TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN/BLOOMBERG
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled that he expects further monetary easing by the central bank even though he has been happy with the pace of interest cuts thus far, reported Bloomberg.
“Interest rates retreated to reasonable levels with the central bank’s appropriate interventions, but I believe that they will fall further,” said Erdogan.
Erdogan remains fixated on lower borrowing costs, which he believes would only curb inflation, but Governor Murat Uysal signalled that the central bank might look to moderate its pace of rate cuts after ‘front-loaded’ monetary easing in July and September 2019.
On Uysal’s watch, Turkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankasi (TCMB) has cut rates by 750 basis points, including a record move in his first month on the job after Erdogan fired his predecessor in July 2019 for not cutting rates fast enough.
Although the president’s remarks show that he has been content with the pace of monetary easing, his suggestion to further cut the benchmark rate, which stands at 16.5 per cent, will likely be considered by Uysal.
After the inflation rate dropped to single digits last week, Turkey’s real interest rate stood at a whopping 724 basis points, among the highest in emerging markets. Economists are already suggesting that policymakers may deliver another 150-200 basis-point rate cut when they next meet this month.
Erdogan also reiterated his unconventional theory about monetary policy that lower rates bring price growth down.
MOST READ
CPI Financial was established in Dubai in 1999 to meet the needs of an ever-expanding financial community, offering a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading products and services tailor-made for the banking and financial services sectors.
Loading More post
