(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: The rating agency Moody's said yesterday lower oil prices will weaken credit profiles of oil-exporting sovereigns. Losses in fiscal revenue are projected by more than 10 percent of GDP for most exposed sovereigns.
The severity of the credit impact of lower oil prices on oil- and gas-producing sovereigns will vary from country to country, driving divergence in their creditworthiness, Moody's Investors Service said in its report.
The coronavirus outbreak's squeeze on global oil demand and the breakdown of the Opec+ agreement earlier this month have created a deep, albeit temporary, shock to oil prices.
'We don't currently see the oil price decline as the outcome of a structural shift in the oil market, and fundamentals support our medium-term oil price assumption of $50-$70 per barrel, said Alexander Perjessy, a Moody's Vice President Senior Analyst. 'However, in light of recent shocks, we have revised our assumptions for 2020 and 2021.
'The sovereigns most vulnerable to lower oil prices in 2020-21 are those with the highest reliance on hydrocarbons as a source of fiscal revenue and exports, and limited capacity to adjust.
Moody's estimates that fiscal revenue and exports would decline by more than 10 percent of 2019 GDP in 2020 in Iraq and Kuwait compared with the rating agency's previous projections, in the absence of any adjustment, such as an increase in oil output.
In Oman, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Republic of the Congo and Bahrain, the fall would be 4 percent-8 percent of GDP. The decline would be smaller, at less than 3 percent of GDP, in Russia, Kazakhstan, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria and Gabon.
The most vulnerable sovereigns are Oman, Bahrain, Iraq and Angola, where external vulnerability is high and capacity to adjust to the shock is limited. By contrast, stronger fiscal positions ahead of the shock buffer the credit implications for Qatar, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia. And robust sovereign balance sheets will support Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and, to a lesser extent, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
MENAFN2503202000630000ID1099909257
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.