Turkish Treasury posts $800M cash surplus in November

By Gokhan

ISTANBUL

Turkish Treasury's cash balance saw a surplus of 4.35 billion Turkish liras ($800 million) in November, Treasury and Finance Ministry announced on Friday.

Last month, the Treasury's cash revenues totaled 80.67 billion Turkish liras (nearly $15 billion), increasing 28 percent on a yearly basis.

Its expenditures -- including interest payments of 6.66 billion Turkish liras ($1.24 billion) -- also rose 31.8 percent to 76.3 billion Turkish liras ($14.2 billion).

In November, the Treasury's non-interest expenditures amounted to 69.66 billion Turkish liras ($12.94 billion) -- an 11-billion-Turkish lira ($2 billion) surplus -- in the primary balance.

The cash surplus of $4.35 billion represents the Treasury's cash revenues minus expenditures, including interest payments, in November.

The average U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate was 5.38 last month.

Cumulative figures

The Treasury received 707.9 billion Turkish liras ($147.8 billion) in cash revenue while expenditures totaled 759.6 billion Turkish liras ($158.6 billion) from January to November, according to the official figures.

During the 11-month period, the Treasury's non-interest expenditures were nearly 691.6 billion Turkish liras ($144.4 billion) -- a 16.25-billion-Turkish lira ($3.4 billion) surplus -- in the primary balance.

Interest payments totaled 67.9 billion Turkish liras ($14.2 billion) -- the top contributor to the deficit -- while privatization/fund income amounted to 5.1 billion Turkish liras ($1.06 billion) over the same period.

As a result, the 11-month cash balance posted a deficit of some 46.6 billion Turkish liras ($9.7 billion) between January and November.

Last year, the Treasury's cash balance ran a deficit of 60.47 billion Turkish liras ($16.56 billion). The 12-month revenue plus privatization or fund income amounted to 623.7 billion Turkish liras ($170.8 billion), while expenditures in 2017 -- including interest payments -- surpassed 697.1 billion Turkish liras ($191 billion).

The 11-month average for U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate was 4.79 in 2018, while one dollar traded for 3.65 on average in 2017.