-- Posted Monday, 22 January 2007 | Digg This Article
| Source: GoldSeek.com
- Below is a snippet from the latest weekly issue from www.GoldForecaster.com | www.SilverForecaster.com
Will the U.S. $ peg continue in the Middle East?
Oil is priced in the U.S. $, which makes it one of the vital interests of the U.S. Without this backing to the $ we have no doubt the path of the $ to the global reserve currency would have been impaired and be undergoing a major attack by now. The thought of oil being priced in currencies other than the $ poses a threat to the credibility of the U.S.$ of major proportions. Any talk of a switch to pricing in other currencies [let alone an actual switch] poses a threat to the U.S. $ in its reserve currency role. This threat is now a real one and poses a considerable danger to the $ in time. But it is unlikely to come from the up-coming Gulf Cooperation Council meeting shortly to take place.
It appears the Gulf Arab oil producers are to review the currency pegs to the U.S.$ of their currencies and may change their pricing of oil to other currencies. This could happen as early as March according to the United Arab Emirates central bank. The Governors of the six Gulf central banks will meet in March in Saudi Arabia and may agree to switch to another currency or currency basket, Governor Sultan Nasser al-Suweidi said. But then again, they may decide leave the pegs as they are with any new changes requiring the approval of the Gulf Arab rulers.
The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, are working toward monetary union [a single currency]. Oman placed these discussions in jeopardy last month, saying it would not join in 2010. Suweidi said the governors could opt for more flexible exchange rates, instead of the fixed pegs now maintained by all states except Kuwait, which revalued its currency last year. They may decide to peg to another currency or basket of currencies, he said, declining to comment on what currencies were being considered.
Because Saudi Arabia accounts for about half the G.C.C.' gross domestic product and 58% of oil production their input on this subject is the most important, so we will not accept this possibility until we hear from Saudi Arabia itself on the matter. It is doubtful that any change of currency in pricing Middle East oil will happen, for the Saudi’s are, in reality, completely dependent on the U.S. for their continued security. So such an offense to the U.S., which is the way it would be perceived, is most unlikely.
So this event does not pose a real threat to the $. The fact that the issue is being put on the table is describing the uncertain, present global currency scene we see before us. It is getting worse as we will consider further in our future issues, with China now set to take real action to lower their vulnerability to the U.S.$.
With oil a real ‘currency’ in the definition of the word, oil producers of O.P.E.C. have ‘revalued’ it by helping prices to rise [that is until the weather devalued it recently] to present levels of $53+ a barrel. But at issue in these discussion is the hegemony of the $, which is coming under pressure slowly but surely.
To read this week’s entire issue, please visit
www.goldforecaster.com www.silverforecaster.com
Legal Notice / Disclaimer - This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Silver Forecaster / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina, have based this document on information obtained from sources it believes to be reliable but which it has not independently verified; Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Silver Forecaster / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina make no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion are those of Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Silver Forecaster / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina only and are subject to change without notice. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Silver Forecaster / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina assume no warranty, liability or guarantee for the current relevance, correctness or completeness of any information provided within this Report and will not be held liable for the consequence of reliance upon any opinion or statement contained herein or any omission. Furthermore, we assume no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage or, in particular, for lost profit, which you may incur as a result of the use and existence of the information, provided within this Report.
Disclosure
The owner, editor, writer and publisher and their associates are not responsible for errors or omissions. The author of this report is not a registered financial advisor. Readers should not view this material as offering investment related advice. Authors have taken precautions to ensure accuracy of information provided. Information collected and presented are from what is perceived as reliable sources, but since the information source(s) are beyond our control, no representation or guarantee is made that it is complete or accurate. The reader accepts information on the condition that errors or omissions shall not be made the basis for any claim, demand or cause for action. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. Any statements non-factual in nature constitute only current opinions, which are subject to change. The information presented in stock reports are not a specific buy or sell recommendation and is presented solely for informational purposes only. The author/publisher may or may not have a position in the securities and/or options relating thereto, & may make purchases and/or sales of these securities relating thereto from time to time in the open market or otherwise outside of the trading timeframe listed above. Nothing contained herein constitutes a representation by the publisher, nor a solicitation for the purchase or sale of securities & therefore information, nor opinions expressed, shall be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any stock, futures or options contract mentioned herein. Investors are advised to obtain the advice of a qualified financial & investment advisor before entering any financial transaction.
-- Posted Monday, 22 January 2007 | Digg This Article
