It hasn’t been a very good few months for the Australian State Treasury Corporations. While the ongoing global financial crisis (GFC) has been challenging for everyone dealing in the financial markets, conditions really got difficult for the States when banks began issuing bonds with Commonwealth Government guarantees back in December 2008. Things got worse last week when Standard & Poor’s announced a downgrade of Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) from AAA to AA+. Many investors are concerned that New South Wales will be next. Perhaps the time has come for the States to give up their borrowing programs and move to a centralised Commonwealth borrowing model.
Time for States to Give Up Borrowing?
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