Turkish Monthly Inflation at 1.71% in May, Exceeding Forecasts

FILE PHOTO: A money changer holds Turkish lira and US dollar banknotes at a currency exchange office in Ankara, Türkiye December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A money changer holds Turkish lira and US dollar banknotes at a currency exchange office in Ankara, Türkiye December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo
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Turkish Monthly Inflation at 1.71% in May, Exceeding Forecasts

FILE PHOTO: A money changer holds Turkish lira and US dollar banknotes at a currency exchange office in Ankara, Türkiye December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A money changer holds Turkish lira and US dollar banknotes at a currency exchange office in Ankara, Türkiye December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo

Turkish consumer price inflation stood at 1.71% month-on-month in May, while the annual figure climbed to 32.61%, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Friday.

In a Reuters ⁠poll, monthly inflation ⁠was forecast to be 1.63%, with the annual rate seen at 32.50%, as ⁠the Iran war drives expectations of a slower-than-anticipated disinflation trend.

In April, consumer price inflation surged to 4.18% month-on-month, while the annual figure climbed to 32.37%, both figures above ⁠forecasts.

The ⁠data also showed the domestic producer index stood at 2.75% month-on-month in May for an annual increase of 28.93%.

Türkiye's trade deficit narrowed 15.7% year-on-year to $5.6 billion in May, mainly due to fewer working ⁠days during the ⁠month, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said ⁠on Thursday.

Bolat said exports fell by 9.3% to $22.5 billion in May, while imports fell by 10.7% ⁠to $28.1 ⁠billion in the same period.

Türkiye's unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points month-on-month to 8.2% in April, data showed ⁠on Thursday.

The Turkish ⁠Statistical Institute data showed the ⁠labor force participation rate decreased 0.6 points to 52.4% in April, while a seasonally adjusted measure of labor ⁠under-utilization dropped ⁠1.2 percentage points to 30.1% in April.



Saudi-Jordanian Business Council Recommends Boosting Economic Cooperation

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi-Jordanian Business Council Recommends Boosting Economic Cooperation

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

Meetings of the Joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council were held in Jordan’s capital, Amman, to strengthen bilateral partnerships, promote joint projects, and address obstacles to trade and investment flows, SPA reported.

The council’s sectoral committees recommended a package of practical measures and initiatives to strengthen economic and investment cooperation, boost bilateral trade, and facilitate the movement of investors, businesspeople, and goods between the two countries.


Japan Seeks Record $55.6 bln Defense Budget, with AI Focus, Says Ministry

This photo shows an exterior view of the Defense Ministry of Japan with its sign at the main entrance in Tokyo on Sept. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
This photo shows an exterior view of the Defense Ministry of Japan with its sign at the main entrance in Tokyo on Sept. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
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Japan Seeks Record $55.6 bln Defense Budget, with AI Focus, Says Ministry

This photo shows an exterior view of the Defense Ministry of Japan with its sign at the main entrance in Tokyo on Sept. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
This photo shows an exterior view of the Defense Ministry of Japan with its sign at the main entrance in Tokyo on Sept. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

Japan's defense ministry requested a record budget of 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion) on Monday as Tokyo looks to artificial intelligence to speed up decision-making in the face of a tense security environment.

But the final budget reportedly could reach 10 trillion yen as Tokyo undergoes a sweeping upgrade of its defense in order to navigate growing tension with neighbors such as China, North Korea and Russia.


Turkish Economy Grows Less-Than-Forecast 2.3% in Q2 as Domestic Demand Shrinks

24 August 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Pigeons take flight at sunset as people sit along the waterfront in Istanbul. (dpa)
24 August 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Pigeons take flight at sunset as people sit along the waterfront in Istanbul. (dpa)
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Turkish Economy Grows Less-Than-Forecast 2.3% in Q2 as Domestic Demand Shrinks

24 August 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Pigeons take flight at sunset as people sit along the waterfront in Istanbul. (dpa)
24 August 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Pigeons take flight at sunset as people sit along the waterfront in Istanbul. (dpa)

Türkiye’s economy expanded 2.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, data showed on Monday, below forecasts as domestic demand shrank amid tight monetary policy and the Iran war impact. 

In a Reuters poll, economic growth was estimated to have risen by 2.9% in the second quarter and was forecast to expand by ‌3.05% in 2026. ‌It was the fourth consecutive quarter of slower ‌growth. 

Treasury ⁠and Finance Minister ⁠Mehmet Simsek said that growth would rise after the "balanced" second-quarter growth. 

"Thanks to progress in the disinflation process and more supportive global conditions, we expect growth to gradually increase in the coming period," Simsek said in a statement after the data. 

Second-quarter gross domestic product grew 1.1% from the previous quarter on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, the Turkish ⁠Statistical Institute data showed. 

The strongest growth by ‌activity was shown by agriculture, forestry ‌and fishing, which expanded 13.3%, while information and communication grew 8.6%, the data ‌showed. 

Haluk Burumcekci from Burumcekci Research and Consultancy said there was ‌an "increasingly evident loss of momentum in domestic demand", adding that the "positive contribution from net external demand after six quarters suggests that the first signs of the 'rebalancing among demand components,' one of the key objectives of the economic ‌program, have begun to emerge". 

External demand contributed 0.6 percentage points to second quarter growth, while domestic ⁠demand shrank ⁠1.3% quarter-on-quarter, economists said, noting that this was a disinflationary development. 

Turkish annual consumer price inflation stood at 31.75% in July, underscoring the challenges for the central bank, which has held rates at 37% in the last four policy meetings as it monitors Iran war fallout. 

While tight monetary and fiscal policies implemented to balance domestic demand and combat high inflation put pressure on economic growth, the economy grew by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to revised figures. 

Growth in 2025 was revised to 3.7% from 3.6%. 

The government's current medium-term program projected growth of 3.8% in 2026. A new medium-term program will be announced on September 7.