Turkey's benchmark bond yield hit all-time lows in thin end-of-year trading on Friday, while shares rose in line with other emerging markets and the lira strengthened slightly. The yield on the August 8, 2012 benchmark bond traded at 7.11 percent at 1200 GMT, compared with 7.12 percent on Thursday.
Yields have fallen this year from 8.87 percent at the end of 2009 as the benchmark interest rate has been cut to historic lows and as the economy rebounded after the global financial crisis. The lira strengthened to 1.5430 against the dollar from a previous close of 1.5490, but was on course for a 3.4 percent drop this year - reflecting concerns about euro zone sovereign debt fears and central bank moves earlier this month to curb hot money inflows and the currency's strength.
The Istanbul stock exchange's main index climbed 0.3 percent to 67,026.08 points. It has rallied about 27 percent this year, outpacing a 16 percent gain in the emerging markets equity index as investors switched to riskier assets and favoured Turkish assets in particular as economic growth is outstripping many other economies. The government forecasts 6.8 percent economic growth this year, but economists say it will be higher and Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergun told reporters on Thursday he expects the Turkish economy to have grown around 8 percent this year. The emerging markets share index rose 0.6 percent on Friday.
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