ISX index closes week with 0.6% decline

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Stock Exchange index declined by 0.6% to close at 123.5 points as rates of shares of 16 out of a total 47 companies were down during Thursday’s session of trading worth 1.168 billion Iraqi dinars (roughly $1 million), according to an ISX news bulletin. About 586 million shares exchanged hands through 607 trading deals in the session that saw rates of shares of 16 companies up, 13 down and 18 keeping their previous levels, according to the bulletin received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Foreign investors concluded 38 purchase deals worth 33 million dinars over the banking, insurance, hotel and industrial sectors and one sale deal worth 266,000 dinars over the service sector. Banking took the lead by obtaining the highest volume of trading, 42%, through 204 deals worth 492 million dinars over 14 firms, followed by the industrial sector with 30% through 200 deals worth 357 million dinars over 14 firms and the hotel sector with 18% through 114 deals worth 223 million dinars over 8 companies. Trading was frail over the sectors of agriculture, insurance, investment and service. SH (TI)/SR 2251