Today, Wednesday, the Central Bank of Iraq’s cash sales of the US dollar currency increased, exceeding for the first time foreign transfers, with the participation of 32 banks.
The Central Bank window showed the sale of 126 million 67 thousand and 350 dollars, which the bank covered at a basic exchange rate of 1460 dinars per dollar.
Most of the sales went, for the first time, in the form of cash sales, amounting to 63 million and 70 thousand dollars, while the rest went to strengthening balances abroad (remittances, credits), amounting to 62 million 997 thousand and 350 dollars.
The number of banks that bought cash dollars reached 18 banks, while the number of banks that responded to requests to strengthen balances abroad reached 14 banks, while the total number of exchange and mediation companies participating in the auction was 186 companies.
Baghdad – Mawazine News The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers announced that official working hours will be suspended on Sunday and next Monday, on the occasion of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Haider Majeed, a spokesman for the General Secretariat, said, “According to the directives of the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani, during the eighth session of the Council of Ministers held on 12/13/2022, it was decided to suspend official working hours next Sunday on the occasion of the birthday of Christ.” He added, “Next Monday is an official holiday for the Christian component on the occasion of the birthday of Christ.”
Iraq continues to raise its holdings of US bonds monthly, taking advantage of the rise in oil prices and the accumulation of its hard currency reserves, at a time when Iraq aims to benefit from the interest granted by the US Federal Reserve on bonds, which may exceed 4%.
And while Iraq’s possession of bonds amounted to $36.9 billion last September, up by 3.65% compared to August, to be the fourth largest Arab country after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE in possession of US bonds, the data of last October came to show an increase in Iraq’s possession of bonds with a value of more than one billion dollars. extra.
In the latest table of the US Treasury, it was stated that “Iraq rose one place to reach the 31st rank among the countries with the largest possession of US Treasury bonds, of the 38 countries included in the table among the countries with possessions of more than 30 billion dollars.”
And she added, “Iraq’s possession of these bonds amounted to 37.968 billion dollars for the month of October, an increase of 2.71 percent over September of 2022, and an increase of 85.78 percent over the same month of last year 2021.”
She pointed out that “Iraq was the fourth largest Arab country after Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Kuwait, while Japan came at the top of the countries with the largest possession of these bonds, followed by China second and the United Kingdom third,” noting that the total bonds of the countries of the world amounted to 7 trillion and 185 billion dollars.
Accordingly, Iraq owns 0.5% of the total bonds sold around the world, which are owned by other countries.
And while the Central Bank announced that its reserves of hard currency exceeded 90 billion, this means that more than 42% of Iraq’s reserves have been converted into US bonds.
The interest rate on US bonds is more than 4%, which means that Iraq can earn interest on these bonds in the amount of more than 1.5 billion dollars in interest from the US Treasury.
{Economic: Al Furat News} The exchange rates of the dollar rose against the Iraqi dinar, today, Wednesday, with the closure of the main stock exchange in Baghdad,
And the central Al-Kifah and Al-Harithiya stock exchanges in Baghdad closed at 151,800 Iraqi dinars, compared to 100 dollars.
That the buying and selling prices in exchange shops in the local markets in Baghdad rose, as the selling price reached 152,250 Iraqi dinars, while the purchase prices reached 151,250 dinars per 100 dollars.
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s holding of US government securities surged to $37.968 billion in October 2022.
The latest data from the US Treasury Department showed that Iraq’s balance of US Treasury bonds rose by 2.71% to reach $38 billion, after it was $36.905 billion in September 2022, indicating that “the bonds, including long-term guarantees and short-term guarantees.
According to the US Treasury securities holding, Japan is at the top ($1008.7 billion), followed by China, with an exposure of $909.6 billion at the end of October.
At the third spot was the United Kingdom, withholding worth $638.05 billion, Belgium ($327.3 billion), and Cayman Islands ($296.06 billion), followed Luxembourg ($295.7 billion) and Switzerland ($262.9 billion).
As for the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is at the top with 121.1 billion dollars (ranks the 16th), followed by the UAE (53.9 billion dollars), Kuwait with 50.3 billion dollars, then Iraq with 38 billion dollars.
Twilight News / The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq announced on Wednesday the suspension of official working hours in government departments and institutions for a whole week on the occasion of New Year’s holidays.
The holiday begins on December 25 and ends on January 1, 2023, the government said in a statement today.
She pointed to the resumption of official working hours in all government departments and institutions on January 2.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called the second Baghdad Cooperation and Partnership Conference, held yesterday evening in the Jordanian capital Amman, as “successful.”
This came in talks held by the French president with King Abdullah II of Jordan at Al-Husseiniya Palace on bilateral relations and regional and international developments, according to Jordanian local media.
The Jordanian monarch said that his talks with the French president touched on the challenges in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, as well as the Palestinian issue, noting that Macron’s interest and focus on the issues and challenges facing the region contributed to supporting efforts to address them significantly.
For his part, Macron praised the second Baghdad conference, which he considered “susful,” and said, “I proved your ability in a short time to organize and invite such an event, and work to bring all these countries together around the dialogue table with the same agenda that framed the discussion on the issues of the region, and support Iraq’s sovereignty and future aspirations, and this is very important.”
The “Baghdad 2” conference was held on Tuesday evening at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Center on the Dead Sea coast, after a first session held in the Iraqi capital in August 2021 at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraq.
The conference was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who coordinates the Vienna negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file and the European Union coordinator for these talks, Enrique Mora.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a number of other Arab foreign ministers also participated in the conference.
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