Turkey's Inflation Hits 50%

Consumer prices in Turkey surged by 48.7% in January from the same time in January last year  

CNBC: Turkey’s inflation hits nearly 50%, highest in two decades  

* Turkey’s central bank has cut interest rates by 500 basis points since September to 14%. 

* “The results of Erdogan’s failed monetary policy experiment,” Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, wrote in a note following the inflation report. 

The annual inflation rate in Turkey has surged to a 20-year high of 48.7%, state data revealed on Tuesday, despite months of assurances by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the soaring figures were just temporary and that his government could ease the pain on Turks weighed down by rising living costs. 

Prices of consumer goods spiked 11.1% in January compared to the previous month, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute, higher than analysts’ predictions, which spanned between 9% and 10%. 

The Turkish lira lost 44% of its value in 2021 in a rout driven by Erdogan’s refusal to raise rates as inflation consistently climbed. The currency’s turbulence has hit Turks hard, as the value of their salaries dropped and costs of goods and energy dramatically increased. The president has prioritized credit and exports, while consistently arguing — against all economic orthodoxy — that raising rates actually worsens inflation rather than taming it. 

Turkey’s central bank has cut interest rates by 500 basis points since September to 14%.  

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WNU Editor: Turkey is a poster-child on what happens when you print money and follow a monetary policy of low interest rates. 

Turkey's Inflation Hits 50%  

Turkey's inflation soars to two-decade high of almost 49% -- CNN/Reuters  

Turkey's inflation surges to near 20-year high of 48.7% -- RTE 

Turkey's inflation highest since 2002, hitting 48.7% -- Daily Sabah  

Turkey Inflation Seen Surging to New High -- Bloomberg  

In Turkey, soaring inflation hits consumers hard -- France 24