, PacifiCorp, Jonathan Stempel, Angus MacSwan, Jan Harvey, Alistair Bell Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Omaha , Nebraska U.S, REUTERS, Berkshire, Clayton Homes, BNSF, Berkshire repurchased, Apple, Occidental Petroleum, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Forbes, Thomson Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, Berkshire, Alleghany, Occidental, An Oregon, New York

In a July update of its credit opinion on the sovereign rating, Moody's maintained its Aaa rating and stable outlook, which means likelihood of a new rating over the medium term is low. Moody's did not offer comment beyond referring Reuters to its latest credit opinion, which it said reflected its latest thinking on the U.S. sovereign credit profile. In Moody's view, these factors counterbalance "lower fiscal strength," which the agency expects will weaken. In its latest credit opinion, Moody's said it had confidence in the strength of U.S. institutions, adding that monetary and macroeconomic policies have "a long history of effectiveness." It said, however, that other aspects of policymaking are "less robust than in many Aaa-rated peers," particularly when it comes to fiscal policy effectiveness.

Persons: Fitch, Lawrence Gillum, Ryan Detrick, Moody’s, it’s, Moody's, Davide Barbuscia, Megan Davies, Diane Craft Organizations: Moody's Corporation, AAA, U.S, OECD, LPL, Carson Group, Aaa, Reuters, TRIPLE, U.S ., Treasuries, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, United States, Australia, Canada, Fitch

☆ The Fitch U.S. ratings cut is here to stay, says analyst who worked on the S&P downgrade in 2011
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this article ANF Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTFitch Ratings in New York, United States. Cem Ozdel | Anadolu Agency | Getty Imageswatch now"The ratings are basically a slow-moving signal," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Thursday. Hentov was part of the Standard & Poor's team that famously downgraded the U.S. government's credit rating in 2011, citing political polarization after a prolonged and fraught squabble in Washington over raising the debt ceiling. In May of this year, another standoff between the White House and opposition Republicans over raising the U.S. debt limit once again pushed the world's largest economy to the brink of defaulting on its bills, before President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a last-minute deal. Asked if the U.S. was likely to regain its "risk-free" AAA rating from Fitch anytime soon, Hentov responded with a flat "no."

Persons: Cem Ozdel, CNBC's, Hentov, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, White House, Fitch Locations: New York, United States, U.S, Washington

☆ What this week's U.S. credit rating downgrade means for your money
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Markets hit the skids on Wednesday after Fitch Ratings downgraded its rating on U.S. debt to AA+ on Tuesday evening — one notch below the agency's highest rating of AAA. "The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management," the rating firm said in a press release. In historical context, though, this week's downgrade is less of a big deal than it seems, experts say. the rating agency dinged Uncle Sam's once perfect credit rating. "In some ways, the S&P downgrade echoes the current downgrade from Fitch," Sam Millette, fixed income strategist for the Commonwealth Financial Network, wrote in a recent note.

Persons: Fitch, Ryan Detrick, — Fitch, —, Bonds, Uncle Sam's, Jon Maier, hasn't, Sam Millette, Maier Organizations: Fitch, AAA, Nasdaq, Dow, Carson Group, Moody's, Global, Commonwealth Financial Network Locations: Washington, creditworthiness, Fitch

☆ Wall Street ends down, investors step back after Fitch US rating cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( David French | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Fitch was the second major agency to cut the country's rating. Reaction to the news pushed major indexes lower, with the S&P 500 (.SPX) recording its biggest daily percentage drop since April 25. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoThe technology index (.SPLRCT), dropping 2.6%, was also the worst performer of the 11 major S&P sectors, with nine in total ending the day lower. With around two-thirds of the S&P 500 having already reported, 79.9% have posted earnings above analysts' expectations, per Refinitiv I/B/E/S. The S&P 500 posted 12 new 52-week highs and five new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 49 new highs and 111 new lows.

