L'agence de notation Moody's a abaissé mercredi 29 mai 2013, d'un cran, la note souveraine de la Tunisie (celle de la dette publique) de à "Ba2". L'agence de notation Moody's a abaissé jeudi, d'un cran, la note souveraine de la Tunisie (celle de la dette publique) de "Ba1" à "Ba2", plaçant le pays dans la catégorie spéculative En mars 2013, l'agence Moody's avait abaissé la note de "Baa3" à "Ba1" et n'avait pas exclus de la baisser encore, en raison de la crise politique que traverse le pays ainsi que de la situation des paiements extérieurs. Ci-joint le communiqué en anglais :
Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday cut Tunisia's sovereign credit rating to Ba2, citing political uncertainty and the risk of instability as well as weak finances at government-owned banks and sizeable external pressures on its balance of payments. In a sign of potentially more downgrades to come, Moody's assigned a negative outlook to the sub-investment-grade credit. "Although tensions have declined since the assassination of politician Chokri Belaid and the collapse of Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali's interim government in February, the risk of a further escalation in political instability remains high," Moody's said in a statement. Tunisia was the first country to stage an "Arab Spring" uprising, inspiring similar revolutions in Egypt and Libya. The new government is led by a moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, but hardline Islamist Salafists are seeking a broader role for religion, alarming a secular elite which fears this could undermine individual freedoms, women's rights and democracy. Standard & Poor's rates Tunisia one notch lower at BB-minus with a negative outlook while Fitch Ratings has the North African nation one notch higher at BB-plus with a negative outlook.
