Fitch Ratings

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  Greece Launches Bond Swap

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  February 24, 2012

  Greece on Friday took the next step in a second bailout package after Parliament passed a law Thursday that requires all its bondholders to accept losses once a certain percentage of creditors have agreed.

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  Icelandic Economy Bounces Back From Brink

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  February 20, 2012

  The government's response to the 2008 default crisis has put the nation back on path of growth.

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  No Bailout for Greece–Yet

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  February 10, 2012

  Greece’s hard-won agreement from political leaders in Athens was rejected late Thursday as not tough enough. Instead, Greece was told to go back to the drawing board.

• Delivering Results in Volatile Times

  By Ed McCarthy, CFP  |  February 1, 2012

  The financial markets’ movement in 2011 led many investors to seek stable income and steady business models; midstream MLPs and other partnerships benefitted from that interest.

• Fitch Ratings Downgrades 5 European Countries

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 30, 2012

  Fitch Ratings went on a roll on Friday, downgrading Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain with the threat of additional cuts in the next one to two years.

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  Triple-A Eurozone Rescue Plan Depends on Germany and Others: S&P

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 16, 2012

  After downgrading most of the eurozone on Friday, Standard & Poor's said that the continued triple-A rating for the European Financial Stability Facility, the region's rescue mechanism, depended on more participation from Germany and other nations that retained their top credit rating.

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  U.S. Consumer—the Economy’s Engine—Chugs Along at Snail’s Pace

  By Gil Weinreich, AdvisorOne  |  January 12, 2012

  The U.S. Commerce Department reported flat retail sales in December, but the lackluster news may mask more positive news on the critical consumer front of the economy.

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  Markets Shrug Off Hungary Downgrade

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 9, 2012

  Despite the fact that Fitch Ratings downgraded Hungary on Friday to junk status, joining Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, markets seemed to shrug off the news on Monday as the forint rose for a third day.

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  What Lies Ahead for the Euro?

  By Ronald Delegge, ETFguide.com  |  January 2, 2012

  Would Italy be where it is today had Berlusconi planned its public finances as well as he planned his private events?

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  China May Form More Credit Ratings Agencies

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  December 26, 2011

  The head of the People's Bank of China said Sunday that the financial institutions should reduce their reliance on foreign credit-rating agencies and that the nation is considering forming its own such entities which would be backed by the government.