The oil-dollar nexus is one of the foundations of the world economy but lately there has been a disturbance in the force. A combination of old enemies and Islamic states are trying to break the balance.
The US Dollar has been the reserve currency of the world since the end of WW2 (Bretton Woods Agreement). Do you realize this was only 72 years ago? Being the world’s reserve currency is powerful – it has allowed us to transfer our debt to the rest of the world. If a country wants to conduct international trade it needs to buy US Dollars. It didn’t matter that the US wasn’t balancing the budget because we could always print more money. Normally this would devalue the currency however, when countries are forced to buy Dollars to buy oil, and hold Dollars, it has the effect of propping up the US Dollar creating a stronger currency than we would otherwise have. The other effect is that it has allowed the US to run an almost permanent trade deficit without major short term political consequences.
In the last great global depression (in 1931) the UK lost its status as the world reserve currency. It lost its status when it tried to reflate its economy by abandoning the gold standard. (Sound familiar?) Nixon thought he could cleverly avoid any consequences and still fund the Vietnam War by doing a deal with the House of Saud (Saudi Arabia) to insist that oil was purchased in US Dollars from OPEC countries. The drop in oil prices was the opening salvo showing the demise of OPEC, and with it the deal that kept the US Dollar at the heart of world trade.
Some of the major global oil producers such as Russia and Iran have started insisting that oil is purchased in Euros and have started building up major euro reserves. Iran also wants to recover tens of billions of dollars it is owed by India and other buyers of its oil in Euros as it ramps up production with the goal of reducing its dependence on the U.S. Dollar following last month’s sanctions relief. This is one of the reasons why despite the Euro going negative the dark side of the force is steadily increasing its use of the Euro.
The world is starting to get very interesting and financial tensions and fault lines are rising. No one knows how this will play out. One thing is for sure; the next US President better understand the force of finance and be able to restore balance. If he or she just relies on the dark emperor of Goldman Sachs to show us the path to more leverage… we are all doomed.
(as Yoda says)
A capitalists strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Deficits, Leverage, Aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily the currency flows, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did the Fed’s apprentice.”
Want to learn more? Check out some of my courses.
-
How Economic forces impact real-estate:- The implications of current events and how to asses risk .
-
How to Invest in Real-Estate using your IRA:- If you want to put your retirement saving in hard assets like real-estate this shows you how.
The coupon code linkedin12 gives you a discount as a thank you for reading my posts.
Read more article by The Unintentional Economist.
After living in 3 countries and experiencing different financial systems, I found myself questioning things that a lot of people took for granted. My uncle, who was an international currency trader in London, reinforced this by sharing stories of how a few individuals where able to change the forces of governments-take them on and win. In the process I became an unintentional economist. Thus, I have an alternative view of financial forces and headwinds that affect people’s lives such as the power of debt for good and bad, the true risks associated with different types of investing, and how different people hack the system. To do well today most people need to overcome the financial headwinds they are burdened with. By applying this knowledge it has allowed me to gain time back in my life to spend it on things that create meaning not just the daily grind of trading time for money. I have a great desire to share what I have learned along the way, mentoring others and helping them find their path and devising creative ways to capitalize on various market and economic events. Nowadays, having fun, presenting at conferences on economics and other financial topics, and building a coalition of the willing to take on the world, is my passion; I hope you can join me on this journey.
Leave a Reply