Wednesday, March 3, 2021

WOTS TUE MAR 2 21

 WOTS TUE MAR 2 21

These are the articles I discussed on the My FX Buddies podcast:
https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/erdk3c

A statement from the Presidency of Parliament after its meeting with the heads of blocs and committees regarding the budget and the Federal Court Law

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Today, Tuesday, the Media Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, issued a statement against the background of .the presidency meeting with heads of blocs and committees, to discuss the budget and the Federal Court law The statement stated, "The Presidency of the Council of Representatives, today, held an expanded meeting that included heads of ".parliamentary blocs and committees, in order to discuss a number of important laws and implement them during the coming period He added, "The meeting discussed the Federal Budget Law for the fiscal year 2021, in addition to the Federal Supreme Court Law, as it ".is one of the basic requirements for holding early elections According to the statement, the meeting discussed "a number of laws that have been read for a second reading to be submitted for ".voting during the coming sessions Today, Tuesday (March 02, 2021), a parliamentary source in the House of Representatives reported that the Speaker of Parliament, .Muhammad al-Halbousi, had begun meeting with leaders of political blocs to discuss the budget laws and the Federal Court The source said in an interview with (Baghdad Today), "Al-Halbousi held a meeting with the leaders of political blocs in order to resolve ".the pending laws in Parliament, to resolve the vote on them, most notably the Budget Law and the Federal Court Yesterday, during the House of Representatives session, the House of Representatives set today, Tuesday, a date for "a meeting of the Presidency of the Council with the heads of political forces on the necessary laws in the corridors of the Council, including the Budget ".Law to expedite its approval, in addition to the Federal Court Law

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the House of Representatives will hold a new session, whose agenda includes the questioning of the head of .the Media and Communications Commission, and a number of other bills 

Differences over the draft federal budget bill for the current year still exist, due to the disagreement over the share of the Kurdistan .region within the budget, and the failure of the governments of Baghdad and Erbil to reach a final agreement 


Al-Kazemi's financial advisor reveals proposals to establish a sovereign wealth fund

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The financial advisor to the prime minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, revealed positive proposals to establish a sovereign wealth fund in which funds equivalent to the current compensation for the Kuwait war would be deposited in a manner consistent with the white reform paper.

Saleh said in a press interview: "We have positive ideas and proposals to establish an Iraqi sovereign wealth fund, in which amounts equivalent to the compensation of the Kuwait war are deposited after the payment of these compensation in the coming months, and it is managed in the manner of the generational funds," and he considered it "a sovereign investment resource for Iraq, and in a manner consistent." With the white paper launched by the government to strengthen and reform the structure of the Iraqi economy.
Saleh explained, "There is nothing left of Kuwait's war compensation, but an amount perhaps less than $ 2.5 billion out of $ 52 billion until the moment, as 3% of the proceeds of every barrel of Iraqi crude oil exported is still being deducted, through a mechanism and a bank account that the bank takes over." The Federal Reserve in New York, according to a subsequent Security Council Resolution No. 1483 in May 2003. "
He pointed out that "deductions are currently paid through the United Nations Compensation Fund {UNCC}, expected to" end the remaining compensation are all within a year or a little more, according to the evolution of oil prices and yields a barrel of Iraqi oil source. "
The Committee of Nations Compensation The United States was formed in 1991, the same year in which the US-led coalition drove the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, and the committee was tasked with paying $ 52.4 billion (46.8 billion euros) to Kuwaiti individuals, companies, government agencies and other organizations that suffered losses due to Saddam’s regime’s invasion of Kuwait. The compensation money comes from a tax levied on sales of Iraqi oil and products.

Two Rikany banks are expected to present the budget to a vote next Thursday 

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The former Minister of Construction and Housing, two Rikany banks, spoke, on Tuesday (March 2, 2021), about the latest developments regarding the ongoing negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil regarding the provisions of the .2021 budget bill, while it is expected to present it to the vote next Thursday

Rikani said, in a press interview, followed by (Baghdad Today), that "the oil agreement is present and agreed upon, and nothing can be added to it, but the dispute revolves around the drafting of the text of the agreement.

