Trading activity on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) has contracted sharply, with the total value of transactions falling more than 63% week-on-week to 17.46 billion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to approximately $13.3 million.
The collapse in turnover highlights a severe liquidity crunch in Baghdad’s equity market, where investor participation has dwindled to minimal levels.
Basrah Heavy crude has recently suffered a severe repricing, plunging more than 25% to trade at $45.
The drop in trading volume underscores the broader challenges facing Iraqi financial markets, which have struggled to attract sustained domestic and foreign capital.
With transaction values shrinking by nearly two-thirds in a single week, the market’s ability to price assets efficiently is compromised, leaving listed companies with limited avenues for capital raising and investors with few exit options.
This equity market stagnation coincides with ongoing pressure on Iraq’s primary export commodity.
Basrah Heavy crude has recently suffered a severe repricing, plunging more than 25% to trade at $45.37 per barrel, even as global benchmark futures moved higher.