Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Krugman conscience .. Sympathy for Ireland ... September 28, 2010, 10:19 am

I have had a lot of downbeat stuff to say about Irish policy and prospects. But having
their position worsened by a warning from S&P is cause for justifiable anger on their part.

For the fact is that the rating agencies, S&P very much included, have been terrible on sovereign
debt. There is, in fact, a disturbing contrast between their willingness to classify highly dubious private
securities as AAA and their willingness to classify governments as probable deadbeats on very weak evidence.

Let’s recall in particular that both Moody’s and S&P downgraded Japan in 2002.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20020417a2.html

How’s that been going? .. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GJGB10:IND&n=y ..

4.787% ... Japan 10 Year (GJGB10:IND)
VALUE: 0.985 JPY .. one year chart .. (interactive inside, and one other)