...market sentiment and panic merchants throwing everything out,...

...market sentiment and panic merchants throwing everything out, is the most likely answer. AED looks very cheap today, the temptation to buy almost overcame me, but you should never buy in a falling market, always wait until it turns slightly imho. Monday should be interesting. Will AED reach $1?

The oil price also has some effect on AED. Not sure if it will ever get down to US$50 a barrel, OPEC would probably cut production well before that point...