Investors already had two good reasons to lighten up on U. This week they got another. The first reason is a puny payoff. The second is slipping quality.

This week, a congressional "super-committee," considered by many the best hope for a broad deficit-reduction deal, announced its efforts had come to nothing. Financial markets responded in almost comical fashion: Treasurys, after all, provide unmatched "liquidity" -- a nice way of saying that America's debt is larger than just about any other financial instrument investors can cram into.

Yield-hunters can do better. Four American firms still have perfect credit ratings from both agencies: A comparison of Treasury bonds to dividend-paying stocks isn't an apples-to-apples one, of course. Credit ratings apply to bonds, which represent payment promises, not stocks, which represent shared participation in profits.

Indian firms lead AAA league table | Business Standard News

In general, bond payments are safer than dividends, because the latter can be cut without triggering a default. The fourth, Microsoft, is a little young to be an Aristocrat, but it has steadily increased its dividend since it started making payments in Yield isn't the only thing that goes into investor returns.

Price changes matter too. Among the most important determinants of tomorrow's price changes is today's valuation. Treasury yields are near record lows, which means prices are near record highs. Not so, the four stocks. They're mostly sitting at discounts. Microsoft and Exxon Mobil have price-to-earnings ratios in single digits.

But on average, these four stocks cost 12 times earnings. With alternatives like those, and few signs that U. By using this site you agree to the Terms of ServicePrivacy Policyand Cookie Policy.

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All quotes aaa rating stock market in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.

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