Gold trading slows in Baghdad, rises in Erbil

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil

Gold trading was limited in Baghdad on Monday during the Arbaeen holiday, while 21-carat gold reached 869,000 Iraqi dinars per mithqal (about five grams) in Erbil, according to a Shafaq News survey.

In Baghdad gold shops that remained open, imported 21-carat gold from the Gulf ranged from 870,000 to 880,000 dinars per mithqal, while Iraqi gold traded between 840,000 and 850,000 dinars.

In Erbil, where markets operated normally, 22-carat gold sold for 910,000 dinars per mithqal, 21-carat gold for 869,000 dinars, and 18-carat gold for 745,000 dinars.

* Observed this year on Aug. 4, Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and draws millions of Shiite Muslims to Karbala annually, making it one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.