AGL 38.02 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.21%)
AIRLINK 197.36 Increased By ▲ 3.45 (1.78%)
BOP 9.54 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (2.36%)
CNERGY 5.91 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.2%)
DCL 8.82 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (1.61%)
DFML 35.74 Decreased By ▼ -0.72 (-1.97%)
DGKC 96.86 Increased By ▲ 4.32 (4.67%)
FCCL 35.25 Increased By ▲ 1.28 (3.77%)
FFBL 88.94 Increased By ▲ 6.64 (8.07%)
FFL 13.17 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (3.29%)
HUBC 127.55 Increased By ▲ 6.94 (5.75%)
HUMNL 13.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-0.74%)
KEL 5.32 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (1.92%)
KOSM 7.00 Increased By ▲ 0.48 (7.36%)
MLCF 44.70 Increased By ▲ 2.59 (6.15%)
NBP 61.42 Increased By ▲ 1.61 (2.69%)
OGDC 214.67 Increased By ▲ 3.50 (1.66%)
PAEL 38.79 Increased By ▲ 1.21 (3.22%)
PIBTL 8.25 Increased By ▲ 0.18 (2.23%)
PPL 193.08 Increased By ▲ 2.76 (1.45%)
PRL 38.66 Increased By ▲ 0.49 (1.28%)
PTC 25.80 Increased By ▲ 2.35 (10.02%)
SEARL 103.60 Increased By ▲ 5.66 (5.78%)
TELE 8.30 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.97%)
TOMCL 35.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.09%)
TPLP 13.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-1.85%)
TREET 22.16 Decreased By ▼ -0.57 (-2.51%)
TRG 55.59 Increased By ▲ 2.72 (5.14%)
UNITY 32.97 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.03%)
WTL 1.60 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (5.26%)
BR100 11,727 Increased By 342.7 (3.01%)
BR30 36,377 Increased By 1165.1 (3.31%)
KSE100 109,513 Increased By 3238.2 (3.05%)
KSE30 34,513 Increased By 1160.1 (3.48%)

ANKARA: Turkish state banks sold around $4.5 billion last week, two sources told Reuters, including in a flurry of selling late on Friday, to support the lira and stem declines triggered by a decision this week to re-run Istanbul's mayoral election.

The lira closed at 5.9955 against the US dollar on Friday, after hitting its weakest level in more than seven months at 6.2460 on Thursday.

Four sources confirmed the banks' efforts on Friday to protect the lira.

"The state banks intervened again between 1800-2000 GMT," an investor source said.

"So [there were] two interventions in the relatively thin end-of-day US timezone," the source added, referring to Friday and to dollar selling the previous day.

"We clearly started to notice Turkish banks are in the market after the lira firmed to 6.10 against dollar on Friday," a senior forex trader at a bank said.

"Banks offered US dollars until the market was completely illiquid."

The lira has lost as much as 15 percent against the dollar this year, with the latest weakness driven by investor concerns over Monday's decision to re-run a mayoral election in Istanbul that had been narrowly won by the main opposition party.

Turkey's central bank on Thursday effectively tightened policy by funding the market through a higher rate and took additional liquidity steps to bolster the lira.

A rally on Friday in Turkish bonds was driven by buying by local pension funds, the investor source said adding there was "zero sign of offshore buyers" for bonds.

A bond rally boosts the country's currency.

Copyright Reuters, 2019

Comments

Comments are closed.