Oil Minister reveals upcoming visit to US to discuss gas investment file
8/31/2024
Baghdad
Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani confirmed today, Saturday, the intention to refer 10 gas exploration blocks for investment in a new licensing round, and while revealing an upcoming visit to the United States to discuss offering them to international companies, he confirmed the intention to launch a new gas investment project at the end of the year with a capacity of 125 Mcm.
Abdul Ghani said: "The fifth and sixth supplementary licensing rounds included 29 blocks and fields, and contracts were completed on 14 of them, and there are about 10 gas blocks among the remaining that companies have not applied for and we are in the process of offering them in a new licensing round."
He added, "The Ministry of Oil plans to offer these gas investment opportunities to specialized companies, and we have a visit to the United States soon for this purpose, as we plan to offer them to international American companies."
He added, "The Ministry of Oil took the initiative to drill an exploratory well in the Al-Anz area with a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters, and the Halfaya gas investment project was also opened with a capacity of 300 cubic meters, and it is hoped to launch the gas investment project in the Al-Faiha oil field at the end of this year with a capacity of 125 cubic meters."
Everybody's saying there's a new category of currency come out in the streets of Iraq. We heard it but we didn't see anything. Nothing new, we still with the same currency. For now didn't see anything.
Nader From The Mid East
Community comment: "Iraq is not a safe country."
Why? United States a safe country?
When you look at Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and all that you think it's safe?
Fear. Everywhere it's bad and good are everywhere...
Tell you the truth it's safer in Iraq than Chicago. Visit the country and then judge. You cannot judge because you heard something on the news or somebody told you something. I was there two weeks ago. I've been going back and forth. My kids been going back and forth. Everybody's been happy.
Kurdish Traders' Role in Influencing the Dollar Exchange Rate
In September 2024, the entry of Kurdish traders into the dollar selling platform has contributed to a notable lowering of the exchange rate. This development has significant implications for both domestic and international economies, particularly in regions with strong trading ties to Kurdish territories.
Exchange rates are influenced by a variety of factors, including inflation differentials, interest rates, and economic stability. When traders, such as the Kurdish traders, enter the market with a significant volume of currency, they can influence the supply and demand dynamics, ultimately affecting the exchange rate.
The Role of Kurdish Traders
The Kurdish traders' entry into the dollar selling platform has added to the supply of dollars in the market. This increased supply, when met with a relatively stable or declining demand, can lead to a decrease in the dollar's value against other currencies
. The effect is similar to what might occur with any significant market player introducing a large volume of a currency into the market.
Global Economic Context
As of September 2, 2024, the global economic landscape is characterized by various pressures on exchange rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate policy, for instance, plays a pivotal role in the strength of the U.S. dollar. When interest rates fall, the dollar may weaken, making it less attractive to foreign investors and potentially increasing the cost of travel for U.S. citizens abroad.
Implications for International Trade
Changes in Trade Dynamics
The decrease in the dollar's value can impact international trade dynamics, especially concerning countries with significant trade relations with the U.S. A weaker dollar can make U.S. exports more competitive in global markets, potentially benefiting American industries.
However, it also increases the cost of imports, which can lead to higher prices for consumers.
Kurdish Trade Relations
For Kurdish territories, the impact of a weaker dollar could be multifaceted. It may make their exports to the U.S. less competitive but could increase the purchasing power of their currency in international markets, potentially opening up new trade opportunities.
Conclusion
The entry of Kurdish traders into the dollar selling platform has contributed to a lower exchange rate, affecting various aspects of domestic and international economies. This phenomenon underscores the interconnectedness of global financial markets and the significant role that individual market players can have on broader economic trends. As global economic conditions continue to evolve, the impact of such market activities will remain a subject of interest and analysis for economists and policymakers alike.
FRANK26:KTFA FAMILY... READ THIS ARTICLE CAREFULLY & UNDERSTAND THE MISSION FOR ALAQ IN NY... HE MUST COME BACK SUCCESSFUL!!!
Economist: Kurdish traders' entry into the dollar selling platform contributed to lowering the exchange rate - Urgent
8/31/2024
Baghdad
Today, Saturday (August 31, 2024), the economic expert and academic at Cihan University, Nawar Al-Saadi, said that Kurdish traders benefited from the Iraqi government’s official dollar selling platform and contributed to reducing the exchange rate.
Al-Saadi told Baghdad Today, "There is an entry of traders from the Kurdistan Region into the official dollar selling platform, and these traders benefited from obtaining the dollar at the official exchange rate, instead of buying from the parallel markets that witness higher prices," indicating that "this influx of dollars into the market contributed greatly to increasing the supply, which led to reducing the price."
“The issue is not limited to this factor alone, as Iraqi markets suffer from frequent fluctuations due to economic and political instability, and speculators exploit any change in the market to achieve quick gains, which increases chaos in the exchange market,”
he added, noting that “rumors about possible changes in the exchange rate have prompted many to sell the dollar at low prices for fear of future declines, which has increased pressure on the dollar price.”
Al-Saadi said, "There are ongoing discussions between the Central Bank of Iraq and the US Federal Reserve, which could have a significant impact on the exchange rate," stressing that "the results of these meetings will be decisive in determining the future direction of the dollar price in the Iraqi market. If specific agreements are reached, we may see significant changes in the exchange rate based on those results."
It is noteworthy that the financial affairs specialist, Nabil Jabbar Al-Tamimi, confirmed on Saturday (August 3, 2024) that the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market will remain higher than the official price due to the failure of the Central Bank to find solutions for black transfers.
Al-Tamimi told Baghdad Today, "The continued rise in the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market is due to the continuation of black transfers to finance some foreign trade by some merchants, without finding any solutions for these merchants by the Central Bank of Iraq."
He explained that "the Central Bank of Iraq is required to find quick solutions and procedures for these traders, especially small traders, who have almost daily trade with Iran, Syria and some other countries banned from dealing in dollars."
He pointed out that "these traders are moving towards the black market in order to finance their trade, and this is what leads to the exchange rate remaining high in the parallel market by a large difference from the official price, and this is the responsibility of the Central Bank, as it is responsible for this file."
The dollar exchange rate returned to rise relatively today, touching 150 thousand on the stock exchange, maintaining this level since Eid al-Adha, where it rose from 1450 dinars to around 150 thousand dinars or less, and has stabilized in this range until now.
The Deleting the zeros project is back in major conversations in Iraq.
I want to make certain you all know how that process works. They raise the purchasing power…they increase the purchasing power of the dinar. Then they issue lower denominations. They do not just chop off the zeros…..but using the large 3 zero notes would become unwieldy. They have been very clear on this from government documents, Sudani and Shabibi.
MarkZ
[via PDK]
Comment: ...13 Iraqi banks now trading international currency. MarkZ: I think that one is very important. They can now exchange back and forth in different currencies. The mechanism to exchange foreign currencies went live
…I think this one is huge.
I did get an update this morning from a redemption center contact. They very much still expect to be called into work this weekend. Their chain of command said to expect to work before Tuesday. This is excellent news.
...my redemption folks...are on call…but they have been told to expect to work at some point over this long weekend. Since it's Labor Day Weekend…This is unusual.