Persons: Fitch, brokerages, Quincy Krosby, Brendan McDermid, LPL's Krosby, Krosby, Emerson, Johann M Cherian, David French, Lewis Krauskopf, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Vinay Dwivedi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Wall, AAA, LPL Financial, Fitch, AA, Nvidia, Apple, Tech, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Amazon.com Inc, Dow Jones, ADP, CVS Health Corp, Devices, Thomson Locations: States, U.S, Charlotte , North Carolina, New York City, America, Bengaluru, New York

☆ US Treasury yields edge lower after Fitch downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationTOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury yields edged down in Tokyo on Wednesday after ratings agency Fitch lowered the country's top credit rating. The 10-year Treasury note declined about 3.2 basis points (bps) to 4.015% as of 0017 GMT, retracing part of its 9 bps rise from Tuesday. Fitch overnight downgraded the U.S. government's rating to AA+ from AAA, citing an expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years as well as a high and growing general government debt burden. It had placed the rating on watch for a possible cut in May. "This will likely spark risk aversion flows as Asian markets re-open," Tony Sycamore, a markets analyst at IG, wrote in a note to clients.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fitch, Tony Sycamore, Joe Biden, Kevin Buckland, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, AAA, IG, Swiss, Democratic, Republican, Standard, AA, Thomson Locations: Tokyo

☆ Morning Bid: Triple-A headache
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. On Tuesday, Fitch became the second major agency, after Standard & Poor's in 2011, to strip the United States of its prized triple-A credit rating. Jefferies notes that, with two of the three major agencies listing U.S. debt at AA, U.S. bonds no longer count as AAA in some key indices. However, according to Jefferies, most investors have moved away from some of the stricter criteria around holding triple-A rated debt, given Germany is the only large issuer left with that rating. Chart shows that the U.S.'s long-term foreign currency rating was downgraded by Fitch to AA+ in 2023, following a similar move from S&P in 2011.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Amanda Cooper, Fitch, Jefferies, it's, Dupont Nemours, Kraft, Phillips, Ingersoll Rand, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Standard, Capitol, Investors, Treasury, Moody's, Moody's Investors Service, U.S ., U.S, AA, AAA, CVS Health, Entergy, Kraft Heinz, Garmin, Brands, Bunge Ltd, Lincoln National, Occidental Petroleum, ETSY, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Atmos Energy, Equinix, Qualcomm, MGM Resorts, MetLife, Fitch, Reuters Graphics U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S, United States, Aaa, Germany, Exelon, Albemarle, Occidental, Clorox

☆ Stocks fall, Treasuries gain after Fitch downgrades US rating
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/file photoHONG KONG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Asian stocks traded lower while U.S. Treasury yields declined on Wednesday, after ratings agency Fitch unexpectedly downgraded the United States' top-tier sovereign credit rating. Asian stocks were also weighed by declines on Wall Street overnight. Fitch cut the United States by one notch to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration, a decision announced after the Wall Street close on Tuesday. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields declined by about 2 basis points to 4.025% in Tokyo. The United States publishes fresh data on jobless claims and unemployment later this week.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Fitch, Hong Kong's, HSI, Manishi Raychaudhuri, counterintuitively, Steven Ricchiuto, Brent, Xie Yu, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Treasury, United, Japan's Nikkei, AAA, Asia, BNP Paribas, Standard, U.S ., Mizuho Securities, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, United States, Asia, ., U.S, China

☆ Wall Street starts fretting about US debt again after months of easy stock-market gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stocks have racked up easy gains over the past few months thanks to AI and cooling inflation. But investors are suddenly worried about debt again after Fitch slashed its credit rating for the US. The last time this happened was 2011 – and the S&P 500 took six months to recover its losses. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. In response, the S&P 500 dropped 6.5% and took a further six months to recover its losses.

Persons: Fitch, –, It's, Stocks, AJ Bell's, Laith Khalaf, Fitch's, Ray Dalio Organizations: Service, Poor's, House Locations: Wall, Silicon, –, Washington –, Canada

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 20, 2023. Chart shows that the U.S.'s long-term foreign currency rating was downgraded by Fitch to AA+ in 2023, following a similar move from S&P in 2011. ET, Dow e-minis were down 104 points, or 0.29%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 24 points, or 0.52%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 132.25 points, or 0.84%. Among other early movers, Starbucks (SBUX.O) eased 1.9% after the world's largest coffeehouse chain missed market expectations for quarterly comparable sales. Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Fitch, Mark Haefele, Wells Fargo, Johann M Cherian, Saumyadeb Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow, Nasdaq, Wall, AAA, Standard, UBS Global Wealth Management, Fitch, AA, Dow e, Nvidia, Microsoft, Devices, U.S, Caterpillar, CVS Health Corp, DuPont de Nemours, Investors, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, States, Wells, Bengaluru

☆ Fitch's downgrade of U.S. debt unlikely to have much economic impact — for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While financial markets on Wednesday took a break from their monster rally of 2023, economists largely expect the impact on the economy to be minimal. Some even questioned the timing of Fitch's action, saying it seems to come after the biggest scare to whether the U.S. would meet its debt obligations has passed. Overall, this announcement is much more likely to be dismissed than have a lasting disruptive impact on the US #economy and #markets." It also cited the battles that warring congressional factions have had over the debt ceiling as well as budget standoffs. Goldman also said it does not see a meaningful impact on holders of Treasurys or other government-sponsored or municipal debt.

