Rating agencies’ opinions

Further to the excellent editorial, ‘The economy: how others see us’ (June 3), readers genuinely seeking to give themselves a good and serious answer to the question as to what extent they can trust the reports and views of rating agencies about national economies, banks, businesses, etc., would do well to read research work about this subject.

It is a dissertation carried out in 2022 at the University of Malta by Omar Calleja – B.Com. (Melit) – and titled ‘An analysis on the reputation of credit rating agencies’.

I will only add a simple comment to the effect that, in past years, in Australia and elsewhere, serious court cases were opened against certain rating agencies about the untruths and inaccuracies, and harmful consequences, of their incorrect reporting. But the local media and political environs keep using their reports as God-written gospels.

John Consiglio – Birkirkara

Missing the strategy target

Young people on a bike tour in downtown Madrid. Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO/EUROPEAN COMMISSION

July 1 marks the final six months of our nation’s preparations to reach our National Transport Strategy target to become a “walking and cycling nation” by 2025. Just in case some of our planners, administrators and councillors had forgotten.

Jim Wightman – St Julian’s

Trump’s guilty verdict

I had a good laugh when someone commented on YouTube about Donald Trump’s guilty verdict: “He’s gonna go full Hitler at the Republican National Convention.”

Somebody responded: “It only counts if he goes full bunker crazy.”

John Guillaumier – St Julian’s