Turkish Treasury posts $1B cash surplus in August

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish Treasury's cash balance posted a surplus of 5.69 billion Turkish liras ($1 billion) in August, the Treasury and Finance Ministry announced on Friday.

In August 2018, the Treasury posted a 3.7 billion lira ($673 million) cash deficit, according to ministry data.

Last month, the Treasury's cash revenues totaled 101.6 billion Turkish liras ($18 billion), up 34.7% on a yearly basis.

Its expenditures -- including interest payments of 11.2 billion Turkish liras ($1.98 billion) -- rose 27% to 95.9 billion Turkish liras ($17 billion) compared to the same month last year.

In August, the Treasury's non-interest expenditures were 84.67 billion Turkish liras ($15 billion).

In the month, the cash surplus of $1 billion represents the Treasury's cash revenues minus expenditures -- including interest payments.

During the first eight months of 2019 -- January to August -- the country's revenues and expenditures reached 608.65 billion Turkish liras ($108.1 billion) and 679.66 billion Turkish liras ($120.7 billion), respectively.

The country posted a cash balance deficit of 68.1 billion Turkish liras ($12 billion) in the eight-month period.

The average U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate was 5.63 both in August and the first eight months of 2019, while it was 5.74 in August 2018.

Last month, the Treasury announced that it would repay debt of 57.7 billion Turkish liras ($9.88 billion) this September-November.