Iraq Economic News and Points To Ponder Tuesday Morning 1-20-26
Within A Week, Trading On The Iraqi Stock Exchange Exceeded One Billion Dinars.
Today 15:10 Economy The Iraq Stock Exchange announced on Tuesday that shares worth more than one billion dinars were traded last week. The exchange stated in a report, which was reviewed by Al-Maalomah News Agency, that "69 companies saw their shares traded last week, while 25 companies did not trade due to a mismatch between buy and sell orders. Trading remains suspended for 10 companies out of the 104 listed on the exchange due to their failure to submit disclosures."
He added that "the number of shares traded reached 1.27 billion, a decrease of 78 percent compared to the previous week, with a financial value of 1.713 billion dinars, a decrease of 69 percent compared to the previous week, through the execution of 2,554 transactions."
He pointed out that "the ISX60 index closed at 984.54 points, registering a decrease of 1.353 percent from its closing in the previous session."
He explained that "the number of shares purchased by non-Iraqi investors last week reached 50 million shares with a financial value of 14 million dinars through the execution of three transactions, while the number of shares sold by non-Iraqi investors reached three million shares with a financial value of 16 million dinars through the execution of 19 transactions."
It is worth noting that the Iraq Stock Exchange holds five trading sessions weekly from Sunday to Thursday, and lists 104 Iraqi joint-stock companies representing the banking, telecommunications, industry, agriculture, insurance, financial investment, tourism, hotels, and services sectors. End 25 LINK
Parliamentary Warnings Of A Political Crisis Due To The Large Number Of Presidential Candidates.
Today 14:20 The Information Agency / Baghdad… MP Sami Oshana warned on Tuesday against the scenario of Kurdish forces presenting multiple candidates for the presidency to parliament, indicating that this could complicate the political landscape.
Oshana told the Information Agency that “discussions between the two Kurdish parties are still ongoing and have not yet reached a final agreement on a presidential candidate,” explaining that “multiple candidates will lead to division within parliament and hinder the decision-making process.”
He added that “the next phase requires a clear consensus to avoid a new political crisis,” stressing that “delaying an agreement opens the door to unforeseen possibilities.” The presidential candidate position remains undecided, given the ongoing Kurdish disagreements over agreeing on a single candidate, which portends further complications in the political scene in the coming period. End / 25 LINK
Dollar Exchange Rates Rise In Baghdad
Time: 2026/01/20 Readings: 390 times
{Economic: Al-Furat News} The exchange rate of the US dollar rose this morning, Tuesday, in the markets of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The prices were as follows...
The selling price was 148,250 dinars for 100 dollars, while the buying price was 147,250 dinars for 100 dollars. LINK
International Monetary Fund: Average Oil Price In 2026 At $62.13 Per Barrel
Time: 2026/01/19 17:47:32 Readings: 105 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} The International Monetary Fund expects the average price of oil during 2026 to be around $62.13 per barrel, with a slight increase to $62.17 in 2027.
This came according to a report published by the Fund on Monday regarding the prospects for the global economy during 2026 and 2027.
The fund indicated in its report that it expects a further decline in oil prices due to "weak global demand growth versus strong supply growth".
It is worth noting that the IMF's Director of Communications, Julie Kozak, stated last January that the Fund does not yet see a significant impact of the situation in Venezuela and Iran on oil prices. LINK
Oil Prices Rise, With Brent Crude Reaching $64 A Barrel.
Time: 2026/01/20 08:10:30 Reading: 45 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} Oil prices rose on Tuesday after better-than-expected Chinese economic growth data boosted optimism about demand, while markets also monitored President Donald Trump's threats to increase US tariffs on European countries due to his desire to buy Greenland.
Brent crude futures rose 19 cents, or 0.3%, to $64.13 a barrel The price of the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract for February, which expires on Tuesday, rose by 25 cents, or 0.4%, from Friday's close to $59.69. LINK
Gold And Silver At Record Highs
Time: 2026/01/20 08:20:11 Readings: 105 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} Gold and silver traded near record levels on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland deteriorated global sentiment and triggered a rush towards safe-haven assets.
Spot gold rose 0.1% to $4,675.32 an ounce as of 03:36 GMT, after hitting a record high of $4,689.39 in the previous session. U.S. gold futures for February delivery climbed 1.9% to $4,680.30 an ounce.
