Moody’s downgrades Barbados

Reuters – Moody’s Investors Service yesterday downgraded Barbados’ credit rating to Ba1, into junk territory, citing the Caribbean country’s lukewarm economy and rising government debt levels.
The rating also carries a negative outlook, with the agency saying that the country’s economic prospects remain weak.
“Moody’s believes that the country’s growth prospects remain very limited due to its deteriorating competitiveness and declining productivity coupled with heavy dependence on tourism, particularly from the United Kingdom and the United States,” Moody’s said in a statement. (PR)