GOLD RESERVES BOOST CONFIDENCE IN NATIONAL CURRENCY
Baghdad: The pillar of the emirate
Gold plays a vital role in the monetary reserves of countries for several reasons related to financial stability, hedging against economic risks, enhancing confidence in the national currency, as well as being an effective tool for hedging against inflation. This prompted the Central Bank of Iraq, on several occasions and in successive years, to increase its gold reserves, which reached 148 tons and 305 ounces.
Regarding the reason that prompted banks to rely on the yellow metal and nothing else, financial expert Mahmoud Dagher explained to “Al-Sabah” that the reason central banks, including the Central Bank of Iraq, increased their purchases of monetary gold is because it is suitable as a reserve compared to industrial gold, indicating that the Chinese Central Bank and the Indian Reserve are among the largest buyers of gold in the world.
TOTAL RESERVES
Dagher added that the Central Bank of Iraq has increased its gold holdings more than once during the past two years, the last of which was in the first quarter of 2024, until the total gold reserves reached 148 tons and 305 ounces after the last deal in May 2024 by 2 tons and 644 ounces.
BANK ASSETS
He explained that although gold is not the best asset for generating returns when investing compared to currencies, deposits and securities that are permitted to be acquired within the assets of central banks, it is a haven for balance between other assets whose values are affected by the nature of the economic cycle (recession and inflation), noting that the price of gold decreases during recession and increases during inflation, reflecting its balancing role.
GLOBAL TREND
He added that gold is also a haven when currencies fluctuate sharply against each other, as happened in the last two years for the ruble, yuan and rupee, and thus reduces the impact of what is called currency risk, pointing out that the Central Bank of Iraq did not deviate from the global trend in buying gold despite the rise in its price accompanying the global wave of inflation that hit major economies until it approached 10%; because the rule of purchasing assets by central banks is based on the principle of buying the asset when its price falls in the hope of selling it when it rises, which did not happen with gold because expectations during the last two years were towards an increase in gold prices in addition to the continued significant fluctuation of currencies among themselves.
AVOID INFLATION
For her part, the economic affairs specialist, Dr. Ikram Abdul Aziz, said that Iraq is the fourth Arab country in possessing large quantities of gold as an element indicating the soundness of the Iraqi economy, indicating that gold and hard currency reserves become a supportive means and an important framework for hedging and avoiding inflation and rising prices.
Abdul Aziz added, in an interview with “Al-Sabah”: Gold and foreign currency work to preserve the value of money and the resulting interest; therefore, countries seek to own large quantities of gold, noting that owning large quantities of gold reserves in light of the current fluctuations, geopolitical changes and the situation of the Iraqi economy is a safe haven to preserve value and hedge against inflation.
DEVELOPMENT PATHS
She explained that the presence of large quantities of gold at the Central Bank of Iraq is an important element in limiting dollar control and reducing instability, noting that Iraq achieved this increase in its gold reserves to serve development paths.
She added that the Central Bank of Iraq has a variety of reserves, including gold, whose stock is an effective means and a basic pillar for maintaining purchasing power, stressing that the presence of strong reserves and their diversity in the investment portfolio of the Central Bank of Iraq is a basic pillar and a factor that limits the rise in prices and hedges against inflation, and thus confidence in the existing economic system is achieved.
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