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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BF978D1C-1D61-453F-9D50-318D35C852FA.htm



Kuwait revalues dinar again*

(Kuwait says the reason for the revaluation was the impact of the dollar's
slide on imported inflation [AP]  )

Kuwait has allowed the dinar to appreciate 1.7 per cent against the US
dollar in its third revaluation in two months, as the US currency is at its
record low against the Euro.

The dinar will trade at 0.28200 per dollar, the central bank has said.

The previous rate was 0.28690 a dollar.

The currency of the Middle East's fourth-largest oil exporter has now
appreciated around 2.5 per cent since May 19.

"The increase was larger than the market expected, but if you look at the
scale of the dollar decline over the last year or so, the previous
adjustments only got Kuwait back a small part of that ground that it had
lost," said Simon Williams, an economist in Dubai.

One day before, Kuwait had dropped the dinar's peg to the dollar and adopted
numerous other currencies.

The central bank has said that the reason for the revaluation was the impact
of the dollar's slide on imported inflation.

Regional opposition

In May, the Kuwait central bank broke ranks with five other Gulf oil
producers, that have pegged their currencies to the dollar to prepare for a
regional monetary union.

"This will probably increase speculation that something will happen in other
Gulf countries, but it is still an unlikely event this year," said Steve
Brice, regional head of research at Standard Chartered bank in Dubai.

The central banks of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates have ruled out changing an exchange rate policy.

Oman has also refused to revalue its rial currency because the decline of
the dollar is "a passing phase," according to the country's acting central
bank governor.

"We do not intend to do anything," said Mohammed Nasser al-Jahadhmy,
executive vice president at the Central Bank of Oman.


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