Iraq’s stock market saw a surge in trading activity last week, with the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) announcing a weekly transaction volume of over 6 billion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to $4.87 million.
During the week, shares from 63 companies were actively traded. However, 33 companies recorded no trades due to mismatched buy and sell orders. Meanwhile, eight listed companies remained suspended after failing to submit required disclosures.
The exchange reported more than 3.7 billion shares traded across 2,208 transactions. This marked a 76.7 percent rise in share volume compared to the previous week, showing renewed investor interest in Iraq’s stock market.
Despite the rise in trading volume, the ISX60 index closed lower. It dropped 1.62 percent, ending at 898.41 points. Market analysts noted this dip was due to investor caution in certain sectors.
Foreign investors remained active participants in Iraq’s stock market. They purchased 73 million shares worth 294 million Iraqi dinars ($224,000) across 64 transactions. On the sell side, they offloaded 41 million shares for 187 million dinars ($143,000) over 49 transactions.
The ISX conducted five trading sessions during the week, running from Sunday through Thursday. Activity spanned a variety of sectors, including banking, telecom, industry, agriculture, insurance, investment, and tourism.
In total, 104 joint-stock companies are currently listed on the ISX. While some sectors showed higher trading interest, others remained subdued due to market conditions or company-specific news.
The sharp increase in traded shares suggests improving confidence in Iraq’s stock market. Market watchers believe that stronger corporate transparency and improved disclosures could drive further investor engagement.
With both local and foreign investors contributing to rising trade volumes, Iraq’s stock market continues to show signs of recovery and growing momentum, despite index fluctuations.
