We dissect the information content of sovereign credit rating reports issued by Moody's in 62 countries for the period 2003–2013. Using the Naïve Bayesian machine learning algorithm, we classify all sentences in each report into positive and negative tone, as well as six informational...

This paper investigates the importance of having a sovereign credit rating for a country's financial development. After controlling for endogeneity and selection bias, we compare different aspects of the financial sector and the capital markets of recently rated countries with otherwise similar,...

Using a unique hand collected sample of professional connections between finance ministers and the directors and top executives of the three largest credit rating agencies for 38 European sovereigns between January 2000 and November 2017, we show that professional connections result in higher...

Using 311 sovereign rating actions by the three leading global rating agencies between January and August 2020, we show that severity of sovereign ratings actions is not affected by the intensity of the COVID-19 health crisis (proxied by case and mortality rates). We find that economic...

In this document we examine the rationale behind investments in emerging market debt, discuss opportunities for investment in the asset class, and review the various investment vehicles available to institutional investors. Meketa Investment Group believes that emerging market debt offers...

This paper documents how sovereign debt ratings shape euro area cross-border holdings of euro area sovereign debt, using granular sectoral security holdings statistics for the period 2009Q4 until 2016Q1. Credit risk is the main risk for bond investors when investing in bonds that are issued in...

In 2010 the excessive public spending produced the first sovereign bond market crisis in Europe: Greece. The Hellenic crisis is the product of years of recession, of the sluggish economic environment and poor productivity – but above all it is the product of the mismanagement of the public...

Euro area data show a positive connection between sovereign and bank risk, which increases with banks' and sovereign long run fragility. We build a macro model with banks subject to incentive problems and liquidity risk (in the form of liquidity based banks' runs) which provides a link between...