By Mark DeWeaver. I thought Sansar Capital’s recent report on the Iraqi banks was excellent. But I was surprised by its somewhat negative take on North Bank (BNOR). In particular, I found myself not entirely convinced by the following three points, which form the basis for their bearish case: Insufficient collateral for overdraft lending is […]
The security situation in Iraq hasn’t looked this bad in quite a while. Following the killing of at least 36 Sunni protestors in Hawijah on April 23, people are now even talking about a possible partition of the country. “It is wrong to say we are getting close to a civil war,” one Iraqi politician […]
By Mark DeWeaver. On March 3, the ISX posted the following notification on its website: “No institution or competent body has requested a license to act as custodian pursuant to Decree No. 17 of 2012. “Therefore, the Depository Centre remains the sole body conducting the transfer of securities from the account of the investor [registered] […]
By Mark DeWeaver. In a move that is likely to mark the start of a new era for the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX), National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has begun offering custody support services for ISX-listed shares through its 80%-held subsidiary Credit Bank of Iraq. This is arguably the most important step forward for the […]
By Mark DeWeaver. I've often thought there should be a Nobel prize for corporate finance. It would go to the broker or investment bank that managed to place the largest IPO under the most unpromising circumstances. If there were such an award, I think Rabee Securities and its affiliate Melak Iraq would easily win this […]
By Mark DeWeaver. On December 13 the ISX amended the Iraq Depository Center (IDC) bylaws to prohibit investors from owning the same names in accounts at different brokers. The new rule, which went into effect on January 7, requires anyone holding stocks in the same company through different brokerage accounts to transfer all of their […]
By Mark DeWeaver. Another roller coaster year for the ISX is drawing to a close. By the middle of May, the Rabee Securities RSISX index had fallen 24% from its early October 2011 peak. Since then, the market has staged a dramatic rebound. As of December 8, the index was down just 3% from the […]
By Mark DeWeaver. On October 16, Prime Minister Maliki removed the head of the central bank, Sinan al-Shabibi, accusing him of mismanagement and currency manipulation. (There’s more on this story here, here, and here.) This move was widely seen as a power grab by the prime minister and a grave threat to the CBI’s independence. […]
By Mark DeWeaver. I recently had occasion to bone up on Islamic finance while preparing for a meeting with Kurdistan International Bank (BKUI), Iraq’s largest Islamic bank. In the process, I noticed an interesting parallel between a form of financing known as mudarabah and a game theory concept I hadn’t thought about since my graduate […]
By Mark DeWeaver. The ISX-listed industrials are best known for their main products, which include everything from polyvinyl chloride pellets (used for plastics production) to refrigerators and air conditioners. These companies are typically partially state-owned holdovers from Saddam Hussein’s time. Many have difficulty competing with imports. Often their factories are overstaffed, have obsolete machinery, and […]
By Mark DeWeaver. The ISX historically has tended to go down in the second half of the year. Last November, I argued that this may be due to the timing of capital increases. (See this post.) If this is the case, the recently announced new rules on share suspensions mean that the market will no […]
By Mark DeWeaver. Original shares of Al Mansour Bank (BMNS) resumed trading on July 1 following the announcement of the bank’s capital increase and dividend plan. All shareholders will receive a 51% bonus share issue along with an IQD 0.068 / share dividend. Qatar National Bank (QNB) is also buying 85 bn new shares at […]
