tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188715032012-02-05T18:54:14.108-06:00Notes on Iran's Economy & Middle Eastern AffairsAlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.comBlogger435125BazarDispatchhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-91059314025366427612012-02-05T18:54:00.000-06:002012-02-05T18:54:14.116-06:002012-02-05T18:54:14.116-06:00

The administrator of Mesghal.com has been arrested. He has been accused of attempting to distort the market as part of a plot to dis stabilize the economy. Mesghal.com is a website dedicated to covering  currency and precious metal markets in Iran and across the globe. It has become the reference for many who work in these markets in Tehran.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-29456669967437581042012-02-02T18:56:00.000-06:002012-02-02T18:56:04.574-06:002012-02-02T18:56:04.574-06:00

Well here we are the budget is in finally for IRI. It seems they are cutting spending, how successfully? no one will know.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-36448842598625487232012-01-27T22:35:00.000-06:002012-01-27T22:35:01.733-06:002012-01-27T22:35:01.733-06:00

I am not so sure if increasing interest rate will affect M1 in Iran. Still it seems it has been done to encourage people to keep their deposits in the banks. That is being said, I wonder if this means banks are going to charge a higher APR as lenders. One has to wait and to see. All in all currency market seems a bit calmer. Although I do not know if this is due to the government's edicts or its

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-72067357876722468902012-01-25T17:26:00.000-06:002012-01-25T17:26:12.326-06:002012-01-25T17:26:12.326-06:00

Caty Borum Chattoo has kindly forwarded me an email announcing airing "BRIDGE TO IRAN" which a series of documentaries already produced by Iranian filmmakers on Iran. It reads: San Francisco, Calif., January 23, 2012 – Against a backdrop of rising cultural and political tensions in Iran, Link TV will premiere its four-part documentary TV series, “BRIDGE TO IRAN,” beginning on February 14 at 7:30

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-16980167589331263902012-01-22T10:04:00.000-06:002012-01-22T10:04:45.750-06:002012-01-22T10:04:45.750-06:00

US dollar was traded at 20'000 rials, British pound at 30'000 and euro at 25000! Is the economy sinking? I do not think so. However it sure has hit a crisis. Unfortunately these changes are happening at the beginning of new year shopping season in Iran (Iranian new year begins on the first day of spring). Traditionally this means an increase in demand and prices all over the marketplace. To this

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-89212273088119663272012-01-21T19:35:00.000-06:002012-01-21T19:35:46.519-06:002012-01-21T19:35:46.519-06:00

Separation is still attracting attention on the global stage. And this has provided many with a rare way of understanding Iranian society.  A few days ago Separation was named the Foreign Language Film of the Year at 32nd London Film Critics’ Circle Awards on Thursday. Asghar Farhadi was named the Screenwriter of the year with film’s supporting actress, Sareh Bayat, winning the Best Supporting

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-68590744799734406072012-01-17T19:12:00.000-06:002012-01-17T19:12:42.564-06:002012-01-17T19:12:42.564-06:00

Gold coins, known as Bahar Azadi, are again on the rise in Tehran. Their price has just passed 7'200'000 Rials! to give you a perspective that is more than what a government retiree receives in a month. The new rise has began almost immediately after government opposed increasing interest rates for banking deposits. As the volatility in market increases people are more desperate to find new means

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-18452537172166741772012-01-15T20:19:00.000-06:002012-01-15T20:19:01.811-06:002012-01-15T20:19:01.811-06:00

I am checking the report for last year, Spring 2010 to Winter 2011, the statistics on women are very interesting. The unemployment among women still is much higher than unemployment among men: %20.5 versus %11.9 overall, %39.7 for women age 15 to 29 years versus %21.8 for men of the same age group.  The increase in unemployment for women is also higher than the increase in unemployment for men.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-33877947990821855632012-01-14T16:17:00.001-06:002012-01-14T20:34:30.013-06:002012-01-14T20:34:30.013-06:00

Ebrahim Alizadeh in a report for Jahan Sana'at daily in Tehran has written that in the past year one million job has been lost in Iran. His report prompted me to check the original report from Statistical Center of Iran (SCI).  The latest report which covers Iranian calendar year of 1389, from March 2010 to March 2011, includes a summary statistics for Iran: Iran labor force for 10 years and

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-21378458306140052142012-01-13T13:05:00.000-06:002012-01-13T13:05:20.070-06:002012-01-13T13:05:20.070-06:00

There are several reasons for the recent events in currency market in Iran. First USD has been and is undervalued in Tehran. Iranian governments since Pahlavi always make the value of Rial a matter of political prestige. According to politicians a strong Rial meant and means a strong economy. However this is an illusion, since this claim is only justifiable if Iran had a strong export base. Iran

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-17855476042678225892012-01-06T06:21:00.000-06:002012-01-06T06:21:55.313-06:002012-01-06T06:21:55.313-06:00

After almost four weeks in Tehran I am back in Atlanta. Rial value is depleting at the best, which was expected. So many things to say, one does not know where to start!

