Fortune (April 7)
The petrodollar “makes up the cornerstone of America’s dominance over global trade, but economists warn the currency architecture has been eroding at its edges for years now.” Indeed, the current era may bring “the biggest change in the world’s relationship to the dollar since 1974, and every day the Iran war continues, the cracks in the old system grow wider and wider. To be sure, the dollar is still overwhelmingly dominant, but it’s no longer the only game in town.”
Tags: 1974, Cornerstone, Cracks, Currency architecture, Dominance, Economists, Eroding, Global trade, Iran war, Old system, Petrodollar
Equities News (March 28)
“The petrodollar was born” in 1975. When OPEC members exclusively adopted the dollar for pricing, it “had the immediate effect of strengthening the U.S. dollar,” with the greenback becoming “the world’s reserve currency, a status formerly enjoyed by the British pound, French franc and Dutch guilder.” Today, however, “we may be witnessing the end of the petrodollar as more and more countries, including China and Russia, are agreeing to make settlements in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. This could have wide-ranging implications on not just a macro scale but also investment portfolios.”
Tags: 1975, China, Currencies, Franc, Greenback, Guilder, Implications, Macro scale, OPEC, Petrodollar, Pound, Reserve currency, Russia, Settlements, Strengthening, U.S.
