ANNUAL INFLATION HITS 19̞YEAR HIGH

The annual inflation rate jumped to 36.08% while consumer prices rose by 13.58% as a result of the sharp increase in USD/TRY and pricing instability in December, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Annual inflation hit a 19-year high in December, seeing its highest level since 2002. The monthly inflation exceeded estimations as the sharp TRY devaluation raised monthly inflation in several key expenditure groups, notably transportation, furnishing, food, and household equipment. The Domestic Producer Price Index (D -PPI) increased monthly by 19.08% to 79.89% on an annual basis in December. The D -PPI hit a 25-year high in December. The difference between the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and D -PPI reached 43.81 points in December. SEBNEM TURHAN