I also don't think that the FOREX can give you an accurate account of the value of goods traded internationally - it's mostly currency swap.
Take the US case for instance:
Imports total 190 G$/month
Oil imports stand at 30 G$/month
So oil accounts for about 1/6 of their imports. Maybe not the best example, but you get the idea. Vencit omnia veritas.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GWP (gross world product): $65.95 trillion (2006 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $46.76 trillion (2006 est.) Exports: $12.44 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports: $12.09 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $46.76 trillion (2006 est.)
Exports: $12.44 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports: $12.09 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
As to wheter or not these numbers are comparable with those previously provided in this thread, I am not sure. Definitions within economics seams to be a tricky matter.
Exports: $12.44 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports: $12.09 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Oil imports $360B/month Imports $190B/month GDP $417B/month Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
We know that the US pays $ for oil, that is her currency of course. The point at issue relates to other peoples' use of the "petrodollar", and I believe that many commentators - not to mention many conspiracy theorists - are labouring under a misapprehension as to the importance of the $ for denominating oil prices.
That having been said, an unHoly Trinity of:
(a) US massive over consumption of oil; (b) continuing growth of non-US global oil demand; and (c) the fact of a maximum level of global oil production (whether it is called a "peak" or a "plateau" is semantics);
will IMHO lead to a breakdown (slow motion crash if we are lucky), in the current global financial system and arising out of a discontinuity in the Dollar/Oil relationship. Within 2 to 5 years, I believe.
I don't think that the charts you have kindly supplied are inconsistent with that thesis.
They couldn't, because that thesis is the whole point. Vencit omnia veritas.