Moody’s Investor Service has lowered its risk assessment of the Dominican Republic from B1 to Ba2, according to the economic section of Hoy. Mario Mendez says that the persistent question regarding the government’s capacity to institute a program of credit stabilization within a political context are what pushed the rating down. The Ba2 rating affects the sovereign bond issuances, as well as the hard-currency ceiling. Deposits in hard currency were downgraded from Ba2 to Ba3, but the outlook was stable, according to the international rating agency. The report reflects the general deterioration of the economic conditions that will have an impact on credit in the medium term. Moody’s says that in spite of the international financial assistance, international liquidity is a tense situation. Moody’s is the latest of a series of international capital market analysts to express concern regarding the performance of the Dominican economy. Bear Stearns, Standard & Poors, JP Morgan, and the Economist’s Intelligence Unit have also published less than favorable assessments of the DR in the past two weeks.