S&P Puts 15 Euro Nations on Watch for Downgrade Amid Sovereign-Debt Crisis

Standard and Poor's on Monday placed Germany, France and 13 other eurozone members on a negative credit watch, warning that they could be hit with downgrades.
The warning threatened the AAA ratings of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Luxembourg and Austria.

"Systemic stresses in the eurozone have risen in recent weeks to the extent that they now put downward pressure on the credit standing of the eurozone as a whole," the ratings agency said in a statement.