Turkish stocks hit all-time high

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s benchmark index rose 596.29 points to close at 98,313.77 points on Wednesday, marking the highest close of all times.

Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index increased by 0.61 percent with a trading volume of 7.2 billion Turkish liras (around $2 billion).

On the third trading day of the week, the banking and holding sector indices advanced by 0.57 and 0.84 percent, respectively.

Among all sectors, the telecommunication index was the top gainer -- up 2.88 percent -- while the wholesale and retail trade sector saw the biggest decline, going down 1.52 percent.

Stocks of Celebi Hava Servisi (CLEBI), which provides integrated ground services at airports, were the top performer with an increase of 13.45 percent in value, whereas Galatasaray Sportif (GSRAY), one of Turkey's leading sports clubs, was the worst performer, with its stocks falling by 5.21 percent.

The five most-traded stocks were national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, telecommunication giant Turkcell, private lenders Garanti and Akbank plus real estate investment trust Emlak GYO.

The U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate stood flat at 3.5640 as of 5 p.m. (1400GMT) on Wednesday, compared with 3.5610 at Tuesday's close.

Borsa Istanbul's Gold Exchange index fell by 0.40 percent while the price of gold per kilogram decreased to 143,950 Turkish liras (some $40,411) as of 4.30 p.m. (1330GMT).