First we got Spain miraculously announcing late at night local time, but certainly after close of market US time [15], that the bailout so many algorithms had taken for granted in ramping stocks into the close may not be coming, because, picture this, Germany may have conditions when bailing the broke country's banks out, and Spain is just not cool with that, and now, after the close of FX and futures trading, we get Moody's giving us the warning the after Egan-Jones, S&P, and Fitch, it is now its turn to cut the Spanish A3 rating."As Spain moves closer to the need for direct external support from its European partners, the increased risk to the country's creditors may prompt further rating actions. The official estimates of recapitalising Spain's banking system have risen significantly and the country's indirect reliance on European Central Bank (ECB) funding via its banks has been growing. Moody's is assessing the implications of these increased pressures and will take any rating actions necessary to reflect the risk to Spanish government creditors. Moody's rating on Spain is currently A3 with a negative outlook." Moody's also warns, what everyone has known for about 2 years now, that Italy could be next: "However, Spain's banking problem is largely specific to the country and is not likely to be a major source of contagion to other euro area countries, except for Italy, which likewise has a growing funding reliance on the ECB through its banks." Of course none of this is unexpected. What will be, however, to the market, is when all 3 rating agencies have Spain at BBB+ or below, which as ZH first pointed out at the end of April will [16]result in a 5% increase in repo haircuts [16] on Spanish Government Bonds, resulting in yet another epic collateral squeeze for the country which already is forced to pledge Spiderman towels to the central bank.
From Moody's
Moody's: Developments in Spain, Greece may prompt euro area sovereign rating downgrades
New York, June 08, 2012 -- Recent developments in Spain and Greece could lead to rating reviews and actions on many of the euro area countries, says Moody's Investors Service in the report "Rating Euro Area Governments Through Extraordinary Times -- Implications of Spain's bank recapitalisation needs and the rising risk of a Greek Exit".
As Spain moves closer to the need for direct external support from its European partners, the increased risk to the country's creditors may prompt further rating actions. The official estimates of recapitalising Spain's banking system have risen significantly and the country's indirect reliance on European Central Bank (ECB) funding via its banks has been growing. Moody's is assessing the implications of these increased pressures and will take any rating actions necessary to reflect the risk to Spanish government creditors. Moody's rating on Spain is currently A3 with a negative outlook.
However, Spain's banking problem is largely specific to the country and is not likely to be a major source of contagion to other euro area countries, except for Italy, which likewise has a growing funding reliance on the ECB through its banks.
In contrast, Moody's says that if the risk of a Greek exit from the euro were to rise further, it could lead to additional rating pressures throughout the region. Greece's exit from the euro would lead to substantial losses for investors in Greek securities, both directly as a result of the redenomination and indirectly as a result of the severe macroeconomic dislocation that would likely follow. It could also pose a threat to the euro's continued existence.
The risk of a Greek exit particularly affects the credit standing of Cyprus (Ba1, Negative), Portugal (Ba3, Negative), Ireland (Ba1, Negative), Italy (A3, Negative) and Spain. However, should Greece leave the euro, posing a threat to the euro's continued existence, Moody's would review all euro area sovereign ratings, including those of the Aaa nations.