Red numbers have returned to dominate the screens of local currency bourses, as the US Dollar exchange rate index recorded a noticeable increase, breaking the barrier of 154,000 Iraqi dinars per $100 in the Al-Kifah and Al-Harithiya markets in Baghdad,
as well as in the Erbil and Basra bourses. This price disparity from the official rate of 132,000 dinars represents an increase exceeding 16%, creating direct economic pressure and immediate price inflation. Despite the Central Bank pumping millions of dollars
daily through the currency sales window, demand in the parallel market remains high. Financial analysts link this price jump to the growing demand for hard currency to finance imports that bypass official channels, combined with the uncertainty imposed by the
tense geopolitical situation in the region, which drives merchants to hedge by hoarding the dollar.
