Brazilie behaalt status van BBB-

SAO PAULO -(Dow Jones)- An upgrade of Brazil's sovereign debt to investment grade still depends on an improvement in Brazil's debt profile and management, Moody's Investors Service said Tuesday in its annual review of Brazil.
"Improvement in the rating outlook for Brazil depends on the prospects of additional strengthening of both government finances and the government's debt profile that significantly reduce current vulnerabilities," said Moody's Vice President Mauro Leos, author of the report. "This would assure sustained convergence towards credit indicators more in line with investment-grade ratings."
Moody's currently rates Brazilian sovereign bonds at Ba1, which is one notch below investment grade.
"External debt indicators have declined steadily, driven by reduced external indebtedness and sustained export growth," said Leos. "Increased international reserves have considerably reduced the country's exposure to external shocks."
Last week, Standard & Poor's elevated Brazil's sovereign long-term credit rating by one notch to triple-B-minus, granting it the long-awaited investment-grade rating.
With its report Tuesday, Moody's reinforced expectations by market participants that it could end up being the last rating agency to provide an investment grade status for Brazil.
Last week, Fitch Ratings said it has placed Brazil's sovereign rating under "active review," confirming that it currently has a senior-level sovereign team in Brazil conducting a review of the country's ratings.
Fitch currently rates Brazil double-B-plus, or one notch below investment grade.