Should Kurdistan receive 250 thousand barrels and fix it in the budget, or add a clause that obliges a region Kurdistan delivers all its oil after deducting the value of the wages of producing and operating companies in Kurdistan and deducting .domestic consumption He added, "The disagreement between the political parties revolves around the nature of drafting the text of the ".agreement

The former Kurdish minister expressed his hope that "the political blocs will reach an agreement in the coming hours ".in order to present the budget law to a vote next Thursday And the Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, set today, Tuesday, a date for a meeting with the heads of .political blocs to resolve the budget laws and the Federal Court Al-Halbousi said during the parliament session on Monday, that "it was decided on Tuesday for the Presidency of the Council to meet with the heads of political forces on the necessary laws in the corridors of the Council, including the ".Budget Law to expedite its approval, in addition to the Federal Court Law 

And the co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Lahore Sheikh Genki, announced, Monday, March 01, 2021, that next Thursday, a final agreement will be reached between the governments of Erbil and Baghdad regarding the .Kurdistan region’s share of the budget Lahore Sheikh Genki said during his participation in the memorial ceremony of Qadir Haj Ali, which was held in the (Art) building in Sulaymaniyah, that "there is great hope that the region and Baghdad will reach a final agreement ".regarding Kurdistan's share of the budget next Thursday Regarding the position of the National Union regarding if the two parties did not reach an agreement, Sheikh Genki ".added:

"God willing, they will agree, they must reach an agreement Earlier, a member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, Othman Karim, said that “he was supposed to visit the regional government headed by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the capital, Baghdad yesterday, but the absence of any response by the political blocs in Baghdad regarding the Kurdish proposals, prevented him from " .visiting The delegation is gone

Karim added, "The problem is now political, and we are waiting for a breakthrough regarding paragraph 11 of the region’s share, which is the basis and focus of the dispute," noting that there is a "possibility that the Kurdish delegation will go during the next two days, but this is related to the presence of a positive signal from the active 



The WOTS report is below here:

he Independent Press Agency will publish the exchange rates of the dollar in the local markets on Tuesday, according to the monitoring of specialists.

Baghdad - Al-Kifah Stock Exchange

145,350

...

Price in exchange (approximate)

145,000

145,750

——————————————-

Sulaymaniyah / Bursa

145,650

————————-

Najaf / Bursa

145,500

————————-

Basra / Stock Exchange

145,350

————————-

Erbil / Bursa

145,575

————————-

Mosul / Joomla

145,600

———————-

Diyala / sentence

145,500

———————-

Kirkuk / Joomla

145,550

———————-

Saladin / sentence

145,600



The Markets:
The Asian markets closed down  Nik-0.86%  HangSeng-1.21%  Shanghai Composite-1.21%
The UK markets are currently trading in the green from .39% to 1.14%
Our futures are currently trading in the red  DOW at 31452 down  by .18% SNP at 3887 down by .30% NDQ at 13236 down  by .33%

Precious Metals:
Gold is green at 1729  Silver is red at 26.36 Copper is green at 415  Platinum is green at 1191 
Brent 63  WTI 59


Things in the News:




Iraqi Articles:

Al-Kazemi's financial advisor reveals proposals to establish a sovereign wealth fund

link

The financial advisor to the prime minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, revealed positive proposals to establish a sovereign wealth fund in which funds equivalent to the current compensation for the Kuwait war would be deposited in a manner consistent with the white reform paper.

Saleh said in a press interview: "We have positive ideas and proposals to establish an Iraqi sovereign wealth fund, in which amounts equivalent to the compensation of the Kuwait war are deposited after the payment of these compensation in the coming months, and it is managed in the manner of the generational funds," and he considered it "a sovereign investment resource for Iraq, and in a manner consistent." With the white paper launched by the government to strengthen and reform the structure of the Iraqi economy.
Saleh explained, "There is nothing left of Kuwait's war compensation, but an amount perhaps less than $ 2.5 billion out of $ 52 billion until the moment, as 3% of the proceeds of every barrel of Iraqi crude oil exported is still being deducted, through a mechanism and a bank account that the bank takes over." The Federal Reserve in New York, according to a subsequent Security Council Resolution No. 1483 in May 2003. "
He pointed out that "deductions are currently paid through the United Nations Compensation Fund {UNCC}, expected to" end the remaining compensation are all within a year or a little more, according to the evolution of oil prices and yields a barrel of Iraqi oil source. "
The Committee of Nations Compensation The United States was formed in 1991, the same year in which the US-led coalition drove the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, and the committee was tasked with paying $ 52.4 billion (46.8 billion euros) to Kuwaiti individuals, companies, government agencies and other organizations that suffered losses due to Saddam’s regime’s invasion of Kuwait. The compensation money comes from a tax levied on sales of Iraqi oil and products.

