Moody's lowers US credit outlook, though keeps triple-A rating

The credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has lowered its outlook on the U.S. government’s debt to “negative” from “stable.” In a statement Friday, the agency cited the cost of rising interest rates and political polarization in Congress for its move. Moody’s retained its top triple-A credit rating on U.S. government debt, though it is the last of the three major credit rating agencies to do so. Fitch Ratings lowered its rating to AA+ from AAA in August, and Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. in 2011. A reduced outlook, however, raises the risk that Moody’s could eventually strip its triple-A rating from the U.S. as well.