S&P later clarified that the message was the result of a "technical error" and that its rating on France remains at AAA, with a stable outlook.
An S&P spokesman stressed Friday that it was a mistake, and that the rating for France posted on the agency's website never changed.
But that didn't stop the outrage.
"This incident is serious and it shows that in the current tense and volatile market situation, market players must exercise discipline and demonstrate a special sense of responsibility," European Commissioner Michel Barnier said Friday.
The French Financial Market Authority has already launched an investigation into the mishap. And S&P, a division of publisher McGraw-Hill ( , Fortune 500 ), has begun its own internal probe.
NEW YORK — Stocks are trading in a tight range, a year after major market indexes hit 12-year lows. With little in the way of economic reports or earnings 
NEW YORK () -- Shares for United Airlines parent company UAL Corp. reached a 52-week high on Tuesday after the 
Crude oil for April delivery fell 37 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $81.50 a barrel at the 2:30 pm close of floor trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. 
The story of the resignation of New York Rep. Eric Massa just keeps getting stranger and stranger. 
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