Turkish Inflation Drops Slightly for First Time in 3 Months

Pedestrians walk past a currency exchange shop in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (EPA)
Pedestrians walk past a currency exchange shop in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (EPA)
TT

Turkish Inflation Drops Slightly for First Time in 3 Months

Pedestrians walk past a currency exchange shop in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (EPA)
Pedestrians walk past a currency exchange shop in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (EPA)

Turkish annual consumer price inflation dropped for the first time in three months to 61.36% in October, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Friday, as fallout eased from the lira's sharp summer decline, and tax hikes.

Month-on-month, inflation was 3.43%.

The domestic producer price index was up 1.94% month-on-month in October for an annual rise of 39.39%.

The annual inflation rate increased to 61.53% in September and is expected to rise into next year although the central bank raised the interest rate by 2,650 basis points to 35 percent.

Türkiye’s central bank (CBRT) raised its year-end inflation forecasts for this year and next to 65% and 36% respectively, Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan said on Thursday.

The bank's previous inflation report three months ago forecast year-end inflation of 58% in 2023 and 33% next year.

Moreover, the 2025 inflation forecast was lowered from 15 percent to 14 percent.

Erkan told a press conference to present the CBRT's inflation report that disinflation would start after it peaked at around 70%-75% in May.

“We expect that there will be temporary rises in the monthly inflation in November, January, and May owing to several factors that fall outside the scope of the monetary policy,” according to Erkan.

"We will continue to use all our tools decisively until there is a significant improvement in the inflation outlook.”

She added that the bank maintained a 5% medium-term target.

Türkiye will move to inflation-adjusted accounting, but financial institutions may be excluded from the practice, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said.



Oil Extends Gains After US and Iran Strike Ships

A drone view shows the Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia's Chemical Valley industrial corridor in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia's Chemical Valley industrial corridor in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Oil Extends Gains After US and Iran Strike Ships

A drone view shows the Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia's Chemical Valley industrial corridor in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia's Chemical Valley industrial corridor in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Oil prices extended gains on Monday as tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran on vessels sailing in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas heightened concerns of a prolonged supply disruption from the Middle East.

Brent crude futures climbed 79 cents, or 0.82%, to $97.07 a barrel by 0512 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $92.28 a barrel, up 80 ‌cents, or ‌0.87%.

Brent rose 7.8% last week while WTI gained nearly ‌10% ⁠after the US and Iran ⁠resumed attacks and caused a reduction in oil flows through the Hormuz strait where a fifth of the world's oil supply used to transit.

US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, US Central Command said, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran's key oil export hub.

The navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday it targeted three oil tankers that were travelling through unauthorized routes in ⁠the Strait of Hormuz as well as three additional US vessels ‌in other areas.

The Saturday attacks represented a "major ‌escalation in the maritime conflict", maritime intelligence firm Marisks said.

"Commercial tankers are now being deliberately used ‌as instruments of reciprocal economic pressure, substantially weakening the previous distinction between military confrontation and ‌commercial shipping," it added.

An average of 10 commodity ships transited the Strait of Hormuz per day over the past 10 days, the lowest since May, data from analytics firm Kpler showed on Monday.

"If tanker traffic begins to slow materially, the market could price in a much ‌larger supply shock. And there are already signs that this is happening," said Priyanka Sachdeva, head of market insights at Phillip ⁠Nova.

A restricted zone ⁠will be announced outside the Strait of Hormuz in coming days, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday, according to state media.

OPEC+ kept its oil output policy unchanged for October at a meeting on Sunday, the producer group said in a statement, as it needs to agree new quotas before deciding its next output steps.

A prolonged standoff, punctuated by calibrated military action by the US and Iran, appeared to be the most likely scenario and was likely to delay the path to full recovery of Middle East supply, ANZ analysts said in a note.

"We then expect exports to remain constrained through the rest of 2026, before a gradual reopening late in Q4 2026," they said, adding that a return to pre-war throughput is not expected until late first quarter or early second quarter of 2027.


Oman and Yemen Sign Two Cooperation Agreements on Electricity Interconnection

Two cooperation agreements were signed on electricity interconnection between Oman and Yemen (Oman News Agency)
Two cooperation agreements were signed on electricity interconnection between Oman and Yemen (Oman News Agency)
TT

Oman and Yemen Sign Two Cooperation Agreements on Electricity Interconnection

Two cooperation agreements were signed on electricity interconnection between Oman and Yemen (Oman News Agency)
Two cooperation agreements were signed on electricity interconnection between Oman and Yemen (Oman News Agency)

Oman and Yemen signed two joint cooperation agreements on Sunday concerning an electricity interconnection project between the power grid in Oman's Dhofar Governorate and the power grid in Yemen's Al Mahrah Governorate, as part of the two countries' cooperation in the energy sector.

According to the Oman News Agency, the two agreements include supplying electricity to several areas in Al Mahrah, including Hawf and Shahan, as a first phase, through the electricity distribution network.

The planned loads are estimated at 3 megawatts for Hawf and 5 megawatts for Shahan, eventually reaching the city of Al Ghaydah with loads of up to 50 megawatts.

The agency said the project is part of efforts to support the stability and availability of electricity supplies in the beneficiary areas of Al Mahrah by connecting them to the electricity grid in Dhofar.

It added that the agreements aim to strengthen energy infrastructure, address electricity needs in the beneficiary areas, and promote stability, development, and the advancement of the social and commercial sectors.

According to the agency, the first agreement was signed on the Omani side by Ali Shammas, CEO of Nama Dhofar Services, and on the Yemeni side by Othman Owaid, Director General of the Public Electricity Corporation in Al Mahrah Governorate.

The second agreement was signed on the Omani side by Ahmed Al Abri, CEO of Dama Power and Water Procurement Company, while the Yemeni side was represented by engineer Mohsen Ali Balhaf, Director of the Yemeni Oil Company in Al Mahrah Governorate.


Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman Reaffirm Commitment to Market Stability

FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman Reaffirm Commitment to Market Stability

FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The seven OPEC+ countries, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually on September 6, 2026, to review global market conditions and outlook, SPA reported.

The seven participating countries decided to maintain September 2026 required production for October 2026 as detailed in the table below.

The seven countries reiterated their collective commitment to achieve full conformity with the Declaration of Cooperation.

The seven OPEC+ countries will continue to hold monthly meetings to review market conditions.

The next meeting will be held on October 4, 2026.