Oil Shock Unmasks Fragile Mideast Trio With Bahrain Most Exposed - Bloomberg:
The collapse in oil prices is exposing a divide between Arab energy producers, with Bahrain the most vulnerable to the shockwaves rippling through the market amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to Bloomberg Economics.
Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, as well as Iran, are the weakest when measured by a set of five criteria ranging from international reserves and public debt to the price of oil needed to balance the current account. The scorecard found Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are deemed robust.
“A snapshot of the metrics shows some countries might be comfortable now, but the direction has been heading toward broader weakness,” said Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg’s chief Middle East economist in Dubai.
The collapse in oil prices is exposing a divide between Arab energy producers, with Bahrain the most vulnerable to the shockwaves rippling through the market amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to Bloomberg Economics.
Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, as well as Iran, are the weakest when measured by a set of five criteria ranging from international reserves and public debt to the price of oil needed to balance the current account. The scorecard found Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are deemed robust.
“A snapshot of the metrics shows some countries might be comfortable now, but the direction has been heading toward broader weakness,” said Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg’s chief Middle East economist in Dubai.
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