(Bloomberg) -- Panama’s credit outlook was lowered to negative from stable by Moody’s Ratings, putting it closer to a second junk grade, as the Central American country faces deterioration in its fiscal accounts.
The ratings company affirmed Panama’s rating at Baa3, the lowest investment-grade score, Moody’s said in a statement Friday. That’s in line with the assessment from S&P Global Ratings, which downgraded the country’s debt on Tuesday.
The outlook change “reflects a larger-than-expected deterioration of the fiscal balance in 2024 and significant hurdles to deliver rapid fiscal consolidation,” according to Moody’s.
Panama’s credit score is already rated junk by Fitch Ratings. That means that a downgrade by Moody’s or S&P should trigger forced selling of bonds by some dedicated funds.
Investors have grown concerned after President Jose Raul Mulino, who took office in July, failed to keep a promise of a smaller fiscal gap. Last month congress passed a $30.1 billion budget for 2025. The country’s dollar notes have lost about 5% this quarter, the worst among emerging-market peers, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Moody’s is expecting Panama’s fiscal deficit to exceed 6% of gross domestic product this year, while its debt-to-GDP ratio should near 61%, it said in the statement.
--With assistance from Maria Elena Vizcaino.
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