Tehran, Iran – The Iranian stock market is due to reopen this week after an 80-day closure due to the war with the United States and Israel.While the exchange is not the core engine of economic financing in sanctions-hit Iran, the reopening could offer an insight into the state of the country’s economy and allow authorities to gauge investor trust and market liquidity.Shares, equity funds and equity-linked derivatives will resume trading on Tuesday and Wednesday, before heading into the Iranian weekend. Operations will be extended by one hour to provide a bigger window to the top firms that will be disclosing important information after sustaining damages during the war, as well as those that held shareholder meetings during the stoppage.The stock market, isolated from global indexes as a result of Western sanctions, had remained shut since February 28, when the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Tehran and other parts of the country.Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO) deputy Hamid Yari told state media earlier this week that the move was aimed at “protecting investors’ assets, preventing emotional behaviours, and creating conditions for trade in the market with more accurate and transparent information”.While the closure may have initially prevented disorderly panic selling, it also trapped portfolios, accumulated pressure on anxious investors to sell, and created a growing credibility problem for the c …
