Jeyhun Aliyev
29 August 2018•Update: 29 August 2018
By Jeyhun Aliyev
ANKARA
Turkey's benchmark stock index slipped 0.62 percent to close at 93,280.71 points Wednesday with a trading volume of around 6.5 billion Turkish liras ($1.01 billion).
Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index ended the day with a 586.23-point drop from Tuesday's close of 93,866.94 points, while it opened the midweek trading day at 93,316.96 points.
Borsa Istanbul will be closed on Thursday due to the Victory Day holiday.
The benchmark index hovered between 92,760.43 points and 94,279.73 points, while 30 stocks on the index were on the rise, 58 on the decline and 12 flat compared to the previous close last week.
The total market value of listed shares on the BIST 100 was around 614.75 billion Turkish liras ($98.85 billion) at close, while the banking sector index dropped 1.14 percent and the holding sector index gained 0.26 percent.
Among all sectors, the wood paper printing sector index was the top gainer, up 2.42 percent, while BIST basic metal index fell the most, losing 3.31 percent.
Shares of the food giant Ulker Biskuvi climbed the most, up 7.61 percent, while stocks of brewer and soft drinks manufacturer Anadolu Efes did the worst, falling 4.01 percent.
The BIST 100's most traded listed companies were national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, leading petrochemicals producer Petkim, defense company Aselsan, iron/steel producer Kardemir and private lender Garanti.
The USD/TRY exchange rate rose to 6.4550 as of 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT), up from 6.2320 at Tuesday's close.
The euro/lira exchange rate climbed to 7.5420 by market close, versus 7.3050 at the previous close, while the British pound/lira exchange rate was up at 8.3680, compared with 8.0470 at Tuesday's close.
In Borsa Istanbul's Precious Metals and Diamond Markets, one ounce of gold traded for $1,202.30 as of 4.30 p.m. local time (1330GMT) Wednesday, down from $1,210.35 at the previous close.
As of 6 p.m. local time (1500GMT), the price of Brent oil stood at $76.62 per barrel -- hovering between $76.02 and $77.07 during the course of Wednesday.
