Türkiye’s first floating gas platform arrives at Black Sea port
Türkiye’s first floating natural gas production platform, Osman Gazi, reached Filyos Port in Zonguldak on May 31.
Turkey's lira fell as much as 12.7% and touched a new all-time low of 42 to the dollar on Wednesday, with bonds and stocks also tumbling sharply, after authorities detained President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival.
The move against Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was called "a coup attempt" by the opposition and appears to cap an aggressive months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country which has been condemned as a politicised attempt to silence dissent.
Imamoglu was expected to be named as the main opposition's presidential candidate within days.
The lira traded at 38.90 to the dollar at 1016 GMT, from a close of 36.67 on Tuesday, having recouped some of the losses from the all-time low it hit earlier - but still having had its biggest decline since July 2023. The earlier tumble to 42 marked one of the lira's largest absolute intraday moves on record.
Turkey's international government bonds also came under pressure with longer-dated maturities suffering the sharpest falls.
"In Turkey this morning, bonds and FX are coming under pressure after a potential presidential candidate, the mayor of Istanbul, was arrested," said Frantisek Taborsky, EMEA FX & fixed income strategist at ING.
"(Turkey's lira) is the most heavily positioned carry-trade in the emerging markets space at the moment in our view, and a sharp move could potentially lead to further outflows. On the other hand, we should see local banks providing some FX support."
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said they were doing everything necessary to ensure healthy functioning of the markets, without giving further details.
Bankers calculate that the Turkish central bank sold a minimum of $5 billion in FX after lira's crash, while some say it may have already reached $10 billion for the day.
Analysts and investors were also concerned about the knock on effect for monetary policy, worrying that the sharp decline in the lira could delay or halt the rate-cutting cycle since the central bank has been ensuring real appreciation of the currency for months.
The central bank had in December embarked on an easing cycle for the first time after an 18-month tightening effort that reversed years of unorthodox economic policies and easy money championed by Erdogan, which had seen the economy run red hot and inflation exceeding 70%. Erdogan has supported the steps by the central bank for a more orthodox policy.
"With this FX shock they need to keep rates where they are for now," one banker said.
Stocks also crashed, reflecting investor worries over rule of law. Turkish blue-chip stocks (.XU100), opens new tab fell by nearly 6%, set for their worst daily performance since late 2023.
The banking sub-index (.XBAN), opens new tab declined 9.67%. Borsa Istanbul said trading was halted temporarily after the main BIST 100 index fell 6.87% in early trading and the market-wide circuit breaker was triggered.
"A wave of selling was triggered after Imamoglu's diploma was annulled and he was detained. There have been foreign investor inflows in recent days ... but political uncertainty currently prevails and concerns about foreign investors leaving the country have increased," Serhat Baskurt, algorithmic operations manager at ALB Yatırım, said.
Baskurt said he expected the decline on the stock exchange to continue over the coming days.
Borsa Istanbul said that the uptick rule on short sale transactions for the BIST 50 index would be used on Wednesday. The rule requires short sales to be conducted at a higher price than the previous trade.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
A car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s Premier League title in the city centre on Monday evening, injuring dozens including 4 children. A 53-year-old man believed to be the driver was arrested at the scene.
Taxi drivers across France are protesting government plans to cut payments for driving patients to medical appointments. These cuts are part of a broader effort by Prime Minister François Bayrou to save €40 billion in the 2026 budget and reduce the country’s large deficit.
EU ministers have greenlit a massive €150 billion defense investment fund—dubbed the Security Action for Europe (SAFE)—as the bloc ramps up its military readiness in response to Russia’s aggression and growing uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
Asia’s manufacturing sector shrank in May as weak demand from China and rising U.S. tariffs hit exports and clouded the region’s economic outlook.
Germany’s economy may see growth in 2026, but only if the new coalition’s massive investment plan is effectively implemented, experts say.
President Donald Trump announced that he will increase steel tariffs from 25% to 50%, a move that could push up costs for industries relying on steel, including housing and auto manufacturing.
U.S. stocks wrapped up the week with a mixed finish after President Donald Trump accused China of breaking a recent trade agreement, reigniting global market jitters just weeks after a deal was struck in Geneva.
Volkswagen is negotiating directly with the U.S. government to ease tariffs in exchange for deeper investment commitments.
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