Oil, Foreign Exchange Swaps and Interest Rates in the GCC Countries

We examine the relationship between oil prices, foreign exchange (FX) swaps and local interbank offered rates in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We also investigate the potential hedging and diversification benefits from adding oil positions to portfolios containing GCC FX swaps or interest rate positions. Our findings confirm that oil predicts, and in some cases causes, movements in the various GCC FX swaps and interbank offered rates. We also find that the Saudi FX swap market has the highest volatility spillover from the oil market compared to other markets in the region. Furthermore, our analysis shows a significant change in liquidity conditions in the GCC FX swap markets following a sudden shift in oil prices. Lastly, we document the presence of significant risk reduction benefits from adding oil exposure to portfolios of GCC FX swaps or interest rates with risk going down by at least half in the case of the GCC FX swaps.