Replay 605.562.3179, PIN CODE 409029#
RayRen: Good morning TNT super-fantastic family! It is Monday, January 4, 2016. A special message to FutureBliss who is protesting against the music: why don’t you just hang up? I’m checking to see if Pam is back with us after her vacation. [Audio check]
Happy New Year, and welcome to the first call of the year, and hopefully there will not be many calls in 2016. As we get underway, I trust everyone one had a different holiday. We all made it to the end of the year, and we will remember those who didn’t.
Getting right into the information… this should be a very short call. Starting overseas, in Iraq – where are we? The Budget is not publically out yet; I hear it will show up in Wednesday’s Gazette, including the tariff and tax information, so it has not taken effect yet. I did get some intel that it might kick in today, January 4, and I’m waiting for more on that after this call. If any pertinent info comes in later, I will tweet it out to you. At the moment the Budget seems to be out and implemented. I understand that there is some wiggle room. Also, we expected the ISX to be open, but it hasn’t as yet.
A memo went out from the CBI to the exchange places over there, but I haven’t seen it myself yet. By the time we get our hands on that, we probably won’t care!
In Canada, we’ve been getting updates saying that the banks are not talking although they are seeing some higher rates on the screens. They say they are expecting this between today and Wednesday. That hasn’t been confirmed but we’ll give you the info as we get it in. Some people have been escorted out the door but we’re not entirely sure why.
In the US, I’m hearing a lot of things. People are calling and texting with appointments they have, or that they have heard from others. There are appointments taking place today and this week; we’ll have to see how those work out.
Over the weekend, people said that their banking sources confirmed the memo I discussed last week, although we still don’t know exactly what the memo said. Some banks were expecting a big rush on Tuesday, and some people have appointments today. When we put that together with what’s been happening in Canada, and appointments for this week, meetings the banks are having – they are getting ready. If you contact the wrong bank, they should be giving you an 800 number to make a correct appointment. You will need to have an appointment to go to the places where they exchange the larger amounts. We hope they will provide us with that 800 number, and if not, we will still tell you the next step.
The banks are still saying ‘any time now’, while others are saying ‘Tuesday’; some other banks have a lot of appointments for today. Time will tell; sooner or later it will all come to light. That’s all the information I can share with you this moment, because that’s all the information you can do something about in terms of planning and being prepared. When you go to the bank, be ready to negotiate everything. Don’t take anything at face value, whether you want to negotiate up, down, or into oblivion. If you don’t ask, you can’t expect. Ask not, receive now.
I’ll do a few questions to the bottom of the hour, and then see how the rest of the day unfolds. We wait upon Father Time.
646 caller: How are the rates holding up?
RayRen: Last I heard they are still there, although fluctuating a little bit. The rates people have received in exchanges are different from what the bankers see on the screen. They are at and below what is on the screens. Some people have received private exchanges at $3, and that’s what we see on the screens. The dong and rupiah are still about the same as shown on the screen, so far as people have shared on their actual exchanges. The zim is still at the double-digit rates we have been expecting, although early exchangers have been receiving single digits. The rial? No one has yet contacted me that they have even exchange rial; bankers say that they are seeing some over-dollar rates on the screens. It doesn’t seem like there are any changes on the rupiah.
Otherwise, Tony, DC and Pam are all doing well, having had a good Christmas and New Year.
Caller: [Appreciation] Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!
941 caller: Do you have any idea who is stalling this at all?
RayRen: If I told you, what would/could you do about it? If we find out and it’s something detrimental to us, of we are left behind, then I’d probably be the first to spill it all. Right now, I don’t see the wisdom in saying X is holding this up.
Caller: There are newspeople who are interested. This is ridiculous, and I hope that whoever is holding this up will meet their Maker. Tell them to hurry up! Have fun in Vegas.
206 caller: What do you think – will we go to June?
RayRen: I don’t have any information indicating June; where do you get that from?
Caller: According to what Shabibi put in writing, he’s not messing with any books, and he said 31. December or 31. June. So I wonder what’s going on. I read four Iraqi newspapers every day. The Budget is still held up, the Kurds are unhappy, so do you really think they will RV their money?
RayRen: I don’t think they will hold up to June. But in any case, there is nothing we can do. All we can do is wait.
Caller: Nobody has come forward to say they have exchanged. The only ones saying that have is you. [Caller repeated and got argumentative until Ray shut him down.]
RayRen: Sure they have – haven’t you been listening? You can choose to believe what you want to believe, but I have plenty of people of calling and texting saying that they have exchanged. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, and don’t believe what we say, why are you on this call? Go somewhere else and be happy. You still have to wait like everyone else, so deal with it.
636 caller: You are saying zim is at single digits?
RayRen: That’s what people have been saying who have exchanged, but single digits are still fantastic, and it beats what we would be getting otherwise, which is zero. I wouldn’t be down in the mouth about single digits.
Caller: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? [Appreciation] Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!
252 caller: Can you give any information about that bank you were talking about? You called me and I wasn’t able to the phone in time.
RayRen: I have no idea what conversation you are talking about? If I called you, then you have my number, so call me again and refresh my memory.
865 caller: This is 404 with a question for you. There was a brief reference to what’s happening the stock market, which had the worst start of the year since they’ve been keeping records; what impact does that have on the RV?
RayRen: I don’t know. The intel team hasn’t really discussed that, one way or the other.
Caller: What is being told to the Iraqi people in the mosques, especially after what happened to one of the clerics in Saudi Arabia.
RayRen: We’ve had a challenge getting information from them especially in the last few days. There has been no new information, just recycling the old intel on the television, still saying they are changing the money. Until we get better reports, it’s status quo.
Caller: Your information adds to the overall puzzle. What odds on a normal call on Wednesday?
RayRen: All the banks are still saying it looks like Wednesday, so no, I don’t expect to have a call on Wednesday and certainly not on Friday. That’s all I can hold onto, is the information I get in. The banks are saying, “We expect an influx on Tuesday/Wednesday” and all I can do is wait and see. I can’t wrap my head around June when banking people came out of meeting this mornings that say “get ready, this is about to pop”. I had one banking person tell me a particular day and time, and it didn’t go but at least it gave me something to hold onto. TNT members say that they want to know what we hear, and that is what we are here to do, up to a point. We don’t’ want to endanger anyone, so we tell you everything we can tell you that doesn’t jeopardize anyone’s employment. The banks are saying ‘this week up until the weekend’. Those who want to go on the slow boat to June, they can do that. I am riding ‘within the next few days’. All we can do is wait, either way. There is nothing else we can do to make this go faster, and if you don’t like what you are hearing, get off the bus?
Caller: We won’t get off, we will wait. [Appreciation] Vegas, Vegas, Vegas! Negotiate!
RayRen: We didn’t expect to be here in January. It’s a new year, and there are bills. We are hoping to be out of here by Wednesday and then the bills won’t be an issue. Those who donate – thank you. Those who don’t donate, that’s okay, too. We will be here as long as we can be here, and help whomever we can. Thank you, transcribers!
RayRen played I Believe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DYrqOUKLtA
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