Before 1 January 2018, will two of the three major credit rating agencies adjust the long-term issuer credit rating of Venezuela or the PDVSA to indicate default?

Started May 09, 2017 05:00PM UTC
Closed Nov 14, 2017 06:00PM UTC

Challenges

GJP Classic Geopolitical Challenge (2017)

Tags

Finance Non-US Politics

The three major credit rating agencies are Moody's, Fitch, and S&P. A rating of C by Moody's indicates default (see page 5 of Moody's); a rating of RD or D by Fitch indicates default (see page 19 of Fitch Ratings), and a rating of SD or D by S&P indicates default (See table 4: Standard and Poors). Venezuela and its state-run oil company, the PDVSA ,made a large debt payment in April, but have others coming due in October and November of 2017 (Reuters). Venezuela’s shrinking federal reserves, budget deficit, high unemployment rate, falling oil prices, and food shortages put it at risk of defaulting on these loans in 2017 (Bloomber, Barrons). _{Confused? Check our FAQ or ask us for help.}

PDVSA has been downgraded by Fitch and S&P. This question closed as “a) Yes,” with and end date of 14 November. _{See our FAQ to learn about how we resolve questions and how scores are calculated.}