Moody's revises Posco's rating outlook from stable to negative

Global credit rater Moody's said on Thursday that it revised down the outlook for Posco's A3 credit rating to negative from stable.

"The negative outlook mainly reflects the increasing likelihood that Posco's financial profile will remain weak for its A3 rating over the next 12-18 months, given its higher-than-expected financial leverage in 2011 and the persistent challenges surrounding the Asian steel industry," Chris Park, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's, said in a statement.

The rating outlook downgrade came three days after Standard & Poor's cut the corporate credit rating on Posco by one notch to A- (minus), reported Xinhua.

Before the rating cut, Posco unveiled its third-quarter earnings results, with its operating profit shrinking 26 per cent on-quarter and an operating profit marking falling below 8 per cent.