NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Dec. 7, 2000ùStandard&Poor's today lowered its corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Goodyear Tire&Rubber Co. to triple-'B' from triple-'B'-plus. In addition, the commercial paper and short-term corporate rating ratings on the company were lowered to 'A-3' from 'A-2'. All ratings were removed from CreditWatch, where they were placed Sept. 22, 2000. The outlook is now negative. The rating actions reflect Goodyear's poor operating performance in the past year and higher-than-expected debt use, which have resulted in weak cash flow protection measures and reduced financial flexibility. The current ratings assume that debt-protection measures will improve from their currently depressed levels in the next two years. Standard&Poor's, however,
