Turkey stocks close lower after profit taking

By Bahattin Gonultas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's stocks fell on Monday as some investors took profits after a one-month rally.

The BIST 100 index of the largest listed companies in Istanbul fell 0.10 per cent, to 93,832.

On the first transaction day of the week, the banking sector index dropped by 0.64 percent while the holding sector fell by 0.22 percent.

Among all sectors, the transport index was the best performer with an increase of 4.37 percent while the sports sector was the worst, falling 1.56 percent.

Stocks in Turkish Airlines were the best performer on Monday -- up 6.43 percent.

The five most traded stocks were national flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, lenders Garanti and Akbank, plus mobile operator Turkcell.

The U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate increased to 3.57 liras as of 6 p.m. (1500GMT) Monday, compared with 3.54 liras at Friday's close.

Borsa Istanbul's Gold Exchange index remained unchanged while the price of gold per kilogram also fell to 141,300 Turkish liras (around $39,550) as of 4.30 p.m. (1330GMT).