IMF for «Morning»: Iraq is capable of achieving comprehensive development

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) described the government's directions to reform the national economy as important, and stressed that Iraq is capable of achieving comprehensive development, provided that medium and long-term strategic plans are prepared, during a press interview for "Al Sabah" with the representative of the International Monetary Fund in Iraq Dr. Ghazi Speckat:

 

How does the IMF view the Iraqi economy and how it was affected by the Corona pandemic?

- The Iraqi economy suffers from deep structural imbalances and distortions due to the crises, which have been exposed during the past four decades and unsupported economic policies. At a time when the government needed to increase spending to cope with the consequences of the pandemic between health spending and support for sectors affected by closures and trade restrictions, there was a significant decline in state resources that barely covered the payroll and retirement bill in the first months of 2020. Economic activity fell by 8 percent in the non-oil sector, while the oil sector fell by 11 percent due to production cuts to comply with the OPEC+agreement. The budget deficit has also increased to 20 percent and the external sector deficit to 15 percent of GDP, and the financing of these deficits has led to a significant increase in the debt ratio and a decline in foreign exchange reserves.

What are the best ways to achieve iraq's economic advancement?

- The Iraqi economy must not continue to rely on oil as the sole source of public finances and balance of payments, and here we emphasize the importance of diversifying the Iraqi economy and paying attention to production and giving way to the private sector, taking the initiative in leading the economy towards export and achieving economic growth, and of course, this requires the adoption of prudent policies and strategies in the fields of education, health, communications and technology, for example. For example, the social protection network needs to be strengthened to protect the most vulnerable, and in order for the government to carry out its development tasks, financial space must be created, and this requires control of operational expenditures, particularly the payroll and retirement bill through reforms in the civil service and the pension system, as well as reforms in the electricity sector, which is a major burden on state resources.

*What are the most important ways to go beyond the trend towards borrowing?

- There is local and external indebtedness. It is natural for countries to borrow locally and/or externally to finance some projects, but it is important to take into account the ability to pay in terms of the size of the debt and its costs and its importance to the economy. The public and its ability to meet its external obligations, and to overcome debt, it is necessary to reduce the deficits in public finances and use the periods of recovery of oil markets to build oil surpluses that can be used in times of declining prices, and this avoids borrowing while reducing the economic fluctuations that prevailed in Iraq as a result of linking government spending to oil prices. Oil exporters also tend to provide oil revenues to future generations, as well as basic needs (most oil exporters have sovereign wealth funds).

 

How does the Imf view the government's devaluation measures?

- The International Monetary Fund supports the devaluation of the Iraqi dinar, which helps to reduce external imbalances, maintain foreign reserves and strengthen public finances. The devaluation of the dinar helps reduce the budget deficit, improves the trade balance by stimulating exports and curbing imports.

Of course, the devaluation of the exchange rate has social consequences that need to be mitigated as much as possible. It is certain that the devaluation of the dinar will result in a rise in the overall level of prices, especially since imports in the consumer basket in Iraq constitute a high percentage, and here we emphasize the need to increase the allocation of the social safety net and expand the database of those entitled to ensure that they are adequately covered and protect the groups whose purchasing power has been affected by the reduction. 


*What does Article IV mean and are there any details about its content?
- Article IV consultations are consultations and discussions on economic conditions and policy priorities conducted by the IMF periodically (usually annually) with member states, which is a requirement of Article IV of the IMF Convention, which member states must abide by. Accordingly, a team of IMF economists will visit the member country to assess economic and financial developments and discuss the economic and financial policies of the governments and central banks of the state, and consultations mostly include meetings of parliamentarians, businessmen https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/IRQ, trade unions and civil society institutions.

*From the IMF's point of view to Iraq, is there a possibility to improve the reality of industrial and agricultural production, and what does the Fund recommend?
- There is always an opportunity to promote in any country, provided that the public finances are controlled and prudent economic policies are adopted, reducing waste, imbalance and mismanagement to allow the private sector and small and medium enterprises to play their role. Iraq's industrial and agriculture sectors are vital sectors that must be given great importance and stimulated by modern legislation, and provided with support and financing to enable them to play their role in production, export and employment. Among other things, this requires improving the investment environment, strengthening the financial sector, providing appropriate financing, strengthening infrastructure and access to basic services such as electricity.

