Moody's, one of the big three rating agencies, has said none of the jurisdictions holding its much-coveted triple-A rating is due for a downgrade in the near term.

The rating agency said on Wednesday that even Spain, judged by Moody's to be the most vulnerable of the eighteen economies with the highest rating, remained for now a safe distance away from a downgrade.

Moody's noted that both the United Kingdom and the United States were showing signs of recovery and both were characterised as