For the second day in a row, the United States has been able to sell government bonds at an all-time low interest rate, even after its top credit rating was downgraded.

The U.S. auctioned $24 billion in 10-year securities on Wednesday at a record low 2.14 percent interest rate, after selling three-year bonds at an even lower rate the day before.

The Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency last week downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA-plus, an indication its analysts view the country as a riskier bet to repay its debts. That led some analysts to predict that the U.S. would have to start paying more interest on bonds sold to investors, money the government uses to finance its operations.

But the opposite has happened, as investors continue to view U.S. debt as among the safest of investments. Investors sought to buy more than three times as much as the government offered in Wednesday’s sale, an indication of strong demand for the securities.

Foreign central banks bought more than a third of the 10-year notes, with investment companies and individual investors buying a slightly smaller share of the bonds.

The U.S. economic recovery has been sluggish, with high unemployment and slow growth. The U.S. government has also struggled to cut its deficit spending and reported Wednesday that its budget deficit has already topped $1 trillion for the third straight year.