Turkish Lira Falls to Record Low Near 19 to the Dollar

Woman holds Turkish Lira banknotes in this illustration taken May 30, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Woman holds Turkish Lira banknotes in this illustration taken May 30, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Turkish Lira Falls to Record Low Near 19 to the Dollar

Woman holds Turkish Lira banknotes in this illustration taken May 30, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Woman holds Turkish Lira banknotes in this illustration taken May 30, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Türkiye's lira weakened to a fresh record low of 18.9620 against the dollar on Thursday.

Presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 14 are adding to uncertainty. They will determine whether Türkiye continues with unorthodox policies under President Tayyip Erdogan or reverts to orthodoxy as promised by the opposition.

Separately, Türkiye's Treasury said on Thursday it had borrowed $2.25 billion in a eurobond issue maturing in 2029, bringing the amount it borrowed from international markets to $5 billion this year.

The yield to investor in the latest issue was 9.50%, down from 9.75% in the eurobond issued in January, the Treasury said, adding that demand was more than triple the amount issued, Reuters reported.

More than a third of the amount issued was sold to investors in the United Kingdom and more than 20% to those in the United States, it said.

The lira lost some 30% of its value against the dollar in 2022 and 44% the year before.

It is likely to hover around 19 to the dollar until the end of the election cycle, largely thanks to forex interventions, but would likely decline further in the long term if Erdogan wins the election, Wells Fargo said in a note.

Türkiye's international bonds also came under pressure with longer-dated issues falling around half a cent in the dollar, according to Tradeweb. ,



India Imposes Temporary Tariff on Some Steel to Stem Cheap Imports from China 

A worker stacks pressed steel items at a factory which produces metal products for export, in Binzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
A worker stacks pressed steel items at a factory which produces metal products for export, in Binzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
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India Imposes Temporary Tariff on Some Steel to Stem Cheap Imports from China 

A worker stacks pressed steel items at a factory which produces metal products for export, in Binzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
A worker stacks pressed steel items at a factory which produces metal products for export, in Binzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

India, the world's second-biggest producer of crude steel, on Monday imposed a 12% temporary tariff on some steel imports, locally known as a safeguard duty, to curb a surge in cheap shipments primarily from China.

A flood of Chinese steel in recent years has pushed some Indian mills to scale down operations and mull job cuts, and India is one of a number of countries to have contemplated action to stem imports to protect local industry.

The Ministry of Finance said in an official order that the duty would be effective for 200 days from Monday, "unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier".

The move is New Delhi's first big trade policy shift since US President Donald Trump imposed a wide range of tariffs on countries in April, kicking off a bitter trade war with China.

Tensions over cheap steel imports into India predate that, with the investigation behind the latest move beginning in December.

India's Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said in a statement the measure is aimed at protecting domestic steel manufacturers from the adverse impact of a surge in imports, and will ensure fair competition in the market.

"This move will provide critical relief to domestic producers, especially small and medium-scale enterprises, who have faced immense pressure from rising imports," Kumaraswamy said.

New Delhi's tariffs are primarily aimed at China, which was the second-biggest exporter of steel to India behind South Korea in 2024/25.

"The decision is along expected lines and we will now wait and see how this measure supports (the) industry and margins and restricts cheap imports into the country," said a senior executive at a leading Indian steel mill.

"The world is impacted by Chinese imports whether directly or indirectly," said the executive.

India was a net importer of finished steel for a second straight year in 2024/25, with shipments reaching a nine-year high of 9.5 million metric tons, according to provisional government data.

New Delhi's leading steelmakers' body - which counts JSW Steel and Tata Steel among members, alongside the Steel Authority of India and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India - has raised concerns over imports and called for curbs.