| RAM Ratings has reaffirmed Qatar’s respective global- and ASEAN-scale sovereign ratings of gAA3(pi)/stable and seaAAA(pi)/stable. Besides having the lowest fiscal breakeven oil price in the GCC region after Kuwait, Qatar’s huge sovereign wealth – accumulated from past fiscal surpluses – and reserves totalling 172 per cent of GDP underpin its credit strength and should help it weather a period of low oil and gas prices.
As the downtrend in LNG prices lags that of oil, Qatar is still expected to record a current account surplus of 4.6 per cent of GDP in 2015 (2014: 26 per cent of GDP). Although diversification efforts over the long term (in line with the 2030 Qatar National Vision) has strengthened the State’s resilience, depressed oil prices have led to delays and a re-prioritisation of development projects...............................................Full Article: Source
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