Germany’s AAA Credit Rating, Outlook Maintained at Fitch

Fitch Ratings today affirmed Germany’s credit rating at AAA with a stable outlook, citing a decline in the debt level of Europe’s biggest economy.

“Germany continues to have the components of a declining public debt path,” Fitch said in a statement. “The economy is growing, the budget position is relatively favorable and nominal interest rates are low.”

Standard & Poor’s on Jan. 10 affirmed Germany’s AAA credit grade and the stable outlook for the rating. Germany had the outlook for its Aaa rating lowered to negative by Moody’s Investors Service in July 2012.

Bond markets often disregard rating and outlook changes. France’s 10-year yield, which was 3.08 percent when S&P removed its top rating in January 2012, tumbled to a record low 1.66 percent last year. The rate was 2.42 percent at the market close yesterday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government plans to eliminate the federal budget deficit in structural terms -- adjusted for one-time effects and economic swings -- this year and stop adding new debt from 2015.

To contact the reporters on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net; Mariajose Vera in Munich at mvera1@bloomberg.net

Ted Serios - "Thoughtography"

type='html'>Ted Serios was a Chicago bellhop who became known in the 1960s by producing "thoughtographs" on Polaroid film. He claimed these were produced using psychic powers.

Ted Serios was a humble bell-hop from Chicago, a hard drinking, hard smoking working man. For years, he lived a fairly ordinary life, but Ted was nothing but ordinary.

What set Ted apart was his incredible claims that he could 'think' images onto ordinary photographic film. A process that Ted dubbed 'Thoughtography'.

So called 'psychic photographers' were far from uncommon, and a great many of them who claimed to have this ability were exposed as fakes or charlatans. Because of this, Ted's claims were widely rubbished. Read more