Standard & Poor's maintains U.S. AAA credit rating

Standard & Poor's (S&P), the prominent credit rating company, announced on Thursday that it intends to maintain the United States' AAA credit status. This rating, S&P's highest level, is expected to remain stable, despite the government's pricey stimulus package and difficult short-term situation.

Lately, S&P has been hard on many banks and governments. In May, the company downgraded its outlook on the United Kingdom from "stable" to "negative," stating that by 2013 the country could approach a debt burden that is 100 percent of gross domestic product. By comparison, the company predicts that the United States will max out with a debt burden that is 90 percent of GDP.