Surprise US credit rating downgrade draws White House ire

Fitch changed the country's rating from AAA to AA+, citing fiscal deterioration and down-to-the wire debt ceiling negotiations

Rating agency Fitch downgraded the US government's top credit rating on Tuesday, a move that drew an angry response from the White House and surprised investors.

Fitch downgraded the United States to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations that threaten the government's ability to pay its bills. It is the second major rating agency after Standard & Poor's to strip the US of its triple-A rating.