Entretanto, em Porto Rico

O governo suspende o pagamento da dívida pública:

Puerto Rico's governor has signed a bill that puts the island's debt payments on hold until January 2017. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla says the island's first priority is covering payments for essential services.

Puerto Rico acted this week following reports that a key financial institution, the Government Development Bank, is nearly insolvent. A group of hedge funds went to court to block public agencies from withdrawing funds from the bank. Within hours, the Legislature moved to pass the debt moratorium by approving the measure. (...)

While the Legislature was meeting, a group of creditors who hold general obligation bonds were in San Juan to pursue a deal to restructure some $5 billion of the island's debt. The head of the Government Development Bank rejected their proposal, saying, "It is exactly the type of 'Wall Street' solution that led us to the precipice we are now looking over."

Creditors say the measure violates prior agreements and the island's constitution.

Um assunto que dá que pensar é que Porto Rico (na prática, algo entre uma colónia e um protetorado dos EUA) pode suspender o pagamento da dívida sem se levantarem preocupações de que o território terá que sair do dólar (ao contrário do que acontece com os paises da zona euro, onde qualquer default leva à ameaça de expulsão do euro).