Iraq Economic News and Points To Ponder Sunday Afternoon 5-10-26
Usd/Iqd Exchange Rates Rise In Baghdad And Erbil
2026-05-10 Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil The US dollar opened Sunday’s trading higher in Iraq, hovering around 154,000 dinars per 100 dollars.
According to Shafaq News market survey, the dollar traded in Baghdad's Al-Kifah and Al-Harithiya exchanges at 153,500 dinars per 100 dollars, down from the previous session’s 153,150 dinars.
In the Iraqi capital, exchange shops sold the dollar at 154,000 dinars and bought it at 153,000 dinars, while in Erbil, selling prices stood at 153,100 dinars and buying prices at 153,100 dinars.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/USD-IQD-exchange-rates-rise-in-Baghdad-and-Erbil-6
Gold Prices Tick Up In Baghdad And Erbil
2026-05-10 Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil On Sunday, gold prices hovered around 1.02 million IQD per mithqal in Baghdad and Erbil markets, according to a survey by Shafaq News Agency.
Gold prices on Baghdad's Al-Nahr Street recorded a selling price of 1.017 million IQD per mithqal (equivalent to five grams) for 21-carat gold, including Gulf, Turkish, and European varieties, with a buying price of 1.013 million IQD. The same gold had sold for 1.014 million IQD on Saturday.
The selling price for 21-carat Iraqi gold stood at 987,000 IQD, while the buying price reached 983,000 IQD.
In jewelry stores, the selling price per mithqal of 21-carat Gulf gold ranged between 1.020 million and 1.030 million IQD, while Iraqi gold sold for between 990,000 and one million IQD.
In Erbil, 22-carat gold was sold at 1.056 million IQD per mithqal, 21-carat gold at 1.008 million IQD, and 18-carat gold at 864,000 IQD. https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Gold-prices-tick-up-in-Baghdad-and-Erbil-6
Dollar Closes Higher In Baghdad And Erbil
2026-05-10 Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil The US dollar closed higher against the Iraqi dinar in Baghdad and Erbil on Sunday, rising by 450 dinars in Baghdad’s main exchanges during the day’s trading.
According to Shafaq News market survey, exchange rates at Baghdad’s Al-Kifah and Al-Harithiya central stock exchanges settled at 153,950 dinars per $100, compared with 153,500 dinars earlier in the day. Selling prices at local exchange shops in Baghdad reached 154,500 dinars per $100, while buying prices stood at 153,500 dinars.
In Erbil, the dollar also posted gains, with selling prices reaching 153,600 dinars per $100 and buying prices at 153,500 dinars.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Dollar-closes-higher-in-Baghdad-and-Erbil-1
ISX Trades $17M+ In April Activity
2026-05-10 Shafaq News- Baghdad The Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) recorded more than 27.4 billion Iraqi dinars in trading value over April —roughly $17.8 million.
According to market data, more than 48.6 billion shares were traded during the month across 20 regular trading sessions.
The ISX60 index closed the month at 983.02 points, marking a 1.9% increase compared with the previous session.
Throughout the month, the exchange executed around 23,490 sale and purchase contracts across listed companies. During the period, 82 companies out of 118 listed firms recorded actual trading activity.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/ISX-trades-17M-in-April-activity
EIA: Iraq’s Oil Exports To US Fall Over The Week
2026-05-10 Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Washington Iraq’s crude oil exports to the United States dropped 119,000 barrels per day (bpd) last week, US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed on Sunday.
Iraqi shipments averaged 76,000 bpd last week, 61% less than the previous week’s average of 195,000 bpd.
Total US crude imports from nine major suppliers fell 170,000 bpd from 5.066 million bpd the previous week.
Canada remained the top supplier at 3.268 million bpd, followed by Venezuela with 400,000 bpd, Colombia with 348,000 bpd, Saudi Arabia with 332,000 bpd, and Mexico with 327,000 bpd.
Imports also included Ecuador at 165,000 bpd, Nigeria at 93,000 bpd, and Brazil at 27,000 bpd. No oil was imported from Libya this week. https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/EIA-Iraq-s-oil-exports-to-US-fall-over-the-week-9
Opinion: Nechirvan Barzani Walks Through Baghdad’s Political Minefield
2026-05-10 Shafaq News By Ali Hussein Feyli Crises in politics are not always resolved through force or shifting balances of power, but often begin when rivals cease viewing one another as enemies to be excluded and instead recognize the possibility of understanding, opening a path that the language of conflict itself could never reach.
In this context, the recent meetings held on May 4 and 5 by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani can be seen as an effort to reshape relations between Baghdad and Erbil, reflecting not merely diplomatic engagement but a broader attempt to move from zero-sum confrontation toward practical consensus at a time of mounting financial pressures, rising populism, and shrinking public space in both the Region and the Iraqi capital, with the initiative signaling a search for realistic solutions to long-standing disputes away from the easy rhetoric of escalation.
For years, a conviction prevailed among some political actors that Baghdad responds only to the pressure of power balances. Such a reading is rooted in historical experiences where the logic of force often prevailed over the rule of law, yet major transformations, particularly during critical periods, are frequently shaped in the space between public emotion and political rationality. While the former mobilizes the street, the latter remains more capable of protecting the state and ensuring its continuity.
From this perspective, the Kurdistan Region Presidency’s adoption of a calm institutional discourse appears to represent an attempt to shift from emotional demands toward a realistic management of constitutional rights.
This transformation is not without challenges, particularly in a political environment accustomed to sharp rhetoric, where de-escalation may be perceived as retreat or weakness, even though it may in fact reflect a more pragmatic reading of the balance of power. Such pragmatism is especially urgent for a people like the Kurds, who have spent more than a century caught in cycles of war, identity struggles, and the search for guarantees.
Historical experiences offer important examples in this regard. The path of Nelson Mandela in South Africa demonstrated that preserving stability may require moving beyond the language of revenge in favor of coexistence. In modern Kurdish history, the general amnesty declared after the 1991 uprising against Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime stands out as one of the clearest examples of overcoming political hatred.
The decision taken by the leadership of the Kurdistan Front –a coalition of Kurdish parties established in 1987-1988 in Iraq– led by the late Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani, was not merely an administrative measure, but a historic turning point that helped prevent a wide cycle of retaliation and made tolerance the foundation for building a new political entity rather than turning memory into fuel for endless conflict.
Today, Nechirvan Barzani represents, within this equation, a model of measured diplomacy. Rather than appearing through the language of threats and elevated nationalist slogans, he opts for the language of shared interests, constitutional frameworks, and gradual understandings.
Although this model faces considerable obstacles within Kurdistan due to the weight of a bloody history and the growing influence of populism, it is natural that part of Kurdish society may view such diplomatic language as a form of retreat or inadequacy.
Read more: Beyond the Chaos: Nechirvan Barzani is redefining Kurdish diplomacy
Yet amid the rubble of missed opportunities, Nechirvan Barzani remains, in his characteristic manner, focused on conveying an important message to the younger generation: the most difficult test is not always fighting wars, but building peace and preventing collapse.
History rarely lingers on those who hurled the greatest number of insults at their opponents, but rather on those who succeeded in extracting peace from the heart of hostility. What Nechirvan Barzani is doing in Baghdad and regional capitals resembles the work of an architect building in a minefield, preoccupied with preserving a political entity called the Kurdistan Region. Such an undertaking requires a kind of courage unafraid of being accused of weakness.
Despite the rise of extremism and emotional politics, the course of history appears to be moving toward the model championed by Nechirvan Barzani and those who share this approach: a transition from the equation of imposing one’s will toward strategic integration, in a way that could make the Kurdistan Region a more stable entity within Iraq amid an ongoing struggle shaped by questions of existence and identity. Read more: Nechirvan Barzani: A quiet architect of Kurdish statecraft
This article was originally written in Arabic.