White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett criticized Moody’s Ratings over its decision to lower the US credit rating, calling the move backward-looking and saying the Trump administration is committed to lowering federal spending.

Wall Street stocks edged higher Monday (May 19) after shrugging off a spike in US Treasury bond yields following Moody's downgrade of the US credit rating. But yields subsequently eased as

The yield on both 10 and 30-year government bonds rose on Monday after another credit ratings agency downgraded the US on Friday.

Gold prices drifted higher on Monday, steered by a softer dollar and safe-haven demand after Moody's downgraded the U.S. government's credit rating. Spot gold rose 0.9% to $3,229.51 an ounce by 1315 ET (1715 GMT).

The S&P 500 was 0.9 percent lower in early trading after Moody’s Ratings became the last of the three major credit-rating agencies to say the US federal government no longer deserves a top-tier “Aaa” rating.

The US is no longer a triple-A sovereign credit, but top banks think investors are focused on other market narratives, with volatility to be short-lived.