NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 1/15/1999 -- The Central Bank of Brazil's decision to abandon its currency band exchange rate policy today is not expected to affect Brazil's sovereign credit rating in the near term, Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today. On Jan. 14, 1998, Standard&Poor's lowered its long-term senior unsecured rating on the Federative Republic of Brazil's US$58.1 billion of foreign currency debt to single-'B'-plus from double-'B'-minus. Standard&Poor's also lowered its rating on the republic's long-term real-denominated debt to double-'B'-minus from double-'B'-plus and affirmed its single-'B' rating on the republic's short-term real-denominated debt, totaling R$330 billion (US$250 billion). At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed the republic's short-term foreign currency rating of
