Turkey’s Trade Deficit Narrows After Imports Slump on Weak Lira

  • September data shows exports rose for third straight month
  • Turkey’s central bank has made a series of interest-rate hikes

The slowdown in shipments arriving from abroad follows aggressive interest-rate hikes by the Turkish central bank.

Photographer: Moe Zoyari/Bloomberg
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Turkey’s trade deficit narrowed sharply in September as exports rose for a third straight month and imports slumped, driven by a slowdown in economic activity and a weaker lira.

The gap in foreign trade was just under $5 billion, compared with $9.6 billion a year earlier, according to preliminary data announced by Trade Minister Omer Bolat on Wednesday. Exports increased by 0.3% while imports were down by 14.1%, Bolat said.