Is there an Iraqi prospect for comprehensive development?
- Comprehensive development is a broad word involving several medium- and long-term strategies, and Iraq can achieve this in the long term by implementing and strengthening reforms in the public finances, as well as diversifying the economy and not relying on oil as the sole source of revenue, and of course this requires reform policies and strategies in several areas, These include health, education, social protection, the financial and banking sector, technology, communications, infrastructure, logistics and others, as well as the modernization of economic legislation, so as to attract foreign investment and contribute to the transfer of technology to Iraq, and there is no doubt that reforms take time, and are sometimes not properly implemented. Nevertheless, it is important to continue to make gradual improvements, so that citizens feel the positive effects of reforms that help to accept them.


CBI Update:  Just  a note:

They have been having auctions and the ISX has been trading regularly; the sites just don't update in time to put the information in this report, unless it is 
here.   

Click on the link above for the latest update.

The CBI for rate is 1460

The currency auction For March 2, 2021 total sales amount $ 125,321,939

including   $0. CASH 

ISX Update:   

www.isx-iq.net/

Shares Traded: not updated for today
Value Traded: not updated for today 

3-1-2021   Newshound Guru Adam Montana   ...I know it can be a bit painful to try to decipher the articles, so I'll give you the elevator summary:  Things are going well. There is a current discussion on "raising the price of the dollar", which would be bad for Dinar, and the overall sentiment is that they publicly do NOT want to "raise the price of the dollar". (That's a good thing for us!) Part of the reason is due to the current favorable price of oil.  And, of course, none of that matters when the HCL goes through. It's been pretty quiet on the HCL front... When the HCL comes, we have an RV either already announced or just around the corner. Until the HCL is done, we wait patiently...I have no doubt that we will reap the dinar windfall... Go Iraq... Go Dinar...GO RRRVVV!!!...

3-1-2021   Intel Guru MarkZ  
 [via PDK]   [What is the rate for the dinar?]   Well it was around $3.43 or so  when they devalued it….so, worse case situation is they “reinstate that value”.   If they reinstate that value…and add in inflation imo…that puts the rate around $4 or so…I am still hearing a possible contract rate for us of around $8.00.   [What does “contract rate” mean?]  We are offered a contract rate…i was told…since we are one of the countries that bore the cost of the war and rebuilding of Iraq we would get a contract rate for our dinar…

3-1-2021   Newshound Guru Jeff   Remember I'm not a financial advisor.  This is nothing more than my opinion.  I strongly feel the rate will come in around the $3.80 range.  That's my personal opinion...

3-1-2021   Newshound Guru Pimpy  There's definitely without a doubt something going on with the Iraqi dinar.  Absolutely there is and all kinds of weird things are pointed to March...nobody can put their finger on it.  We're gonna see...I've been trying to figure it out for the last few days...

3-1-2021   Intel Guru MarkZ   [via PDK]   Happy March 1st…I think this is the month to throw off our shackles…I am excited about this month. Iraq has been busy…they have released a press statement saying that parliament will stay in session until they have finished/wrapped up their budget. It is a mad push and they are in session as we speak. There is so much happening in Iraq to change the value. It could be as soon as today. I would not be surprised if someone were to call me right now and say “it is done!”

3-1-2021   Newshound Guru Adam Montana   ...In GOI news, Iraq is muddling through the final stages of the Budget. We don't need the Budget to be complete before an RV, but a "happy agreement" between the Kurds and Baghdad will do a lot to grease the wheels...

3-1-2021   Newshound Guru Jeff   Iraq is completely on par with Kuwait.  Iraq and Kuwait's fiscal year (I know this for a fact because I've already consulted with the Iraq government) is April through March of the following year.  That's why Kuwait changed at the end of April [March?] to accommodate the March fiscal year...If you want to know when Iraq's doing their rate change, they're doing it on the exact same historical Sunday when Kuwait did theirs...Iraq is following in Kuwait's footsteps.   


