SECURITY ISSUES, NOT RAMADAN, CORRELATES WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002301 SENSITIVE SIPDIS AIDAC STATE FOR NEA/I/ECON AND EEB/IFD/OMA E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN EAID IZ SUBJECT: SECURITY ISSUES, NOT RAMADAN, CORRELATES WITH INFLATION IN IRAQ ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In Iraq, as in other Middle Eastern countries, economic activity increases during Ramadan as families buy more traditional foodstuffs and gifts for Iftar dinners. Despite this increased demand for goods (and reports of price-gouging), our analysis of Iraq's Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2003-2008 shows no systematic increase in inflation during the Ramadan period. Instead, price inflation appears strongly correlated with security concerns. END SUMMARY. ANECDOTAL SIGNS THAT PRICES RISE DURING RAMADAN -------------- -- ¶2. (U) Embassy Baghdad's local staff and many of our Iraqi counterparts complain that prices of goods families typically buy for Ramadan - meat, candy, tea, lentils, and small toys for children - rise with the approach of the holy Islamic period. Religious leaders have used their sermons to denounce the attempt of some "unscrupulous" merchants to "exploit this month in order to crush the poor by increasing prices." Press editorials have accused Trade Ministry officials of "colluding with the merchants to allow them to control prices." This alleged seasonal inflation is a popular topic of conversation in Iraq, but recent empirical evidence does not support the accusations. THE CPI DOES NOT SHOW SEASONAL INFLATION -------------- ¶3. (U) The GOI Central Office for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT) publishes the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Iraq. Using this data (available at http://cosit.gov.iq/english),ECON analyzed the annualized average month-on-month core inflation during Ramadan and the rest of the year for each of the past six years (2003-2008). (NOTE: We specifically used just "core" inflation, which omits globally volatile fuel, energy, transportation, and communication prices to better isolate the local in-country effects of Ramadan on prices, especially food prices. END NOTE.) Our comparison shows that there appears to be no systematic increase in inflation during the Ramadan period. CORE INFLATION (AVERAGE ANNUALIZED % Month-On-Month) Year NOT Ramadan Ramadan Difference 2003 10.4 4.6 -5.8 2004 2.8 4.0 1.2 2005 2.2 3.2 1.0 2006 2.3 1.4 -0.9 2007 1.0 1.5 0.5 2008 0.9 2.9 2.0 ¶4. (U) The chart above shows that in two of the past six years (2003 and 2006),prices actually decreased during Ramadan. In 2004, 2005, and 2007, we believe that the small percentage point differences of 1.2, 1.0, 0.5 are statistically insignificant. The difference of 2.0 percentage points in 2008 is likely attributable to the significant increases in global food prices, and should not be interpreted as indicative of seasonal Ramadan inflation alone. (In September 2008, Iraq food prices increased 6.1 percent month-on-month and 14 percent year-on-year. Global food prices, according to the United Nations, hit an all-time high in June 2008 and did not recover to pre-crisis levels until the beginning of 2009.) PERHAPS THE CPI IS FLAWED -------------- ¶5. (U) Even if the historical CPI data do not reflect a seasonal uptick in prices during Ramadan, why do more than 25 million Iraqi consumers believe that they are paying more for their Ramadan purchases? If consumers are indeed paying higher prices, one possible explanation is that COSIT uses a flawed basket of goods to calculate the inflation rate. COSIT's basket of goods Qgoods to calculate the inflation rate. COSIT's basket of goods is based on a 1993 household survey that may no longer reflect the consumer behavior of the typical Iraqi household. For instance, since 1993, Iraqis have started spending significant portions of their income on televisions and mobile phones. Also, many families have migrated from farms to the cities and no longer grow food for their own consumption. COSIT conducted a comprehensive Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey in 2007 from which it intends to develop a new, updated CPI basket. FOOD DISTRIBUTION MEANS FEWER GOODS BOUGHT BAGHDAD 00002301 002 OF 003 -------------- ¶6. (U) Another complication is that 70 percent of Iraqi families receive monthly food baskets -- including flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil, and soap -- through the GOI's Public Distribution System (PDS). (In past years, the Ramadan basket also included tea and lentils, key staples during this period.) The fact that consumers receive many of these goods for free mitigates the effect of traditional supply and demand and the (alleged) price-gouging found elsewhere in the Middle East during Ramadan. In an effort control budget expenditures and pressure from the International Monetary Fund, the GOI may look to reduce the PDS over the coming year. If so, we may see more (expected) inflation during the Ramadan season. SECURITY HAS STRONGEST EFFECT ON PRICES -------------- ¶7. (U) Our analysis indicates that security concerns in Iraq have a very strong effect on overall prices. Hoarding of goods, shortages due to transportation difficulties, citizens' fear of attack as they walk in the streets, and anxiety over bombs in market areas all affect consumer behavior in ways that ultimately lead to higher prices. Because security concerns may be impossible to quantify, a good proxy is mortality, measured by the average number of Iraqi violent civilian deaths per day. As it is a proxy, mortality can be seen as a strong correlating variable in the analysis rather than a direct causative factor on price inflation. AVERAGE NUMBER OF IRAQI CIVILIAN DEATHS/DAY Year NOT Ramadan Ramadan Difference 2003 32 16 -17 2004 21 48 27 2005 34 34 0 2006 69 88 19 2007 64 38 -25 2008 2 17 -5 ¶8. (U) According to this data from the Iraq Body Count website (http://www.iraqbodycount.org) on Iraqi civilian deaths, one cannot immediately say that Iraq is either more or less "secure" during Ramadan. [NOTE: While not GOI official information, IraqBodyCount.org is widely used as the source of data for civilian casualties due to its consistent reporting and documentation. END (NOTE.) In 2003, 2007, and 2008, average daily deaths decreased during Ramadan, while in 2004 and 2006 they increased substantially during the holiday period. But, when one analyzes headline inflation over time alongside our mortality proxy for insecurity, the results are surprisingly strong. [NOTE: We use "headline" inflation here because it includes the volatile sectors of fuel, energy, transportation, and communication, which are particularly affected by acts of terrorism. END NOTE.) ¶9. (U) Since mid-2004, the graphs for Iraqi civilian deaths and monthly year-on-year percentage changes in headline inflation over time track each other closely. [NOTE: The graphs of our analysis are available on Embassy Baghdad's intranet homepage at: http://baghdad.state.gov/ sites/ECON/Inflation%20Graphs/ Forms/AllItems.aspx END NOTE.] Of particular interest is the period since July and August 2006, when violent deaths and inflation peaked, respectively. We have calculated a .88 correlation (very strong) between the two since their decline from that peak. If a one-month lag period is factored in (assuming that one month's insecurity will not show up until next month's price index),the correlation is even higher: .93. Such a high correlation suggests that security concerns - as measured by violent civilian deaths - in one month appears to Qmeasured by violent civilian deaths - in one month appears to drive up prices over the next month. Also, according to our analysis, when civilian deaths decline, inflation generally decreases shortly thereafter. COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) As the CPI model gets updated, the GOI cuts its food distribution to all but the truly poor, and the security situation improves over time, we may see empirical evidence of price inflation during Ramadan as in other Middle Eastern countries. Right now, however, security concerns (or BAGHDAD 00002301 003 OF 003 insecurity proxied by violent civilian deaths) is a statistically stronger factor than Ramadan as an indicator of price inflation overall. Given the tragic August 19 bombings in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people, we would expect inflation during Ramadan 2009 to increase due to fear affecting consumer behavior. FORD