I wrapped up this week talking about all the progress that has been made. What has been done since January. Big things like joining the World Trade organization as an observer status…which has been ongoing since 2004…in February to August we see they are gearing up for full ascension to the WTO and this is a big deal. They will be out in the world economy again and in the global financial system.
My understanding is they have the security and stability in the country…enough that we can see all the countries making deals and doing things with Iraq. …Iraq is going to make a lot of money…once they have an article 8 exchange rate …that is required…For full ascension…all of us will have a different venue in a short period of time.
Article: “Deal with the International Finance Corporation for the development and rehabilitation of the Baghdad International Airport”
It’s going to be just like the Saudi Arabia International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport. It’s going be a big hub and they’re gateway to the country…It shows a sign of sovereignty …internationalism …it’s a massive thing…When it says it’s going to qualify Baghdad as an international airport, it comes will a lot of different things. We’re not talking about an international currency at 1310. It doesn’t work that way…
Iraq is ready to go international. What we're hoping and praying for is they show us an Article VIII compliant exchange rate and show us their new currency they're going to be using in the near future. I think those new small category notes that were printed back in 2018 need to get exposed to the world...
What does it mean to achieve Iraq’s largest trade surplus? Government advisor answers
2023-09-04 05:14
What does it mean to achieve Iraqs largest trade surplus - Government advisor answersShafaq News/ The financial and economic advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, commented today, Monday, on Iraq achieving the largest trade surplus in 2022 over a period of ten years, and said that it achieves 3 main goals.
Today, Monday, a statistic conducted by the German company Statista, which specializes in market and consumer data, revealed that Iraq achieved the largest trade surplus for the past year 2022 over the past ten years.
Saleh explained to Shafaq News Agency, “The importance of the increase in the surplus in the current account comes in relation to the gross domestic product in its positive role in strengthening the means of economic stability represented by the stability of the general level of prices, which are the country’s foreign reserves, which are a lever for stability and a tool in monetary policy to combat harmful inflationary activities.” in order to ensure the purchasing power of cash incomes.
He added, “The high percentage of the surplus, in the current account of the balance of payments to the gross domestic product, provides the financing capacity towards achieving sustainability in investment spending, which is the basis for targeted economic growth without expanding external borrowing.”
He pointed out that “the increase in the aforementioned surplus rate at the level of financial stability and balance is an important and major step towards achieving the so-called (fiscal discipline), which is based in its most important pillars on reducing external public debt and what requires a subsequent step required by fiscal policy in the field of imposing discipline, which is reducing the gap The deficit in the general budget and the movement towards a balanced budget, as reducing public debt and reducing the deficit are considered the most important pillars of financial discipline or what is called fiscal consolidation.
The financial and economic advisor to the Prime Minister concluded by saying, “The surplus proceeds in the current account of the balance of payments achieve three main goals, which are (price stability, stability, financial balance, and finally targeted economic growth).”
The trade balance indicates the differences in imports and exports of goods in the country during the year. If the value of its exports during a period exceeds the value of its imports, it is called a surplus in the trade balance. If the total value of imports exceeds the total value of exports, it is called a deficit in the trade balance.
According to the German company statista, Iraq achieved the highest trade surplus for goods in 2022 over the past ten years, as the surplus last year amounted to $53.54 billion, up by 64% from 2021, when the trade surplus for goods in that year reached $20.08 billion.
She explained that Iraq achieved a deficit in its trade balance for two years, the first in 2020, when the deficit amounted to 4.11 billion dollars, and the second in 2015, when the trade deficit amounted to 0.94 billion dollars.
And the report continued, while in 2019 the balance achieved a trade surplus amounting to 16.62 billion dollars, in 2018 the trade surplus reached 35.95 billion dollars, and the trade surplus in 2017 reached 15.1 billion dollars, indicating that the trade surplus in 2012 amounted to 35.39 billion dollars.
And Iraq had achieved during the past year (2022) financial revenues of more than 115 billion dollars from the export of crude oil, to be the highest in years, according to official figures announced by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil.
According to those figures, the daily export rate reached 3,320,000 barrels, which is a total of one billion, 211,800,000 barrels for a full year.
As you near the end of your prime earning years, it can be harder to confidently weather fluctuations in the markets. Still, you may be unwilling to give up your retirement assets’ power to grow. Shifting assets to safer classes of investments may be an effective strategy for supplementing your retirement income without sacrificing the safety of your principal investment.
When looking for the most reliable way to grow investable assets, most people turn to the stock market. With an average annual return over the last 50 years of 10%, investing in the market is a great way to help grow your principal retirement assets — when you have time on your side. But as you near retirement, your investments become more susceptible to short-term market dips and may leave you with little time to recover losses. There are less-risky investment classes and financial products that can still put your money to work while hedging against swings in the market. Here are some of them:
Government-backed Treasuries
One of the safest investments during periods of market volatility or high inflationare government-backed Treasuries such as savings bonds and Treasury bills. Treasuries are backed by the U.S. government and can be purchased to mature at varying intervals from as little as a few months to several decades. While you shouldn’t expect a rate of return comparable to most stocks, government Treasuries — in most cases — will at minimum keep pace with inflation and can even be smarter investments as interest rates rise to bring inflation down.
