Moody’s still has a perfect Aaa rating on Apple’s bonds. Yields for long-term Apple debt are higher than the 10-Year Treasury as well.

Dalio fears the U.S. will “print money” to pay off its debts, which creates a different problem for bondholders.

Government bonds aren't the "shock absorbers" investors can rely on in times of volatility, KKR said, while Jamie Dimon this week warned of dangers in credit.

In a separate interview on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Monday, Hassett called U.S. debt “the safest bet on Earth,” but similarly said that the new rating is “backward looking” and is “penalizing us for all the reckless spending of the Biden administration” — all while predicting an economic “liftoff.”

The stock market didn’t notice. The S&P 500 secured its sixth winning day in a row and the Dow added 137 points. Equity investors at this point seem numb to both fiscal calamity and shaky economic sentiment. Bond traders, meanwhile, responded differently.

U.S. stocks, bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar are drifting lower on Monday following the latest reminder that the U.S government seems to be hurtling toward an unsustainable mountain of debt.

Even before talk of fresh unfunded tax cuts took center stage in the budget wrangling on Capitol Hill, US bond investors were making their views loud and clear: If the government keeps spending more than it takes in,

It all comes down to money. The credit rating is a guide to how risky buying debt is for potential investors. Independent agencies examine the metrics of a would-be bond seller to assess their creditworthiness and determine how likely that issuer might be to default on their debt.