Persons: Mohamed El, Erian, Fitch, Veronique de Rugy, de Rugy, that's, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, There's Organizations: Poor's, Fitch, Allianz, Twitter, AAA, Mercatus, George Mason University, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Congressional, Moody's, Service Locations: U.S

U.S. Capitol police stand outside the Capitol building as the Senate votes on debt ceiling legislation to avoid a historic default at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2023. Fitch downgraded the United States to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations that threaten the government’s ability to pay its bills. With the downgrade it becomes the second major rating agency after Standard & Poor’s to strip the United States of its triple-A rating. Investors use credit ratings to assess the risk profile of companies and governments when they raise financing in the debt capital markets. Other analysts had pointed to the risk that another downgrade by a major rating agency could affect investment portfolios that hold top-rated securities.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Fitch, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Keith Lerner, Raymond James, Ed Mills, Mohamed El, Davide Barbuscia, Jyoti Narayan, Lewis Krauskopf, Saeed Azhar, Megan Davies, Arun Koyyur, David Gregoiro, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Capitol, U.S, REUTERS, White, AAA, Standard, Democratic, Republican, Treasury, Advisory Services, ” Treasury, Fitch, AA, Queens ' College, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, States, United States, Atlanta, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Fitch downgrades U.S. long-term rating to AA+ from AAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States' long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to AA+ from AAA on Tuesday, pointing to "expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years," an erosion of governance and a growing general debt burden. U.S. stock futures opened lower after the rating agency issued its downgrade, with Dow futures sliding about 100 points. In May, the agency placed the nation's AAA rating on negative watch, blaming the debt ceiling fight. President Joe Biden signed the debt ceiling bill on June 2, just days away from the "X-date" on June 5. This isn't the first time a rating agency has downgraded the U.S. Standard & Poor's cut the nation's credit rating to AA+ from AAA in 2011 after Washington managed to avoid a default.

Persons: Biden, Fitch, Washington butted, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre said, CNBC's Christina Wilkie Organizations: Service Police, Lafayette, Fitch, United, AAA, Dow, U.S . Standard, Washington Locations: Washington , DC, United States, Washington, States

☆ Factbox: Corporate debt woes are on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Size of debt: 14 billion pounds ($18.33 billion). The firm said earlier in July shareholders would provide 750 million pounds, but warned it would need an extra 2.5 billion pounds between 2025-2030. Size of debt: 6.4 billion euros ($7.19 billion) in net debt. What's at stake: Casino faces 3 billion euros of debt repayments in the next two years, with rating agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's warning a default is likely. Deadlines to watch: Casino aims to secure an agreement with creditors by July 27.

Persons: Toby Melville, What's, Jean, Charles Naouri, Casino, Daniel Kretinsky, Kretinsky, Chiara Elisei, Dhara, Christina Fincher Organizations: Thames, REUTERS, Water, Casino, SBB, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, LONDON, Sweden, France, England, Czech, Brookfield, Spain, Barcelona

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

Islamabad was racing against time to unlock $1.1 billion under the IMF's ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility agreed upon in 2019. The Pakistan government was expecting around $2.5 billion from the IMF, Reuters has reported. PROCESSESPakistan earlier cleared eight of the 11 listed programme reviews, with the ninth review pending since November last year. HOLE IN FINANCESThe government has earmarked $2.5 billion in external receipts from the IMF in its federal budget for FY24. Pakistan needs upwards of $22 billion to service external debt, make interest payments, and finance its current account for FY24.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, IMF’s, Reuters, Pakistan, CCC, United, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Islamabad, PAKISTAN, Caa3, Fitch, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China, Karachi

Islamabad is racing against time to unlock $1.1 billion under the lender's ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019. -The ninth review is to release a tranche of $1.1 billion, leaving about $1.4 billion on the table in unlocked funds. It is unclear if an IMF agreement would release the entire amount. -National elections are due by November this year and the government has said the decision to enter a new IMF programme will be a decision for the incoming administration. -Hopes of a last-minute bailout rose following meetings between Sharif and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Paris this month, followed by marathon meetings between IMF staff and finance ministry officials.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Kristalina Georgieva, Ariba Shahid, Conor Humphries Organizations: Pakistani, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Pakistan, CCC, United, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Islamabad, Caa3, Fitch, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China, Sharif, Paris, Karachi