The barrier for entry in Treasury securities is also low, with bonds available in a variety of denominations at or above $1,000. In the event you have a need for immediate cash, government bonds may be sold for at least the value you purchased them for — but you’ll miss out on the bond’s maturity value and any future interest payments.
Despite their low risk, bonds are not always a perfect solution — particularly when the markets are stable. Because of their lower rate of return, investors should expect only modest gains, which means lost opportunity for more rewarding returns from other investments in good economic times. Also, while Treasury-backed bonds are typically non-callable — meaning the issuer cannot pay off the bond before it matures — other short-term bonds can be called, closing the investor off from additional interest payments.
Brokered CDs
Another potential consideration for investors looking for more predictable or lower-risk returns on investment is a brokered certificate of deposit (CD). A brokered CD differs from a traditional bank CD in that the investor purchases a portion of a larger bank CD from a brokerage firm. The brokered CD earns interest and has a maturity date just like a traditional CD, but also typically has higher yields for investors due to the larger underlying investment from the brokerage firm.
Brokered CDs can be advantageous options for investors who need flexibility with their investable assets. In the event that an investor needs access to their capital before the maturity date of the CD, brokered CDs often can be sold on the secondary market without the high penalty fee you’d pay to withdraw money from a bank CD.
While brokered CDs offer more flexibility and higher yields, they can be problematic for investors in a shifting interest rate environment. As rates rise, investors in a brokered CD may have difficulty selling their lower-interest investment on the secondary market. Conversely, if interest rates drop over the life of the CD, investors run the risk of their CD being called — recouping their principal investment but missing out on future interest earnings.
Short-duration fixed income
Another option for investors to consider: short-duration, fixed-income solutions. These products are offered as either short or ultra-short bonds. Common solutions in this category would be short-term corporate bonds, bond mutual funds or bond ETFs.
Short-duration fixed-income solutions offer investors a capital preservation strategy with strong liquidity, which generally provides a greater yield than the assets in your emergency fund, like money market or bank deposit sweep vehicles.
Fixed annuities
While not fully liquid, fixed annuities can also be a great option when looking to provide a fixed rate of return for a set period that can allow you to plan for sustained growth with certainty. Annuity products will also provide for tax deferral on earnings while the contract is in force, allowing for a more efficient means to accumulate and protect assets.
Often, fixed annuities also can include a return-of-premium feature, which allows the investor to surrender the policy while maintaining the invested principal. While some annuities may offer a return of premium, most contracts may be assessed a surrender penalty (or contingent deferred sales charge, or CDSC) if the policy is surrendered before the end of the required term, generally three to seven years.
Approaching retirement can mean it’s time to re-evaluate how you’re investing your money, but it doesn’t mean you have to pull your funds out of appreciating assets altogether. Working with your financial adviser to ladder these strategies can help provide liquidity at various intervals so you don’t need to surrender or sell before maturity.
Exploring investment opportunities that pay a fixed yield and may be quickly liquidated — such as bonds, brokered CDs and fixed annuities — may provide a worthwhile return on assets without the risk of a significant loss.
Next week, look for the last part of this five-part series, about low-risk, low-yield investment vehicles for your emergency fund.
EYES: My Banker...says let me send you some emails...This Vietnam contract is real and a change is coming. He tells me once that change occurs within 24/hours the Vietnamese dong will also change to be economically fair to both Iraq and Vietnam.
He says Vietnam has a lot of Iraqi dinars in reserves and Iraq has a lot of dongs in their reserves. They will not take advantage of each other...When a financial change occurs it will affect both the VND and IQD. This is a unilateral financial agreement...
Frank26 (KTFA)
…They wanted from 2003 to now to come up with a fair number. My number would be $4.25. But…I’m not going to be greedy. As soon as I see that $3+ just like the rest of the Middle Eastern countries I’ll jump on that man! Not all of it. That’s the beauty.
Even if you only have 1 million dinars, exchange half and hold on to the other half. Calculate. You’re going to need a team..lawyers…advisers…your pastors…your family…seek council, make right decisions. Because…you can only make this decision one time…
Question: “When the rate is released in Iraq will it go international at the same time?”
Instantly it’s everywhere. It will be national news. If there’s a man on the moon, he’ll read about it. If Hillary is on Mars, she’ll know about it. Everybody, instantly. You’ll wake up one morning and everybody will be talking about it. Everybody will be saying, ‘You were right!’ That’s when it’s going to get tough on you.
Deputy: 10 countries expressed their desire to invest in the path of Iraqi development
9-4-2023
Deputy - 10 countries expressed their desire to invest in the path of Iraqi developmentInformation / Baghdad
On Monday, MP Baqir Al-Saadi confirmed the desire of 10 countries to invest in the Iraqi development path.
Al-Saadi said in an interview with Al-Maalouma, that “Iraq’s strategic location as a link in an important geography in the global transport map allows it to have high flexibility in attracting large investments, especially with the presence of large development projects.”
He added, “The development road, whose details were recently announced by Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani, will be the most important development project for Iraq after 2023, as it will achieve great benefits in regional and international openness, and transfer part of the movement of goods towards the country’s ports on its way to Europe via Turkey, and the possibility of creating other branches.” .
He pointed out that “10 countries have expressed their desire to invest in the path of Iraqi development, and there is interest from other countries, pointing out that the launch of the project means important messages, most notably security stability and the return of Baghdad to play a pivotal role in the Middle East region.”