Moody’s sign on 7 World Trade Center tower in New York

A Moody’s sign on the 7 World Trade Center tower is photographed in New York August 2, 2011. Behind all too many of market moves in government debt of late has been a report from one of the major credit ratings agencies. Standard & Poor’s is the biggest and arguably the most influential, fast followed by Moody’s Investor Service and then their smaller rival, Fitch Ratings. In national capitals, they are alternately villified by politicians or held out as just arbiters for denouncing government profligacy. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS)