“Tidbits From TNT” Sunday 8-18-2024

TNT:

Tishwash:  Is it time to remove the zeros?

Yasser Al-Mutawali 

There is an economic principle in the free market economy, capitalism, or whatever you call it, to treat the defect or distortion in the economic structure as a result of the shock.

That is, accepting the financial, economic and social effects of this measure in the hope of improving the economic reality.

In order to clarify this principle and analyze its effects as a means of spreading economic culture, we will address the issue of deleting zeros from the currency in order to reduce its effects on the size of the monetary mass and the value of money. The more difficult and complex the solutions to reduce the dollar exchange rate between the official and parallel rates become, the more calls for the necessity of deleting zeros increase, believing that it is one of the solutions.

Here, if the decision is made to remove zeros, this means treating the defect with the shock effect, but we must first present the most prominent advantages and disadvantages of removing zeros and compare them to reach an optimal solution and a sound decision.

This is the best way to spread the culture of discrimination among the public, rather than addressing specialists because they are aware of the optimal solution. One of the most prominent advantages of removing zeros is reducing the size of the monetary mass, not its value (simply the number of banknotes used in circulation). This advantage results in the ease of carrying cash amounts and protecting them from theft or damage.

As for the disadvantages, deleting zeros will create countless social problems that we can do without at this stage due to the inability to convince the public to accept the decrease in the size of the monetary mass while acknowledging that the real value of the money is not affected. The issue is related to the mind and the memory’s preservation of large amounts, and then the solution of commercial and personal contracts and agreements creates disagreements and an inability to reach an understanding.

From the above analysis, it is clear that the procedure of deleting zeros is not appropriate at the present time. However, with the use of electronic payment operations, the environment will be mature and acceptable for the idea of ​​implementing the decision to delete zeros, and the process will be automatic without the citizen feeling it. But is it time to issue the decision? We see that it is too early due to the recent introduction of electronic payment technology in commercial, market, official and private transactions. The experience is still limited to absorbing such a transformation, and when the percentage of acceptance and use of electronic payment tools reaches 90 percent of citizens, then the decision to delete zeros can be implemented easily and smoothly. It takes time to spread the culture of electronic payment, and it is required to intensify media and advertising campaigns to focus it in the citizen's memory and accept it. In such a case, the concerned authorities should reduce the costs of using electronic payment and impose strict control over fraud and manipulation, and then expand and diversify electronic payment companies throughout the country.

Those concerned should start with state institutions in using electronic payment for all transactions, and then the culture of electronic payment will expand.  link

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Tishwash:  The environment is fertile for investment and solid global companies.. Parliament is "optimistic" about the government and is monitoring

 Today, Sunday (August 18, 2024), the Parliamentary Investment Committee described the investment companies operating in Iraq as “solid and international,” stressing that Parliament monitors their work .

Committee member Mohammed Al-Ziyadi told Baghdad Today, "All investment companies operating in Iraq are solid and international, and have many businesses in different countries. Any company operating in Iraq works according to specifications, and its file is audited and all its previous businesses in different countries are reviewed," stressing "the need for Parliament to monitor the work of these companies."  

He added, "Iraq is not obligated to introduce any unsound foreign company, especially since Iraq has an important and fertile investment environment and all international companies have a real desire to work within it, especially in light of the security and political stability after the formation of the current government."

Since the first day that Mohammed Shia al-Sudani assumed power in the country, he stressed his keenness to attract solid international companies to implement road, bridge and infrastructure projects in Iraq. 

Here, the Parliamentary Transport Committee confirms the success of the Iraqi government in developing external roads and paying attention to this file. 

The head of the committee, Zahra Al-Bajari, told Baghdad Today, Saturday (August 10, 2024), that “the government has succeeded in developing many external roads between the governorates, and there is a clear and tangible improvement in those roads, through paving and tiling,” noting that “certainly this matter has contributed greatly to reducing traffic accidents, which used to occur on a daily basis due to the deterioration of those roads,” and she added: “We still need more attention to this file.” 

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has repeatedly stressed that his government is moving forward to fulfill its promises to implement service projects in Baghdad and the governorates. On May 27, 2024, the prime minister said, at the Rustumiyah, Al-Muhandisin and Al-Shaljiya bridges, as part of the first package of projects to ease traffic congestion in the capital, Baghdad, that his government is moving forward to fulfill its promises to the people and implement service projects in Baghdad and the governorates, indicating that "there are 4 projects at the level of bridges and overpasses in Anbar, Diwaniyah, Dhi Qar and Maysan, which will be opened within the next three months."   link

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Tishwash:  Has the spark ignited in the Iraqi dinar and the near-total collapse?

Economic expert Mustafa Hantoush said today, Saturday, that the current thinking about changing monetary policies for the next stage is incorrect, regardless of the people who will be nominated for the position of governor.

Hantoush told the “Iraq Observer” agency, “Iraq is currently going through a phase of almost complete collapse in monetary policies, which are: “the policy of preserving the national banking system - the policy of international monetary relations - the policy of protecting the local currency against foreign currencies.”

dollar mill

The economic expert continued: “In addition to the policy of activating banking operations and supporting the Iraqi market - the financing policy supporting the Iraqi industrial, agricultural, tourism and other sectors - the policy of the technical legal banking opinion supporting the movement of markets flexibly - the policy of activating the tools of the money market in the stock market - the policy of supporting electronic transactions.” Therefore, the next stage must be to rescue monetary policies through national monetary and banking plans.

Economic data

Globally, the dollar approached its highest level in two weeks against the yen after its largest one-day gains against its major counterparts in four weeks, as strong US economic data eliminated fears of recession.

New procedures

The dollar was particularly strong against the Japanese currency thanks to higher Treasury yields as traders scaled back bets that the Federal Reserve will be forced to take aggressive easing measures next month.

Risk-sensitive currencies such as the pound were strong as an improving economic outlook lifted stocks.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major currencies including the yen, the pound and the euro, was little changed at 103.20 after rising 0.41% overnight, its biggest gain since July 18.

The dollar fell slightly to 149.11 yen, but remained close to yesterday's high of 149.40, a level last seen on Aug. 2.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 1.0% last month, beating expectations for a 0.3% gain. Separate figures showed 227,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, fewer than the 235,000 expected.

Traders are convinced that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates on September 18, but the size of the cut is being discussed, according to a statement.

The odds are currently at 25% for a large 50 basis point cut, down from 36% the day before, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.

Low salaries

Surprisingly weak monthly payrolls data at the start of the month has raised the odds of a larger cut to 71%.

Sterling was slightly higher at $1.2859, building on a 0.21% advance overnight. The British currency got additional support from strong GDP figures on Tuesday.

The euro was steady at $1.0973 after falling 0.36 percent in the previous session.

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar was steady at $0.66105 after advancing 0.2 percent the previous day after data showed a much larger-than-expected increase in jobs.  link

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Tishwash:  Controlling 80% of currency smuggling in Iraq.. 6 qualitative strikes "paid off" and efforts continue

 The Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee revealed, today, Sunday (August 18, 2024), the secrets of 6 qualitative strikes against what it called hard currency smuggling mafias in Iraq.

Committee member MP Yasser Iskandar Watout said in an interview with Baghdad Today, "Smuggling hard currency in all its forms is a drain on the country's economic capabilities and leads to pressure on the markets by raising exchange rates, which leads to an increase in prices."

"There are efforts being made, some of which are exceptional, through the reports we receive that reflect the continuation of implementing a series of strategies to reduce the smuggling of hard currency, which has been controlled by up to 80% in recent months through the efforts of the Ministry of Interior and its formations with the Central Bank, which has achieved positive results in this regard," added Watout.

He pointed out that "6 operations took place in the past months, representing qualitative strikes against the hard currency smuggling mafias in Iraq, which bore fruit, explaining, "But has smuggling ended completely? The answer is no, and efforts are continuing to end these illegal acts, which are taking place with complications that require intensive and doubled work by the competent authorities."

Financial and economic expert Nawar Al-Saadi revealed on Friday (August 16, 2024) the importance of the benefits of “digitizing” financial transactions for Iraqi banks, while pointing out that digitization can enhance financial inclusion by attracting users who do not deal with traditional banks by providing easy-to-access and easy-to-use services.

Al-Saadi told Baghdad Today that “digitizing financial transactions in Iraqi banks can provide significant benefits, especially in terms of reducing currency smuggling,” indicating that “by adopting digital systems, banks can track all financial transfers with greater accuracy and transparency. This means that each transaction is automatically recorded and saved in a central database that can be reviewed at any time. This allows the relevant authorities to monitor and quickly detect suspicious financial activities, making it difficult for smugglers to exploit the financial system to smuggle currencies.”

“Digitizing the banking system contributes to reducing money laundering cases, as these operations usually depend on exploiting loopholes in traditional systems, but with an advanced digital system, these operations become more complex. Digitization also allows the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to analyze patterns in banking data and identify any abnormal or suspicious transactions,” he added, stressing that “this helps prevent money laundering by early identification of unusual activities and reporting them to the competent authorities.”

Al-Saadi explained that “to implement this digital transformation in Iraq, there is a need for investments in technological infrastructure and developing the institutional capabilities of banks,” noting that “this requires providing modern technology, training employees to use it effectively, in addition to developing legislation and laws that protect users and encourage digital transactions. It is also important to enhance customer awareness of the benefits of digital transactions and build their confidence in the new systems.”

He stressed that “digitization in banks contributes to achieving more transparency and credibility in the financial system, as each transaction can be easily tracked and reviewed. It also improves the operational efficiency of banks by completing transactions faster and at a lower cost. In terms of security, digitization provides higher levels of protection against fraud and theft through advanced encryption technologies.”

The financial and economic expert concluded by saying, “Digitization can enhance financial inclusion by attracting users who do not deal with traditional banks by providing easy-to-access and easy-to-use services. Digitizing financial transactions in Iraqi banks also has great potential to enhance economic stability and reduce the risks associated with money laundering and currency smuggling, leading to a safer and more efficient financial system   link

Mot: . How Long Does it Take for ~~~~

Mot:  what a Team!!!