SoftBank blasts Moody’s for ‘biased’ ratings downgrade

SoftBank Group Corp. lashed out at Moody’s Corp. after its debt was downgraded by two notches, accusing the ratings company of “bias” and “creating substantial misunderstanding” days after the investment group announced a $41 billion asset sale program intended to shore up confidence.

SoftBank’s shares slid as much as 8.4% early in Tokyo trade. The Moody’s downgrade — lowering SoftBank’s corporate family rating and senior unsecured rating to Ba3 from Ba1 — pushed the company deeper into junk territory. It comes at a critical time for founder Masayoshi Son, who this week set in motion his biggest play yet to silence critics and shore up his company’s crumbling shares and bonds.