Turkey's external assets at $255B in May

By Yunus Girgin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's external assets amounted to $255 billion at May-end, up 6.5% from 2020, the Turkish Central Bank announced Friday.

The country's liabilities against non-residents during the same period fell 10.8% to $582 billion.

The net international investment position (NIIP) – the difference between external assets and liabilities – was minus $327 billion in May, versus minus $413 billion at the end of 2020.

As a snapshot in time, the NIIP, which can be either positive or negative, is the value of overseas assets owned by a nation, minus the value of domestic assets owned by foreigners, including overseas assets and liabilities held by a nation's government, private sector and its citizens.

Reserve assets, a sub-item under assets, were $92 billion at the end of May, down 1.3% from the end of last year.

Other investments, another sub-item under assets, totaled $107 billion, indicating an increase of 16.2% in the same period.

"Currency and deposits of banks, one of the sub-items of other investment, recorded $53.3 billion, indicating an increase of 27.3% compared to the end of 2020," the Central Bank said.

On the liabilities side, direct investments – equity capital plus other capital – as of the end of May were $147.7 billion, down 33%, including the effects of changes in market value and foreign exchange rates.

Non-residents' foreign exchange deposits were $35 billion, up 5% in May versus the end of 2020.

The bank added that Turkish lira deposits rose 1%, recording $15.6 billion.

It said banks' total external loan stock amounted to $65.5 billion – up 2.1% – and total external loan stock of the other sectors was $100.2 billion in the same period.

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