This report analyzes the relationship between the dollar and the price of oil and how the two might interact. This report provides an assessment of the impact a range of prices of imported oil could have on the U.S. trade deficit.

Despite common perceptions that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between changes in the international exchange value of the dollar and the price of oil, an analysis of recent data indicates that changes in the price of oil are driven by changes in the demand for oil that is different from the supply of oil, rather than changes in the value of the dollar. [...] While the data do not support a strong cause and effect relationship between the value of the dollar and the price of oil, there likely are various channels through which changes in the price of oil and in the value of the dollar may be indirectly correlated. [...] The data also indicate that an increase in the demand for crude oil that exceeded the increase in the supply of oil and a laggardly pace in oil production capacity likely are among the main factors behind the sharp run up in the price of oil that occurred over the first seven months of 2008. [...] In addition, changes in the international exchange value of the dollar likely reflect a number of factors, including changes in the demand for and supply of capital within the U. S. economy, the relative rate of return on interest-sensitive assets, and expectations about the performance of the U. S. economy. [...] The interaction between the price of oil and the value of the dollar is complicated further by the way changes in the price of oil can affect the economic performance of other nations and, therefore, have an impact on their respective currencies.9 According to Global Insight,10 a number of factors worked to put upward pressure on oil prices in 2007 and during the first half of 2008.

Rapid changes in the price of oil and the impact of such price changes on economies around the globe has attracted considerable attention. In mid-2008 as the price of oil rose to unprecedented heights and then dropped sharply, the international exchange value of the dollar fell and then rose relative to a broad basket of currencies. For some, these two events seem to indicate a cause and effect relationship between changes in the price of oil and changes in the value of the dollar. Despite common perceptions that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between changes in the international exchange value of the dollar and the price of oil, an analysis of recent data indicate that the rise in the price of oil is being driven by an increase in demand that is exceeding the increase in supply. This report analyzes the relationship between the dollar and the price of oil and how the two might interact. While the data do not support a strong cause and effect relationship between the value of the dollar and the price of oil, there likely are various channels through which changes in the price of oil and in the value of ...

"Dr. Preeg answers these questions with a clear presentation of the relationship between U.S. trade and financial interests. He argues that the chronic trade deficit and the related buildup of foreign debt can have substantial adverse consequences for the United States, and that early actions are needed to increase the U.S. savings rate and to curtail mercantilist exchange rate polices by some trading partners. Many observers believe we do not need to worry about the trade deficit in this era of high growth and full employment. The Trade Deficit, the Dollar, and the U.S. National Interest is essential reading for anyone interested in a more concerned assessment of the prospects for America's economic future and geopolitical position."--BOOK JACKET.

The real effective exchange rate of the dollar is close to its minimum level for the past 4decades (as of September 2008). At the same time, however, the U.S. trade and currentaccount deficits remain large and, absent a significant correction in coming years, wouldcontribute to a further accumulation of U.S. external liabilities. The paper discusses thetension between these two aspects of the dollar assessment, and what factors can helpreconcile them. It focuses in particular on the terms of trade, adjustment lags, andmeasurement issues related to both the real effective exchange rate and the current accountbalance.

Explores the causes of trade deficits, its effects on a country and how such a deficit might be reduced.

The pattern of international trade adjustment is affected by the continuing international role of the dollar and related evidence on exchange rate pass-through into prices. This paper argues that a depreciation of the dollar would have asymmetric effects on flows between the United States and its trading partners. With low exchange rate pass-through to U.S. import prices and high exchange rate pass-through to the local prices of countries consuming U.S. exports, the effect of dollar depreciation on real trade flows is dominated by an adjustment in U.S. export quantities, which increase as U.S. goods become cheaper in the rest of the world. Real U.S. imports are affected less because U.S. prices are more insulated from exchange rate movements -- pass-through is low and dollar invoicing is high. In relation to prices, the effects on the U.S. terms of trade are limited: U.S. exporters earn the same amount of dollars for each unit shipped abroad, and U.S. consumers do not encounter more expensive imports. Movements in dollar exchange rates also affect the international trade transactions of countries invoicing some of their trade in dollars, even when these countries are not transacting directly with the United States.