NZ banks exposed: S&P
S&P has grouped New Zealand's banking sector in "group four" of its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment, on par with Iceland and Ireland, which both suffered severe banking crises in the aftermath of the GFC.
S&P's "group four" also includes Estonia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
The credit rating agency believes "persistent" current account deficits, expected to be in line with historical levels of 3%-4% of GDP, pose a potential problem for the banking sector.
S&P also says high levels of external debt, roughly 170% of current account receipts, could be a problem for the sector.
Click the button below to subscribe and will have free unlimited access for a limited time to full article and all other articles on the site.
You will also be able to comment on articles on Good Returns.