Turning Hard Times Into Good Times

Alasdair Macleod, Michael Oliver & Chen Lin return. Last week Austrian economist Daniel Lacalle assured listeners that the dollar will remain as the world’s reserve currency for at least the next 5 to 10 years. Alasdair may disagree. In his December 22nd article, he states, “2023 will see the consequences of Saudi Arabia ending the petrodollar. Energy exporters are feeling their way towards new commercial arrangements in a bid to replace yesterday’s dollar. There’s talk of a new Asian trade settlement currency. But we can expect oil exports to be offset by inward investment, particularly between Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and China. The most obvious surplus emerging in 2023 is of internationally held dollars, whose use-value is set to drop away leaving it as an empty shell. It amounts to a perfect storm for the dollar, and all those who sail with it. Those of us who live long enough to look back on these years are likely to find them to have been pivotal for both currencies and global alliances. They will lik