ISTANBUL: Turkey's central bank will tighten monetary policy further if necessary, it said on Thursday, as it left interest rates unchanged after inflation eased from a 15-year peak.
The central bank will closely monitor factors affecting inflation and "if needed, further monetary tightening will be delivered," it said in a statement.
The lira is currently down some 30 percent against the dollar this year, having trimmed its losses after the central bank hiked rates by 6.25 percentage points in September, and after relations with Washington improved.
A diplomatic dispute with the United States and concerns about President Tayyip Erdogan's influence over monetary policy have driven this year's lira sell-off. (Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun Editing by Gareth Jones)
