The increase in oil prices in the 2000s contributed to an increase in U.S. spending on imports. It also raised the earnings of residents of oil-exporting nations, including the 11 countries that make up OPEC. Residents of OPEC nations responded by buying more goods and services from other nations, including the United States. Imports by OPEC countries, which included electronic devices, aircraft, and automobiles, increased from the United States during this period. These increases in U.S. exports to the OPEC nations helped pay for higher spending on oil imported from those countries.

In the long run, how do OPEC nations ultimately pay for consumer goods that they import mainly from Europe, the United States, and Japan?