For several years prior to 2010, countries in the euro area periphery engaged in heavy borrowing from foreign private investors, allowing domestic spending to outpace incomes. Now these countries face debt crises reflecting a loss of investor confidence in the sustainability of their finances....

Sovereign ratings are gaining importance as more governments with greater default risk borrow in international bond markets. But while the ratings have proved useful to governments seeking market access, the difficulty of assessing sovereign risk has led to agency disagreements and public...

In 2001, the United States' net debt to the rest of the world jumped to $2.3 trillion, a level double that recorded in 1999. Much of the increase reflects the new borrowing undertaken by the country to finance its mounting current account deficit. A third of the change, however, can be traced to...