logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
17m 28s

Why is Turkey's currency collapsing?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Turkey's currency has been in free fall this week, reaching a record low against the US dollar. The Lira's collapse has been sparked, in part, by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubling down on his controversial economic policies, such as demanding that the central bank cut interest rates despite rapidly accelerating inflation.

Ed Butler explores why President Erdogan is so attached to the policy, at the expense of three central bank governors in the last three years, and asks what impact the currency crisis is having on Turkey's economy. Ed speaks to Gulcin Ozkan, professor of finance at King's College London, economist and former fund manager Mohamed El-Erian, and to a forlorn wealth manager in Istanbul.

Producer: Will Bain

(Picture: Turkish Lira notes; Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
Making a career from golf in Africa
As the continent aims to grow the sport, we hear from professional golfers who say they’re having to take on other jobs because there’s not enough money in the sport yet. Would a more organised competition structure, with more regular competitions, offer more opportunities to win ... Show More
17m 27s
Aug 25
Is Gen Z the most investment-savvy generation?
Generation Z - people born in the mid-to-late 1990s up to the early 2010s - is reportedly the new driving force behind retail investing. We look at the areas they are investing in, and why financial influencers are not always what they seem. To get in touch with the programme, se ... Show More
17m 28s
Aug 24
Spain's power blackout: what went wrong?
On the morning of the 28th of April, Spain lost electric power equivalent to that generated by ten nuclear plants, leaving the whole of the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal and parts of France, without electricity for up to 12 hours. We examine the cause of the blackout that ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Pourquoi l’inflation persiste en Turquie?
En Turquie, l’inflation est repartie à la hausse en janvier malgré une politique hyper restrictive menée par la banque centrale depuis six mois. Après la démission surprise de sa gouverneure, annoncée à la veille du week-end, son successeur devrait poursuivre la stratégie adoptée ... Show More
2m 59s
Jan 2022
Is Turkey heading for an economic meltdown?
Turkey is suffering from an economic crisis with rampant inflation and a weakening lira. At the same time, there is a refusal by the central bank to raise interest rates. With elections due to be held next year, will the government change course? With Tanya Beckett. Producer Bob ... Show More
23m 49s
Oct 2020
The Interview - Turkish Lira: A Recipe for Disaster?
Michael Nicoletos, CIO and co-founder of Appletree Capital, is joined by John Floyd, head of macro strategies at Record Currency Management, to analyze the mounting pressures on the Turkish Lira as well as other emerging market (EM) currencies. Floyd breaks down his bearish thesi ... Show More
40m 12s
Dec 2021
You bet your dollar-bottomed: Erdogan’s next gambit
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s idea for saving the lira by backing deposits with dollars means the Turkish taxpayer will end up bailing out the Turkish depositor. Our correspondent finds striking insights in 40 years’-worth of humdrum submissions to a unique sociology project. ... Show More
23m 20s
May 2023
Turkey’s President Fights for Political Survival
For two decades, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has loomed large over Turkish politics. But skyrocketing inflation and a devastating earthquake have eroded his power and, in a presidential election over the weekend, he was forced into a runoff.Ben Hubbard, The Times’s Istanbul bu ... Show More
24m 50s