The group will study this expression of interest and keep the market informed," Casino said in a statement on Wednesday. And the holding company through which Naouri controls Casino is also heavily indebted. Niel, Pigasse and Zouari said they would invest 200 million to 300 million euros themselves, with the rest coming from unspecified partners, including Casino creditors. The trio's proposal comes after Kretinsky, Casino's second-largest shareholder, offered in April to take control of the group through a 1.1 billion euro capital increase. A Casino spokesperson declined to comment beyond its statement on Wednesday or on behalf of Naouri.

Persons: Jean, Charles Naouri, Xavier Niel, Daniel Kretinsky, Casino, Kretinsky, Niel, Matthieu Pigasse, Moez, Alexandre Zouari, Clement Genelot, Garnier, Pigasse, Zouari, Casino's, Mathieu Rosemain, Chiara Elisei, Laura Lenkiewicz, Sudip Kar, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter, Alexander Smith Organizations: Casino, Monoprix, BNP, Credit Agricole, Carrefour, Reuters, France's, Naouri, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Czech, Natixis, Casino

"The risk of a downgrade is exacerbated every time Congress flirts with the debt ceiling," said Calvin Norris, Portfolio Manager & US Rates Strategist at Aegon Asset Management, who sees another downgrade as still a risk. Economic damage from the 2011 and 2013 debt ceiling battles had a chilling impact. Rating agency Fitch and other smaller agencies recently placed the U.S. credit rating under review. Reuters GraphicsCASCADE EFFECTInvestors use credit ratings as one of the metrics to assess the risk profiles of governments and companies. In the 2013 debt ceiling crisis the legislative standoff did not cause a rating downgrade, although Fitch placed its rating under review.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Calvin Norris, Wendy Edelberg, Edelberg, Fitch, William Foster, ”, Andy Sparks, Olivier d'Assier, Peter Crane, MSCI's Sparks, Davide Barbuscia, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S, White, REUTERS, Senate, Republicans, Aegon Asset Management, AAA, Government, Office, The, Brookings Institution, Moody's, Moody’s Investors Service, Applied Research, Crane, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, United States, Washington, APAC, Qontigo

Reflecting investor optimism about passage, the cost of insuring exposure to a U.S. debt default dropped on Tuesday, but some concerns remained because of the tight timeline and opposition from some lawmakers. Last week, credit rating agency Fitch placed its "AAA" rating of U.S. sovereign debt on watch for a possible downgrade, citing downside risks including political brinkmanship and a growing debt burden. In a previous debt ceiling crisis in 2011 rating agency Standard & Poor's cut the U.S. top 'AAA' rating by one notch a few days after a debt ceiling deal, citing political polarization and insufficient steps to right the nation's fiscal outlook. "Even if a U.S. default is averted, a ratings downgrade could still happen," Vishwanath Tirupattur, a strategist at Morgan Stanley, said in a research note on Sunday. Some also fear a debt ceiling resolution could only provide short-term relief to markets because the U.S. Treasury is expected to quickly refill its account with bond sales, sucking out hundreds of billions of dollars of cash from the market.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Fitch, Raymond James, Ed Mills, Alex Anderson, Vishwanath Tirupattur, Morgan Stanley, Spokespeople, Blair Shwedo, Davide Barbuscia, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Pete Schroeder, Megan Davies, David Gregorio Our Organizations: YORK, Democratic, Republican, U.S . Treasury Department, BMO Capital Markets, AAA, Moody's, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: U.S

However just ahead of the expected call between Biden and McCarthy, Republican deal negotiator Patrick McHenry told reporters "major disagreement" remained between his party and Biden's Democrats. That's what we've offered with our approach to raising the debt ceiling, with work requirements for able bodied folks to get back in the workforce. The two sides have tentatively reached an agreement that would raise the debt ceiling by enough to cover the country's borrowing needs through the November 2024 presidential election. Republican Representative Dan Bishop reacted with anger to the idea of extending the debt ceiling through the next presidential election. A failure by Congress to raise its self-imposed debt ceiling before June 5 could trigger a default that would shake financial markets and send the United States into a deep recession.

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