UPDATE - Turkish stocks end day with gains

UPDATES WITH MORE DAILY FIGURES FOR STOCKS AND SECTORS

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's benchmark stock index rose 0.61 percent to close Wednesday at 102,157.88 points with a trading volume of around 6.8 billion Turkish liras ($1.54 billion).

Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index ended the day with a 617.49 point hike from Tuesday's close of 101,540.39 points, while it opened the midweek trading day at 101,611.97 points.

During the sessions, the benchmark index saw the lowest level at 100,654.84 points and the highest at 102,794.66 points, while 41 stocks on the index were on the rise, 47 on the decline, and 12 flat compared to the previous close.

The total market value of listed shares on the BIST 100 was 6.8 billion Turkish liras ($1.5 billion) at close. The banking sector index closed the day up 1.11, while the holding sector fell 1.87 percent.

Among all sectors, the BIST wholesale and retail trade index showed the best performance -- up 3.34 percent -- and the wood, paper, and printing sector index fell the most, losing 2.01 percent.

Stocks of a major textile manufacturer Mavi Giyim (MAVI) were the top gainer, up 5.48 percent, and shares of event organizer Flap Kongre Toplanti Hizmetleri (FLAP) posted the worst performance with a 16.25 percent drop.

The BIST 100's most-traded listed companies were private lender Garanti Bankasi, leading petrochemicals producer Petkim, national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, state lender Halkbank, and iron and steel producer Kardemir.

The USD/TRY exchange fell to 4.4180 as of 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT) Wednesday, down from 4.4590 at Tuesday's close.

The euro/lira exchange rate dropped to 5.2160 by market close, versus 5.2740 at the previous close, while the British pound/lira exchange rate was flat at 5.9820, compared with 6.0100 at Tuesday's close.

The BIST Gold Exchange index ended the day with a 0.88 percent decrease. In Borsa Istanbul's Precious Metals and Diamond Markets, one ounce of gold traded for $1,285.10 as of 4.30 p.m. local time (1330GMT) Wednesday, compared with $1,296.50 at Tuesday's close.

As of 6 p.m. local time (1500GMT), the price of Brent oil stood at $78.12 per barrel -- hovering between $77.62 and $77.43 during the course of Wednesday -- up from around $66 at the beginning of 2018.