Monday, November 23, 2009

Gulf States Could Price Oil In New GCC Currency - Economist

Monday, Nov 23 2009

Gulf States Could Price Oil In New GCC Currency

DUBAI (AP) --Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other Gulf states could consider pricing crude oil in a new regional single currency instead of the U.S. dollar in the future, a top Saudi economist said Monday.

"That could put GCC economies amongst the world's most important," Saeed Al Shaikh, vice president and chief economist of National Commercial Bank told delegates at a business conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Four of the states that make up the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC--Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain--have agreed to create a single currency in the region that could come into existence by 2012. The two other members, the U.A.E. and Oman, have opted out of the plan.

A shift to price oil in a new single currency by the Gulf Arab states, which pump about a fifth of the world's crude, could see the U.S. dollar lose its status as the world's benchmark currency. (Dow Jones Newswires)


Related articles ~ links ~

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 GCC currency may be used to price oil ~

GCC currency may be used to price oil; GCC currency may be linked to oil, gold

and ... September 2008 ~

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and ... October 17, 2009

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