Turkey's Borsa Istanbul goes up at close

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s benchmark index advanced 0.12 percent to stand at 99,390.12 points at Wednesday's closing.

Borsa Istanbul’s BIST 100 index closed the day up 120.85 points with a total trading volume of 3.5 billion Turkish liras (approximately $992 million).

The banking and holding sectors were flat with a 0.04 percent decrease and 0.04 percent increase, respectively.

Among all sectors, the basic metal index was the best performer -- up 2.25 percent -- while the sports sector suffered the largest drop, down 1.18 percent.

Shares Cemtas Celik Makina (CEMTS), which operates in the steel industry, was the top gainer, up 6.31 percent in value, while stocks of a prominent sports club Galatasaray (GSRAY), were the top loser, declining 4.53 percent.

The index's top five stocks by transaction volume were pharmacy company Eczacibasi Ilac (ECILC), national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THYAO), private lender Garanti (GARAN), followed by iron and steel producer Eregli Demir Celik (EREGL) and state lender Halkbank (HALKB).

The U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate decreased to 3.5310 as of 5 p.m. (1400GMT) on Wednesday, compared with 3.5410 at Tuesday's close.

Borsa Istanbul's Gold Exchange index fell 0.14 percent while the price of gold per kilogram stood at 141,800 Turkish liras (some $40,192) as of 4.30 p.m. (1330GMT).