90 seconds at 9am: America warned on AAA rating; China vs US trade tensions grow

Watch on our video page here Watch on YouTube here Bernard Hickey details the key news overnight in 90 seconds at 9am in association with the BNZ, including news Moody's has warned the United States that its AAA credit rating will be endangered within a few years unless it gets its budget deficit under control. The warning follows similar comments from the other 2 big ratings agencies Standard and Poor's and Fitch. They are worried America's interest payments will exceed 15% of income with a few years. America is unlikely to be downgraded any time soon, but this will keep the upward pressure on interest rates for the long term. Meanwhile, there are revelations from a receivers report that Lehman Brothers used vehicles known as Repo 105s to systematically hide US$50 billion of debts from its creditors and regulators. Legal action over allegations of fraud are likely for its key executives. Meanwhile, trade tensions are growing between America and China. America is due to declare China a "Currency Manipulator" within weeks, which could trigger sanctions. The pressure is being felt in many places, including with Google, which is set to withdraw from China within days over plans to stop censoring search results.