- November 25, 2011
While France, Italy and Germany are found in mini-summit in Strasbourg, Portugal is once again in the viewfinder of the rating agencies. Fitch downgraded one notch Thursday note of Portugal, from BBB-to BB +, together with a negative outlook. This decision made the downgrades of Portuguese debt the Safe investments to that of "rotten" or "risky".
"The deep deficit, high debt of all sectors of the economy and poor prospects for growth mean that the country will benefit more than qualified to hold a note type of investment, '" Fitch said in a statement . Portugal should address, according to projections by the agency, in a deep recession in 2012 with a decline in activity of 3%.
Among the areas of concern, the rating agency notes the debt of public enterprises."They have been the cause of upward revisions of the State debt and deficit figures, said Fitch. In this context, we expect a significant risk that new measures were announced in 2012. "Portuguese banks in turn will require a recapitalization, according to Fitch. They are strongly weakened by the debt crisis in Europe and amenable to private sector (firms and households), the most indebted in Europe, said the agency.
A 2012 budget "balanced"
Fortunately, according to Fitch, the Portuguese government is doing well. "The deficit target of 5.9% will be achieved this year, albeit with exceptional measures" and not reproducible in 2012, the agency notes. The 2012 budget, which targets a deficit of 4.5%, is "well designed," she continues. It contains substantial cuts in spending, including retirement pensions and salaries of civil servants.