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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Business
Asharq Al-Awsat

Türkiye Lira Flat after Overnight Tumble to Record Low of 19.8 vs Dollar

People walk near Galata Bridge as the sun sets behind Suleymaniye mosque, background right, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 9, 2023. (AP)

Türkiye’s lira, which is prone to sharp swings before regular trading hours, was flat early on Friday, after dropping 4.25% to a record low of 19.80 against the dollar overnight.

The lira stood at 18.9575 at 0439 GMT, same as its closing level on Thursday. Overnight, it firmed up some 5.3% to 18.0030 before swinging in the other direction.

Economists are currently weighing the impact of the massive earthquake that hit Türkiye last month.

Presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 14 are adding to uncertainty. They will determine whether Türkiye continues with unorthodox policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or revert to orthodoxy as promised by the opposition.

The lira has been largely stable since August thanks to authorities' heavy hand in the forex market. The Turkish central banks' gross forex reserves declined by about $9.3 billion since the first quake hit in early February.

The currency lost some 30% of its value against the dollar last year due to concerns about monetary policy and the fallout from the war in Ukraine. It had shed some 44% in 2021.

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