During the last month (ended on August 22) Iran Mercantile Exchange witnessed trade of 13,452,706 tons of commodities with a total trading value of almost $3.2 billion on its physical market, logging growths of 11.5 percent in value and 21 percent in volume of trades compared with the month before that. As reported by the IME’s Public Relations and International Affairs Department, the exchange saw on its metals and minerals trading floor, trade of 10,906,046 tons of commodities valued at more than $2 billion. On this floor the IME sold 5,544,552 tons of cement, 2,660,000 tons of iron ore, 1,707,761 tons of steel, 928,000 tons of sponge iron, 39,455 tons of zinc, 39,215 tons of aluminum, 38,208 tons of copper, 2,800 tons of cast iron, 1,290 tons of molybdenum concentrate, 300 tons of coke and 72 tons of precious metals concentrate.
It’s worth noting that the IME also traded 1,600 kg of saffron on its agricultural trading floor. Furthermore, the exchange saw trade of 2,405,517 tons of commodities worth more than $1 billion on both domestic and export pits of its oil and petrochemical trading floor. Items traded on this floor included 792,000 tons of vacuum bottom, 663,300 tons of bitumen, 491,397 tons of polymeric products, 185,500 tons of lube cut, 167,335 tons of chemicals, 76,505 tons of sulfur, 23,399 tons of oil, 10,618 tons of petroleum products, 1,560 tons of feedstocks, 1,000 tons of slop wax and 900 tons of waterproofing materials. Last was the IME’s side market on which the exchange traded 141,141 tons of goods. IME is one of the four major stock markets of Iran, the other three markets are Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), Iran’s over-the-counter (OTC) market known also as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), and Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX).