Turkish shares go up at close of Borsa Istanbul

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s benchmark index was up 0.84 percent at the close of the daily session Monday.

The BIST 100 index rose 626.78 points to close at 74,990.23. The total trading volume of the country's stock exchange market was 2.6 billion Turkish liras (approx. $760.5 million).

On the first day of the week, the banking and holding sector indices advanced 1.52 and just 0.03 percent, respectively.

Among sector indices, the basic metal index rose the most – 2.91 percent – while the largest drop was seen in the communication index, which fell 0.74 percent.

The most heavily traded stocks were lenders Garanti Bank, Is Bankasi, Halkbank, Akbank, and national flag carrier Turkish Airlines.

Shares of Vakif GYO, a real estate investment trust part of state lender Vakifbank, were the top percent gainer with an increase of 6.88 percent, while Metro Holding, a major transportation sector company, suffered a 3.09 percent drop, the biggest of the day.

The Borsa Istanbul Gold Exchange index rose 0.17 percent in value, with gold trading at 131,200 Turkish liras (some $38,378) per kilogram.

The Turkish lira gained value against the U.S. dollar on the first day of the week to trade at 3.4320, compared to 3.4590 at Friday's close.