It is perhaps a moment of more political than economic significance, but on Friday 13th January 2012 Standard and Poors, a leading credit rating agency announced that France was losing her triple A (AAA) credit rating for sovereign debt. It was part of a larger downgrading of government bonds among a sizeable chunk of Euro Zone countries, the argument being that plans to achieve deficit reduction lacked credibility. France was downgraded, S&P also lowered the long-term ratings on Austria, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, by one notch. The rating levels for Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain were dropped two notches.

Here is a brief Channel 4 report on the news and some other links to the story. Only four Euro Zone countries now have an AAA rating. Do you know who they are?

Economist: Average common denominator

Guardian: Eurozone crisis: As sales start in Paris, the Élysée is discounted too