ISTANBUL: Turkish shares hit a new high early on Friday and the lira firmed slightly in thin trade as local companies sold dollars to meet their year-end payments.
Istanbul's main share index closed up 0.16 percent at 78,579 points, underperforming a rise of 0.51 percent in the global emerging markets index.
Earlier in the day the index hit an all-time high of 79,077.32 points. Since the start of 2012, the main index has risen 48.5 percent.
By 1541 GMT, the lira firmed to 1.7871 to the dollar , from 1.7907 late on Thursday. So far in 2012, the lira has gained around 5.3 percent against the greenback, partly recouping the 20 percent loss it posted in 2011.
Against its euro-dollar basket the lira firmed to 2.0744 from 2.0796.
The yield on the two-year benchmark bond closed at 6.15 percent in thin trade, a tick lower from Thursday's close at 6.16 percent. So far this year, the yield has fell more than 500 basis points.
Center>Copyright Reuters, 2012
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