Turkey dollar bonds slump, CDS surge as lira weakens

LONDON: Turkey dollar bonds fell across the curve on Thursday and the cost of insuring exposure to the country's sovereign debt rose as anxiety weighed about a re-run of Istanbul's mayoral election and tensions surrounding U.S.-China trade talks.

Turkey's 2026 dollar-denominated issue fell 1.6 cents in the dollar, according to Refinitiv data.

Meanwhile five-year credit default swaps jumped 11 basis points (bps) from Wednesday's close to 483 bps, similar levels to the run up to local elections at the end of March, according to IHS Markit.

Turkey's currency fell beyond 6.24 against the dollar on Thursday, reaching its lowest level in eight months.