Turkish financial markets ended stronger on Wednesday but off their highs after the government called for early general elections on Tuesday in an attempt to end a political crisis over a disputed presidential poll.
Bonds made a solid rebound after the biggest sell-off in a year in the previous two days, triggered by a standoff between the Islamist-rooted government and the secular establishment, including the powerful military.
The yield on the benchmark February 4, 2009 bond dropped to 18.96 percent at the 1230 GMT close from Tuesday's final yield of 19.27 percent. However, a late day sell-off pushed the yields back up to 19.08 in Thursday dated trade.
Analysts had seen a call for early elections as the most pragmatic way to end uncertainty during a stand off over the presidential election between Turkey's secular elite and the ruling party, rooted in political Islam. The ISE National-100 share index rose 1.67 percent to 44,256.13 points at the 1330 GMT close, off its highs for the day of 45,323.37.
Stocks sold off on Monday and Tuesday after the constitutional court ruled the first round of the presidential election invalid. The market at one point fell 7.9 percent on Monday but has rebounded 2.6 percent from its lows.
At its close Turkey was outperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets stock index, which was up 0.54 percent. Investors remain cautious despite the call for early elections, which have eased the markets.
The lira closed the interbank market session at 1.3588 against the dollar, holding much of the ground it made up in after-hours trade following Tuesday's court ruling to annul the first round of the presidential election. The official close on Tuesday was 1.3845 per dollar.
The foreign investors association YASED said foreign direct investment -- key for offsetting Turkey's large current account deficit -- would not be affected by the political standoff. It predicts FDI in 2007 will top last year's $20.1 billion.
Adding to the unease, Citigroup cut its recommendation on Turkey stocks to underweight from overweight on Tuesday, citing a likelihood of prolonged political turmoil.