Turkish Manufacturing Nears Stabilization as PMI Rises in December

An employee works at an assembly line in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Sakarya October 10, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
An employee works at an assembly line in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Sakarya October 10, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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Turkish Manufacturing Nears Stabilization as PMI Rises in December

An employee works at an assembly line in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Sakarya October 10, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
An employee works at an assembly line in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Sakarya October 10, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Turkish manufacturing activity shrank at a slower pace in December, marking two consecutive months of improvement, signaling a slight moderation in operating conditions at the end of 2025, a business survey showed on Friday.

The Istanbul Chamber of Industry Turkiye Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, rose to a 12-month high of 48.9 from 48.0 in November thanks ‌to softer slowdowns ‌in output, new ‌orders, ⁠employment and purchasing activity.

Readings ‌below 50.0 indicate contractions in overall activity, while figures above that suggest growth, Reuters said.

"With PMI reaching its highest level for a year in December, the manufacturing sector takes some momentum into 2026, giving hope that we will ⁠see growth in the months ahead," said Andrew Harker, ‌Economics Director at S&P ‍Global Market Intelligence.

New ‍orders eased at the slowest pace ‍since March 2024, with some firms noting improvements in customer demand. However, both total new business and new export orders continued to moderate.

Production was scaled back, though at a slower rate than in November. Employment saw ⁠a marginal reduction, while purchasing activity also experienced a softer decline, according to the survey.

Input costs rose sharply, driven by higher raw material prices, leading manufacturers to increase selling prices, the survey said.

"While inflationary pressures rebounded following the recent lows seen in November, rates of increase in input costs and output prices were still comfortably below the highs ‌we have seen at times in recent years," Harker said.



India’s Prime Minister Says It Has Reached a Free Trade Deal with the EU

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) poses for a photograph with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and European Council President Antonio Costa before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27, 2026. (AFP)
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) poses for a photograph with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and European Council President Antonio Costa before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27, 2026. (AFP)
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India’s Prime Minister Says It Has Reached a Free Trade Deal with the EU

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) poses for a photograph with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and European Council President Antonio Costa before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27, 2026. (AFP)
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) poses for a photograph with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and European Council President Antonio Costa before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27, 2026. (AFP)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that India and the European Union have reached a free trade agreement to deepen their economic and strategic ties.

The accord, which touches a whopping 2 billion people, was concluded after nearly two decades of negotiations. It was dubbed the “mother of all deals” by both sides.

It is one of the biggest bilateral engagements on commerce. The timing comes as Washington targets both India and the EU with steep import tariffs.

“This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe. It represents 25% of the global GDP and one-third of global trade,” Modi said while virtually addressing an energy conference.

The deal comes at a time when Washington is targeting both India and the EU with steep tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships.

Modi was scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later Tuesday to jointly announce the agreement.

India has stepped up efforts to diversify its export destinations as part of a broader strategy to offset the impact of higher US tariffs.

The tariffs include an extra 25% levy on Indian goods for its unabated purchases of discounted Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%.

The deal gives the EU expanded access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, helping European exporters and investors to reduce their reliance on more volatile markets.

“Ultimately, the agreement is about creating a stable commercial corridor between two major markets at a time the global trading system is fragmenting,” said Indian trade analyst Ajay Srivastava.

The EU is still reeling from the aggressive approach of its once-stalwart ally across the Atlantic. There’s a widespread sense of betrayal across the 27-nation bloc from US President Donald Trump's onslaught of higher tariffs, embrace of far-right parties, and belligerence over Greenland.

Brussels has accelerated its outreach to markets around the world: Over the past year, von der Leyen has signed deals with Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and South America under the catchphrase “strategic autonomy,” which in practice is akin to decoupling from a US seen by most European leaders as erratic.

“We are showing a fractured world that another way is possible,” she posted on X after arriving in India on Sunday.


World Bank Says Saudi Arabia Partnership Turns Policies into Economic Opportunities

World Bank Group Vice President for the People Vice Presidency Dr. Mamta Murthi. (SPA)
World Bank Group Vice President for the People Vice Presidency Dr. Mamta Murthi. (SPA)
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World Bank Says Saudi Arabia Partnership Turns Policies into Economic Opportunities

World Bank Group Vice President for the People Vice Presidency Dr. Mamta Murthi. (SPA)
World Bank Group Vice President for the People Vice Presidency Dr. Mamta Murthi. (SPA)

World Bank Group Vice President for the People Vice Presidency Dr. Mamta Murthi affirmed that the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the World Bank serves as an effective model for turning evidence-based policies into tangible economic opportunities for businesses of all sizes, contributing to job creation and human capital development.

Speaking at the third Global Labor Market Conference in Riyadh, Murthi emphasized that developing workforce systems to keep pace with rapid global economic changes has become an urgent necessity, stressing the pivotal role of the private sector in driving this transformation and achieving inclusive and sustainable job growth, the Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday.

She highlighted key initiatives under this agenda, including the launch of an annual labor-market academy, the formation of a global advisory committee of experts, and the preparation of practical guides to support short-term, targeted workforce interventions.

She also announced that the World Bank will publish a specialized report on Saudi Arabia’s progress in labor market reforms and skills development.


Qatar to Invest Hundreds of Millions to Support Lebanon

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, meets with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the presidential place in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, meets with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the presidential place in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
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Qatar to Invest Hundreds of Millions to Support Lebanon

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, meets with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the presidential place in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, meets with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the presidential place in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

Gas-rich Qatar on Monday announced investments in Lebanon worth hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the crisis-hit nation’s crumbling electricity sector and to continue support for the Lebanese armed forces and the return home of Syrian refugees.

Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, announced the investments by the Qatar Fund For Development after meeting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun in Beirut.

For years, Qatar has been seen as a friendly country to Lebanon and a mediator for domestic and international political crises. Doha is also a key partner in the consortiums for Lebanon’s offshore gas exploration blocks, The AP news reported.

Lebanon since late 2019 has been in a historic fiscal crisis after decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country's ruling class.

Al-Khulaifi said Qatar will give a $40 million grant to the electricity sector and another $360 million for projects in the sector that it said will benefit 1.5 million people.

Qatar had tried in the past to improve Lebanon’s electricity sector, without success. This time, Lebanon's president who was elected last year and a newly named prime minister have vowed to fight corruption.

Lebanon’s state electricity company is one of the country's biggest sources of debt, hemorrhaging about $40 billion over the past decades with a bloated workforce and outdated infrastructure. The company provides only a few hours of electricity each day, and the state until a year ago had taken advances from the Central Bank when diesel fuel runs out.

Most homes and businesses in Lebanon rely on highly expensive private generators that are a main cause of pollution in the Mediterranean nation.

The Qatari official also said his country will help with the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon, starting with the return of 100,000 people at an initial cost of $20 million. Al-Khulaifi said the refugees who will return will be guaranteed suitable housing in addition to payments that cover their food and medicine for three months.

He added that the Syrian government, which has close relations with Qatar, will facilitate the return.

Lebanon’s minister of social affairs, Haneen Sayed, said earlier this month that half a million Syrian refugees returned home in 2025.

Syria’s conflict displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million over 14 years. Lebanon hosted an estimated 1.5 million refugees, who at one point made up roughly a quarter of its 6 million people, with many having been smuggled across the border and unregistered with the UN.

Al-Khulaifi also said Qatar will continue it support to the Lebanese army, adding that the decision comes from Doha’s belief “that this institution is the basis for security and stability in the country.”