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-40866638661421299392011-11-17T18:48:00.000-06:002011-11-17T18:48:07.505-06:002011-11-17T18:48:07.505-06:00

A piece I wrote about Libya was run by Opendemocracy.net . There is indeed a haunting resemblance between the footage of Gadaffi’s capture and that of Mussolini’s last scene in Milan. I could not help noticing it. Whence this piece was written. I hope you like it.  Gadaffi's demise is similar to the ending of another vivid figure in Libyan history: Benito Mussolini, who in the early 20th century

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-67112183910041015302011-10-01T17:35:00.000-05:002011-10-01T17:35:51.867-05:002011-10-01T17:35:51.867-05:00

Iranian media is abuzz with the news of recent embezzlement. Surprisingly except for some irregularities it does not seem any crime has taken place. Iranian banks do not have a market based approach to the concept of risk in financing, instead they rely on bureaucratic procedures. I wrote a piece on this which appeared in Donya ye Eghtesad in Tehran on Saturday. It advocates adopting a risk score

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-33267903094261334002011-09-16T00:54:00.000-05:002011-09-16T00:54:45.481-05:002011-09-16T00:54:45.481-05:00

Happy Birthday! The blog sphere in Iran is officially 10 years old. It started with a wave that crashed through social perceptions like a tsunami. Sometimes I think it was like us hearing our own voices. It is always startling when one records his or her own voice for the very first time and then listens to it. It is like a new discovery, sounds familiar, but unbelievable. Blogging in Iran was

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-80461759434954441292011-07-04T14:51:00.000-05:002011-07-04T14:51:04.977-05:002011-07-04T14:51:04.977-05:00

In Tehran, it is hot and dry. The pollution could have been worse, still it manages to burn your throat. The streets are parking lots, it is impossible to find a spot to part your car. Driving is an adventure. The drivers stare at you and keep coming.... there is something psychological in that. They see you, but they do not see you. The economy still is in transition, the new bills for public

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-21094895759160044342011-03-30T10:33:00.003-05:002011-03-30T10:52:48.823-05:002011-03-30T10:52:48.823-05:00

Moving to Atlanta, adopting to new lifestyle and catching up with research proved time consuming. My second year at Clayton State is coming to an end. Time flies. I am dusting off this blog to start writing again. Happy Nowruz everyone!

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-9522107446836712602010-07-30T05:17:00.002-05:002010-07-30T05:19:16.933-05:002010-07-30T05:19:16.933-05:00

Weather cooled down, city is quiet. Many have left because of the holiday. In less than 2 weeks Ramadan will be here. The month of fasting and praying. The other day i grabbed a hot dog sandwich in a cafe. The music was a selection of Googoosh. I was surprised when i realized it had sounded so natural to me at the begining.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-10025807472609205862010-07-27T00:12:00.002-05:002010-07-27T00:16:32.385-05:002010-07-27T00:16:32.385-05:00

Tehran is hot, but in the evening a cool breeze comes from mountains. Today is the birthday of Shi'ee 12th Imam; Mahdi. Last night there were fireworks and traffic was most heavy. It is the last great celebration before Ramadan. Weddings are on in full swing and cars decorated as carriages are racing through city with brides and grooms.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-38135371815090271572010-07-25T13:09:00.002-05:002010-07-25T13:16:03.800-05:002010-07-25T13:16:03.800-05:00

One year passed since that Friday when I was sitting in Mashhad International Airport, waiting for my father to land so we would go home together. I was reading Jean Tirole's Industrial Organization textbook and writing down notes. I knew there had been an incident, i did not know of casualties. TV started to show images of Aria IL 62 and there was a banner saying people were killed.I went home

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-40893256666322967762010-06-27T19:19:00.002-05:002010-06-27T19:22:12.705-05:002010-06-27T19:22:12.705-05:00

Rojan Taghavi has written a very insightful article for Guardian "Iran fears falling oil sales – not UN sanctions" She reviews Iran's refining infra structure.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-35624664137141963052010-06-26T10:58:00.003-05:002010-06-26T11:03:38.865-05:002010-06-26T11:03:38.865-05:00

Almost a year has passed and a lot has happened. I think I should start writing again. At Clayton State we are celebrating the first anniversary of CREST. Dean Chacko left us to become Dean of College of Business Administration in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Tidwell is on his way to Pennsylvania to assume deanship of School of Business at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Alphonso Ogbuehi is joining

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-43491761410262969772010-03-03T23:11:00.002-06:002010-03-03T23:17:41.551-06:002010-03-03T23:17:41.551-06:00

Our Dean Chacko informed us today:"It is with pride that we announce that the Georgia Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) recently announced the winners of its Annual Awards Competition. The Clayton State University School of Business Building received the First Place Award in the Low-Rise Category."Clayton State University also has launched its major in supply chain management. Its

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-84990584440581472782010-03-03T22:31:00.003-06:002010-03-03T23:11:45.054-06:002010-03-03T23:11:45.054-06:00

I have been silent too long. No excuse for that. So here we go.Iranian year of 1388 is coming to an end. It was the most eventful year and you need not me to recount. However there is a chance that amidst the political stories the tale of economy was unheard.The Iranian government is set, and undeterred, to go ahead with liberalization. There are many arguments for it and there are some against,

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-91480242030272407742009-11-15T18:04:00.003-06:002009-11-15T18:07:20.525-06:002009-11-15T18:07:20.525-06:00

Mr. Daragahi has written a new article based on some new information. The note has appeared on LA Times Babylon & Beyond page. I am very grateful for his kind attention and willingness to re-visit the subject. I also am glad there now there is something about the other side of story available to those who are interested.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18871503.post-61958842358590084992009-11-05T23:30:00.002-06:002009-11-05T23:33:17.694-06:002009-11-05T23:33:17.694-06:00

The debate over subsidization is getting tense, head of government and speaker of the house, Mr. Ahmadinejad and Dr. Larijani exchanged pleasantries over it. A. wants Majlis to give him full authority and do not bother him with formalities such as budgeting the money. It is getting interesting.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982355758998089326noreply@blogger.com1