BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX) index registered a slight growth, the second in a row, at 0.2% to close at 97 points as rates of 19 out of a total 41 firms that traded in the national bourse went up.

Rates of 10 other firms went down while 12 retained their previous rates.

The number of traded shares hit 769.350 million worth more than 1.365 billion Iraqi dinars through 355 deals, including 52 purchases by non-Iraqi investors worth 452 million dinars, mostly over the banking sector, and eight sales by non-Iraqi investors worth 53 million dinars.

The banking sector came in the lead with 72% of the total trading through 181 deals worth 984.9 million dinars over 15 banking firms, followed by the industrial sector with 14% of the total trading through 92 deals worth 203 million dinars over 12 firms.

Ranking third this week was the hotel sector with 8% of the overall trading through 45 deals over seven hotel firms and the service sector with 35 deals worth 64.7 million dinars over five firms.

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, 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.

Link: http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=128784