Spot silver fell 1.4% to $93.33 an ounce, after hitting a record high of $94.72 earlier in the session. Among other precious metals, spot platinum fell 1.8% to $2,331.20 an ounce, while palladium dropped 2% to $1,804.15. LINK
Gold And Silver Hit Record Highs
Time: 2026/01/19 Reading: 90 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} Gold and silver prices recorded new record levels on Monday, driven by increased demand for safe-haven assets, amid escalating trade tensions following US President Donald Trump's threat to impose additional tariffs on European countries over the Greenland dispute.
Spot gold rose 1.5% to $4,663.37 an ounce after hitting an all-time high of $4,689.39, while U.S. gold futures for February climbed 1.6% to $4,669.90 an ounce.
Silver saw a strong jump, with its spot price rising 3.3% to $92.93 an ounce, after hitting a record high of $94.08.
Prices of other precious metals also rose, with platinum climbing 0.9% to $2,348.32 an ounce and palladium rising 0.5% to $1,808.46 an ounce. LINK
Iraq’s Currency In Circulation Exceeded 93T Dinars In October 2025
2026-01-19 Shafaq News– Baghdad Currency in circulation in Iraq rose by 1.604 trillion dinars in October 2025, pushing the total above 93 trillion dinars, according to figures released Monday by the Central Bank of Iraq.
The data showed that net currency in circulation climbed to 93.789 trillion dinars in October, up from 92.185 trillion dinars in September. During the same period, total currency issued reached 101.015 trillion dinars, while cash held inside commercial banks stood at 7.226 trillion dinars.
The Central Bank explained that issued currency includes all banknotes and coins printed and released into the market, encompassing both paper and metal denominations circulating outside its vaults. It noted that the continued expansion of cash held outside the banking system, alongside comparatively low bank reserves, indicates a preference among citizens to keep money in cash rather than deposit it in banks.
The bank warned that this pattern weakens financial intermediation and poses challenges to overall financial stability, as large volumes of liquidity remain outside formal channels.
The figures were released shortly after the Central Bank reported a widening fiscal gap in 2025. Public revenues reached 104.434 trillion dinars ($72.0 billion) in the first ten months of the year, while expenditures totaled 115.535 trillion dinars ($79.7 billion), meaning government spending exceeded income over the same period.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Iraq-s-Currency-in-circulation-exceeded-93T-dinars-in-October-2025
Oil Gains On Weak Dollar As Investors Track Greenland Row
Economy & Business Oil Prices 2026-01-20 Shafaq News Oil prices edged up on Tuesday, bolstered by a weaker dollar, while markets watched President Donald Trump's threats of higher U.S. tariffs on European nations over his desire to buy Greenland.
Brent futures rose 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $64.09 a barrel at 0430 GMT. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude contract for February, which expires on Tuesday, was up 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $59.58.
The more actively-traded WTI March contract gained 6 cents, or 0.1%, to $59.40. WTI contracts did not settle on Monday due to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
"A weaker U.S. dollar provided some support to oil and the broader commodities complex," said ING commodities strategists on Tuesday. A weaker greenback makes dollar-denominated oil contracts cheaper for holders of other currencies.
Prices have held up relatively well amid a broader risk-off move in the markets, said ING, adding this followed the re-emergence of trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe over Trump's Greenland demands.
Over the weekend, fears of a renewed trade war escalated after Trump said he would impose additional 10% levies from February 1 on goods imported from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain, rising to 25% on June 1 if no deal on Greenland was reached.
CHINA DATA SUPPORTS OIL
The oil market is also finding some support from the better-than-expected fourth-quarter Chinese gross domestic product data released on Monday, said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.
"This resilience in the world's top oil importer provided a lift to demand sentiment," he said.
China's economy grew 5.0% last year, the data showed, meeting the government's target by seizing a record share of global demand for goods to offset weak domestic consumption. That strategy blunted the impact of U.S. tariffs but is increasingly hard to sustain.
The country's refinery throughput in 2025 also climbed, edging up 4.1% year-on-year, while crude oil output grew 1.5%, government data showed on Monday. Both were at all-time highs.
Markets are also keeping a close eye on Venezuela's oil sector after Trump said the U.S. would run the industry following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Vitol offered Venezuelan oil to Chinese buyers at discounts of about $5 per barrel to ICE Brent for April delivery, multiple trade sources said. Reuters https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Oil-gains-on-weak-dollar-as-investors-track-Greenland-row