Update - Borsa Istanbul Down Over 1 Pct At Close

Turkey's benchmark stock index dropped 1.40 percent to 95,306.98 points with a trading volume of around 5.9 billion Turkish liras ($1.3 billion) in the closing session on Tuesday.



Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index ended the day with a 1,354.38-point decrease from the previous close of 96.661,36 points, while it opened the day at 96,473.53 points, down 0.19 percent.



The benchmark index hovered between 94,950.58 points and 96,783.19 points, while 16 stocks on the index were on the rise, 74 on the decline, and 10 flat compared to the previous close.



The total market value of listed shares on the BIST 100 was 608.99 billion Turkish liras ($134.92 billion) at the close, while the banking and holding sector indices dropped 0.77 percent and 1.86 percent, respectively.



Among all sectors, the leasing factoring sector index was the best performer, rising 4.79 percent, and the transportation sector index saw the biggest drop, losing 5.30 percent.



Stocks of energy company Ayen climbed the most, up 6.41 percent, while shares of event organizer Flap Kongre Toplanti Hizmetleri were the worst, falling 5.97 percent.



The BIST 100's most-traded listed companies were national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, defense company Aselsan, private lender Garanti, iron/steel producer Kardemir, and petrochemical company Petkim.



The USD/TRY exchange rate rose to 4.5510 as of 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT) Tuesday, compared with 4.5090 at Monday's close. Last month it hit an all-time high of 4.93.



The euro/lira exchange rate also climbed to 5.3680 by market close, versus 5.3230 at the previous close, and one British pound was traded for 6.1010 Turkish liras, compared to 6.0540 at Monday's close.



The BIST Gold Exchange index gained 0.02 percent in value at the close. In Borsa Istanbul's Precious Metals and Diamond Markets, one ounce of gold was traded for $1,297.20 as of 4.30 p.m. local time (1330GMT) Tuesday, compared to $1,297.00 at previous close.



The price of Brent oil rose slightly to $76.55 per barrel as of 6 p.m. (1500GMT) Tuesday, from $76.25 at the previous close. -