ISX caps week with 1% up

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX) finished this week with a 1% increase in its activities to close at 128.4 points as rates of shares of 19 out of a total 48 traded firms went up. More than 2.499 billion shares exchanged hands today (March 3) at a value of 4.275 billion Iraqi dinars (roughly $3.6 million) through 693 trading deals, according to an ISX news bulletin received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Non-Iraqi investors obtained 185 purchase deals worth 2.2 billion dinars, mostly over the banking, industrial and service sectors, about 53% of the overall trading activities, and 30 sale deals worth 219.5 million dinars over the banking, industrial, service and hotel sectors. Thursday’s session saw rates of shares of 19 companies going up, 28 down while 18 retained their previous levels. The banking sector took the lead with 86% of the trading today through 455 deals worth 3.714 billion dinars over 15 firms, followed by the industrial sector with 8% through 151 deals worth 327 million dinars over 17 firms and the service sector with 3% through 37 deals worth 119 million dinars over seven firms. Trading was modest over the service, agricultural, insurance and investment sectors. The ISX witnessed its first E-trading session on April 19, 2009 over five registered companies, three banks and two hotels. The banks were: Ashur International Bank (AIB), Al-Mansour Bank and the Iraqi Credit Bank while the hotels were: Ashtar Hotel and Al-Mansour Hotel. On June 7, 2009 the Iraqi Middle East Investment Bank and the Warka Bank joined the electronic trading sessions. The ISX now holds five sessions from Sunday to Thursday. AmR (TS) 552