Soon the yuan will pass the dollar as the 'supreme currency'

"...Nobody plans to give way as keeper of the supreme currency, so there is no schedule to follow and no way to know when the torch will be passed from the dollar to the Yuan.

Central planners and economists, who all drink from the same cup, may acknowledge that such a thing could happen decades from now (after all, Rome didn’t fall apart in a day), but will vigorously dispute the conclusions in this article. However, history has shown that the shift comes suddenly, usually in the heat or aftermath of war.

American troops have now been involved in the Middle East for 25 years (nearly as long as the face-off between British and German troops and navies in the 20th century) and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain, having filled the void left when the Royal Navy departed.

The U.S. Navy is the world’s single largest consumer of oil and aircraft carriers don't come cheap. Clearly, the ‘price’ of oil is greater than we think it is, and someday this will probably be recognized as the principal cause of the dollar’s fall from grace.

The temporary rise in the dollar against most other currencies is partly the result of being the best looking leper in the colony. Furthermore, an expected rise in dollar rates makes the currency seem relatively more attractive, though this is a double-edged sword.

It should be clear now that the reserve currency status is neither a birthright nor a privilege that stays forever in one place, which means it isn’t a question of if China will replace the U.S. as title holder but when..."

at http://www.businessinsider.com/yuan-will-pass-dollar-as-supreme-currency-2015-9