Turkish lira’s ten day winnings to get reality check

London: Turkish lira traders returning after the Eid holiday will have to make do with a look in the rear-view mirror at the currency’s best run in half a decade. More political upheaval on the way means it could be a long wait before there’s a comparable winning streak.

The lira fell for a second day on Friday after a 10-day run of gains, the longest streak since May 2014. Turkish traders sat out much of that because of the three-day holiday.

While they were away, emerging-market concerns resurfaced, with Mexico downgraded by Fitch Ratings and political tension mounting before a re-run of the Istanbul vote on June 23. The lira was the biggest loser among developing-nation currencies on Friday, weakening as much as 1.5 per cent and trading down 1.2 per cent at 5.8497 per dollar by 10:42am in Istanbul.

“While the carry-friendly market environment seems favourable for the Turkish lira at first glance, traders should remain cautious with their long-lira positions in the coming weeks,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior market analyst at London Capital Group. “The rally could be short-lived if carry traders get out of their long-lira positions before the political scene gets ugly again.”

Optimism over a dovish tilt by the Federal Reserve supported emerging-market currencies this week, while slowing inflation boosted the relative allure of yields on Turkish debt, helping the lira clock up a 5 per cent gain in the past month, the most worldwide.