Catnip's Corner:
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ARTICLE 1 (from PM Kadhimi's website; posted only on Arabic side, not on English side)

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi receives a delegation of the Teachers Syndicate on the occasion of the teacher's day

The Prime Minister, Mr. Mustafa Al-Kazemi, received a delegation from the Teachers Syndicate headed by the Head of the Teachers Syndicate and members of the Syndicate on the occasion of Teacher's Day.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency congratulated the delegation of teachers on their holiday, saying: It is my honor to stand before my teachers from among the teachers and to share with them their feast, and that the meaning and importance of the teacher is embodied by his representation of civilization, as education represented the first qualitative leap in the march of human civilization by transferring knowledge from one generation to another .

His Excellency affirmed in his speech to the delegation that he was thoroughly informed of the difficulties and challenges facing education today in Iraq, as well as his belief that the efforts of the educational family and educational institutions will not be in vain, and that circumstantial obstacles will disappear in front of the insistence to overcome them, just as we have succeeded in overcoming all other challenges.

Mr. Al-Kazemi added: When we say that Iraq is the teacher of civilization, it is because this country has transferred its knowledge to all of humanity, and this sheds light on your essential role in reviving the movement of enlightenment and culture, which is not an easy task.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed his certainty that he would see the Iraqi teacher become like a mother, father and friend to the emerging generations.

His Excellency said: I advise you not to fall short of them, because there is no future without educating our future generations and educating them on the values of love, tolerance and patriotism.

Media Office of the Prime Minister
1-March-2021

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ARTICLE 2 (from Government of Iraq twitter account)

On Iraqi Teachers’ Day, we extend our warmest wishes to Iraqi teachers and educators, and say a heartfelt thank you to teachers for their tireless efforts to help students to keep learning during the disruption to education caused by Covid-19.

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ARTICLE 3

A quarrel and a stampede between the representatives of the Halbousi and Jabouri parties minutes after the session

1/3/2021 19:43 •
[Baghdad-Where]
The parliament session witnessed, on Monday, clashes between some of the representatives of the Sunni component.
A correspondent said that today's session witnessed quarrels and strife between the representatives of the Sunni component of the Mass Party led by Ahmad al-Jubouri and a progression party headed by Muhammad al-Halbousi.

He added that the quarrel was the result of political differences outside the framework of the parliamentary work and had nothing to do with the session's agenda.

Earlier in the day, the House of Representatives held its session in the presence of 180 deputies.

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ARTICLE 4

Parliamentary services reveal that 14 modern cities will soon be built, and these are included

1/3/2021 15:38 •
[Baghdad-Where]
A member of the Parliamentary Services and Reconstruction Committee revealed, today, Monday, that (14) modern cities will be constructed in all governorates, with 550 thousand housing units for those with limited income.
In a statement, Al-Mamouri said, "The Parliamentary Services and Reconstruction Committee held an expanded meeting at its headquarters in the presence of the Minister of Construction and Housing, the Head of the Investment Authority and the directors of planning and housing in the Ministry of Construction and Housing to discuss investment projects and to find out the reasons for the delay in implementing a number of them."
He added, "Iraq suffers from a stifling housing crisis and needs three million housing units, which calls for taking serious measures and overcoming any obstacles that may hinder real solutions to get out of this crisis."
Al-Mamouri explained, "The number of permits granted to investment projects reached 2,400, of which 400 were completed or under implementation, while there are 1,800 lagging projects and 1,000 housing projects that are between fictitious and unfinished, in addition to others incomplete, although citizens continue to pay money."
He added, "During the meeting, it was emphasized the importance of overcoming all obstacles that hinder the advancement of investment, accountability, withdrawing work from lagging companies, and contracting with others that have sobriety and efficiency to move forward in the reconstruction process."
Al-Maamouri revealed that "14 modern residential cities will soon be built in all governorates, with 550 thousand housing units for those with limited income, as during the coming days, a number of them will be officially announced for direct implementation."
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ARTICLE 5

The House of Representatives raises its session to next Wednesday

03-01-2021 08:30 PM 

On Monday, the House of Representatives raised its session to next Wednesday.

A representative source said that "the House of Representatives voted on a set of laws and discussed several proposals and agreements within the agenda and ended up raising its meeting to next Wednesday."

He added, "The House of Representatives decided to form an investigative committee to investigate facts about what was received from" files "in Salah al-Din.

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