Australia faces the prospect of losing its vaunted AAA rating, after S&P Global Ratings lowered its outlook on the country's debt to negative. S&P cited a combination of the government's budget deficits and the likelihood of a political stalemate as the country awaits the outcome of what is likely to be a very close election as the reasons behind its decision. The ratings agency said there was a one-in-three chance it could lower the country's credit rating withing the next two years if it believed parliament wasn't likely to legislate savings or revenue measures to narrow or eliminate the budget deficit by the ... (full story)