rating agency
Bond score assigner
A rating agency is a company that evaluates the creditworthiness of borrowers—governments, corporations, or financial instruments like bonds.
The major agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, Fitch) assign letter grades indicating default risk: The rating agency downgraded the country's debt to junk status.
These assessments influence interest rates and investor decisions, giving agencies significant power over global finance.
- creditRecognition or payment deferral
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
- credit scoreNumerical measure of borrower reliability
- S&PMajor stock index
- FitchFerret's wild relative
downgrade · upgrade · AAA · junk · junk bond · bonds · bond market · debt · sovereign debt · debt ceiling · assessment · risk assessment · evaluation · creditworthy · default · risk · investment · grade
- agenciesOgilvy, FDA, McCann, CDC, FCC
- credit ratingsAAA, AA, A, BBB, B
- marketsmarket, marketplace, stock market, bazaar, flea market
- Economic OrganizationsIMF, World Bank, OECD, WTO, central bank
- oversight bodiesoversight board, ethics committee, oversight committee, ethics board, inspector general
- stakeholdersshareholder, stockholder, investor, owner, customer
rating agencylender
One who loans money
creditor · bank · bondholder · institutional investor · commercial bank
rating agencyinvestor
One who allocates capital
trader · hedge fund · asset manager · market maker · underwriter
rating, agency, rate, rates, rated, rater, raters, ratings, agent