Moody's on Monday downgraded the long-term ratings of top American lenders such as JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Wells Fargo , after pushing the U.S. out of top triple-A rating club over its burgeoning $36 trillion debt.

U.S. stocks pared early losses Monday as investors largely shook off concerns about the U.S. government's growing debt problem.

Gold futures climbed 1.4% to $3,232.70 per ounce at the time of writing, while the spot gold price rose 0.8% to $3,229.61 per ounce. "The Moody's downgrade of the US credit rating