Turkish lira headed for 6th stumble in last 8 days

• The lira stood at 6.5920 against the dollar by 0826 GMT, from Friday's close of 6.5480.
• The consumer confidence index rose to 58.2 points in March, while foreign arrivals for February rose by 3.8pc, official data showed.

ISTANBUL: Turkey's lira weakened some 0.6pc and hit its lowest level since September 2018, on Monday as a surge in coronavirus cases at home put the currency on track for a sixth slide in the last eight trading days.

The lira stood at 6.5920 against the dollar by 0826 GMT, from Friday's close of 6.5480.

It has slipped in five of the last seven days and has lost more than 9pc of its value this year.

Turkey's death toll from the coronavirus reached 30 with 1,236 confirmed cases as of Sunday.

Ankara has suspended flights to some 70 countries, closed schools, cafes and bars, banned mass prayers and postponed sports matches and events.

State banks - Ziraat Bank, Vakifbank and Halkbank - announced some flexible loan payment options for customers and offered restructuring possibility for corporate debt especially hardly hit sectors of tourism and transportation.

Istanbul's main share index was down 3.3pc, while the banking index fell 7.25pc.

The consumer confidence index rose to 58.2 points in March, while foreign arrivals for February rose by 3.8pc, official data showed.