Borsa Istanbul up at close

ANKARA (AA) - Shares on the Borsa Istanbul stock exchange market closed higher on Wednesday, as the sports sector index advanced most.

The BIST 100 index gained 602.44 points to close at 77,915.89, rising 0.78 percent.

In the midweek closing session, the sports sector index was up by 2.57 percent, the banking sector index rose 0.77 percent, and the holding sector index advanced 0.74 percent. The biggest decline was seen in the mining sector index, at 1.60 percent down.

The stock exchange’s total trade volume was 3.4 billion Turkish lira (some $1.14 billion), with private banks Garanti, Halkbank, and Akbank the most actively traded shares.

Analysts said the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) decision to continue expansionary monetary policy helped fuel the BIST 100’s rise.

According to the analysts, the markets are expected to follow the Fed's interest rate decision on Wednesday. Although no change in rates is expected, analysts said that even the speech of Fed head Janet Yellen and the message given by her would have an impact on emerging markets.

The Borsa Istanbul Gold Exchange index closed at 3,048.98 on Wednesday, rising 0.99 percent compared to the closing Tuesday, with gold trading at 126,320 Turkish liras per kilogram.

The Turkish lira remained constant at the 2.97 level against the U.S. dollar compared to Tuesday's close.