Greece suffers from record debt

SHOOT: So are Dubai, and Venezuela, and Ireland.

clipped from www.ft.com Greece saw its credit ratings downgraded to the lowest level in the eurozone on Tuesday as fears mounted over its deteriorating public finances. Heavy selling of Greek stocks and bonds came amid fears that the country was heading for financial disaster unless politicians tackled dangerously high debt levels. Shares on the Athens stock exchange fell more than 6 per cent. Anders Borg, finance minister of Sweden, which holds the EU presidency, said: “They [Greece] need to get serious about their fiscal situation. You can’t run a 10 or 12 per cent deficit.” Goldman Sachs said: “Unless the ECB fiddles with its rules before the end of next year, then from the beginning of 2011, Greek sovereign bonds will no longer be eligible for ECB collateral.”