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By Oliver Biggadike March 11 (Bloomberg) — The dollar will retain its status as the world’s reserve currency as long as U.S. financial markets are sound and government spending is sustainable, Standard & Poor’s said. The greenback is “the world’s most accepted currency,” even after the global recession that began in the U.S., John Chambers , chairman of the S&P sovereign ratings committee, wrote in a report released today. The dollar supports the nation’s top AAA credit ranking, improves the government’s access to external financing and helps lower borrowing costs, he wrote. “The dollar’s widespread acceptance stems from the U.S. economy’s fundamental strength, which in our view comes from the economy’s size and the flexibility of labor and product markets,” New York-based Chambers wrote with David Beers , global head of sovereign ratings at S&P in London. “We view U.S. banking and capital markets to be dynamic and unfettered relative to their peers.” Pacific Investment Management Co., the world’s biggest manager of bond funds, said in its August 2009 Emerging Markets Watch report the dollar’s reserve status was endangered as the government pumped “massive” amounts of money into the economy to stimulate growth. The dollar has gained 4.9 percent this year against the euro, the second biggest destination for international reserves, rising to $1.3657 at yesterday’s close. To contact the reporter on this story: Oliver Biggadike in New York at obiggadike@bloomberg.net

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Dollar to Keep Reserve Role If Markets Stay Sound, Standard & Poor’s Says