Iran’s economy takes heart from mood of détente

It is still far too soon to talk about a peace dividend in Iran, but there are signs the political optimism sparked by renewed efforts to resolve the nuclear problem has begun to spill into the economy. The stock market has been hitting record levels and the currency is stabilising as people sense that the latest round of international negotiations might add up to more than just idle talk (see page 5). Allied to that, President Hassan Rouhani’s new cabinet has been taking a far more professional approach to managing the country’s domestic problems.