Moody's Ratings upgrades Costa Rica's ratings to Ba2; changes outlook to stable from positive

Sept 24 (Reuters) - Moody's:

• MOODY'S RATINGS UPGRADES COSTA RICA'S RATINGS TO BA2; CHANGES OUTLOOK TO STABLE FROM POSITIVE

• MOODY'S: UPGRADE REFLECTS VIEW THAT PROSPECTS FOR COSTA RICA'S FISCAL & DEBT METRICS HAVE IMPROVED MEANINGFULLY

• MOODY'S: STABLE OUTLOOK REFLECTS BALANCE OF UPSIDE & DOWNSIDE RISKS TO COSTA RICA'S BA2 RATING

• MOODY'S: EXPECT ROBUST, ALBEIT SLOWER, ECONOMIC GROWTH TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT DECLINE IN COSTA RICA GOVERNMENT'S DEBT BURDEN

• MOODY'S: DEBT AFFORDABILITY WILL STEADILY IMPROVE IN COSTA RICA AS GOVERNMENT INTEREST PAYMENTS HAVE BEGUN TO DECLINE EVEN IN NOMINAL TERMS