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Turkish Central Bank keeps interest rates high as inflation weighs on economy

Cornered by rising inflation and a weakening currency, Turkey’s Central Bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 19% on May 6 as policymakers await positive signals.

Women sit next to an exchange office at Laleli in Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2021.
Women sit next to an exchange office at Laleli in Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2021. — Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images

ISTANBUL ­­— Turkey’s Central Bank policymakers kept interest rates steady May 6 for a second meeting in a row, seeking to keep them above the nation’s rising inflation and anchor the Turkish lira after a recent slide.

In a statement issued with Thursday’s decision, the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee said it would hold its benchmark interest rate at 19% and keep the stance until a “significant fall” in inflation.

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