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AAA is the highest possible rating that may be assigned to an issuer’s bonds by any of the major credit-rating agencies. Due to their issuers' ease of meeting financial obligations and minimal risk of default, AAA-rated bonds have a high level of creditworthiness.
The highest credit quality bonds are designated by the letters "AAA" by rating firms Standard & Poor's (S&P) and Fitch Ratings and by the slightly different "Aaa" by Moody's.
Bonds with AAA ratings are thought to have the lowest default rates. The yield given on AAA-rated bonds is lower than that of other tiers due to the high credit rating, but issuers often have little trouble finding investors.
A bond issuer is said to be in "default" if it doesn't pay its debts, such as principal repayments or semi-annual interest payments, on time.
Both public debt and business bonds are accorded AAA ratings. Some businesses, most notably General Electric, lost their AAA rating as a result of the global credit crisis of 2008. ( GE ). Only two corporations, Microsoft (MSFT) and Johnson & Johnson, had the AAA rating as of September 2022. ( JNJ ). Apple (AAPL) has two ratings: an AA+ from S&P (one notch below AAA) and an Aaa from Moody's.
Because of political squabbling over lifting the debt ceiling, even the United States had its ratings downgraded by S&P in 2012 from AAA to AA+. The United States' ratings remained at Aaa and AAA, respectively, according to Moody's and Fitch.
How Bond Rating Agencies Determine AAA Ratings
Bond rating agencies look at many different metrics to determine how safe a bond is as an investment. These include:- The strength of the balance sheet of the issuer
- The possibility of having enough income and cash flow to pay the promised interest and principal repayments
- The property that can be taken if the bond defaults before or on its maturity date
What It Means for Investors
Less risk means lower profits. The lowest returns are offered by AAA-rated bonds because of their low risk and unquestionable stability. You lose money for every inch of mental tranquility you gain.
Junk bonds, on the other extreme of the range, have high yields and low ratings. Another name for them is "high-yield bonds." Credit agencies determine that the corporations who issue these bonds are at risk of default, which results in them receiving low ratings (or have defaulted in the past).
Individual investors who want to invest in bonds must determine the level of risk and return they are satisfied with, keeping in mind that their investment will be safer if they chose AAA-rated bonds but will yield a lower return.
Investors should think about balancing their fixed-income assets with higher income-producing bonds, such as high-yield corporates, rather than limiting their exposure to AAA-rated bonds.
