How the UAE Economy Imploded - Explained In 6 IMF Charts

The global financial crisis brought an end to a decade of high growth.

The U.A.E. has had remarkable achievements over the last decade with its open and outward orientation, which led to a diversified and steadily growing economy. The decline in oil prices, the post-Lehman shut down of international capital markets, and the price correction in the property market in Dubai have put significant strains on the economy.

The UAE authorities supported the banking sector through liquidity injection, recapitalization, and deposit guarantees, and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi provided financial support to the Emirate of Dubai. Nevertheless, the combination of substantial short-term borrowing of the highly-leveraged GREs in Dubai, the price correction in the real estate market, and maturity mismatches forced Dubai World (DW), a major Dubai GRE, to seek a debt standstill. Real GDP is estimated to have contracted by 3¼ percent in 2009.

Here is how the drama unfolded in those dark days of Dubai. Click on the charts below to continue:

And then read How The UAE Economy Is Recovering

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