Turkiye has jacked up its inflation forecasts and cut those of economic growth on Wednesday, as President Tayyip Erdogan appeared to endorse the big interest rate hikes that are driving a turnaround toward more orthodox policies.
Since the policy U-turn began in June, analysts have applauded what they said was a more realistic effort to address years of soaring inflation, but cautioned that the short-term economic pain could test Erdogan’s patience.
The government said it sees annual inflation rising to 65 per cent by year end before dipping to 33pc next year, up from 24.9pc and 13.8pc respectively in forecasts it published a year ago.
It trimmed GDP growth forecasts to 4.4pc this year and 4pc next year – which is still higher than most economists expect – from 5pc and 5.5pc previously. The current account deficit is expected to be $42.5 billion in 2023 and $34.7 billion in 2024.
The forecast in Ankara’s annual “medium-term programme” is seen as a milestone in a broader policy U-turn that began in June when Erdogan named a new cabinet and central bank chief.
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The central bank has since aggressively hiked rates to 25pc from 8.5pc.
“With the support of tight monetary policy, we will bring down inflation to single digits again and improve the current account balance,” Erdogan said in presenting the programme.
“We will definitely not compromise on economic growth during the period of this programme,” he said.
The comment marks a rhetorical pivot for Erdogan, who for years had openly opposed high rates on the unorthodox grounds that they stoke inflation, and who once described himself as an “enemy” of interest rates.
But after his May re-election, Erdogan – faced with deep economic strains and badly depleted forex reserves – named Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan to start hiking rates and begin freeing up credit and forex markets.
The lira has since shed 25pc and, largely due to this depreciation, annual inflation jumped to near 59pc last month. The currency was stable at 26.8175 to the dollar at 1302 GMT.
The programme’s GDP forecasts imply Ankara predicts the lira will trade on average around 23.9 this year and 36.8 next year.
