Stock Markets March 18, 2026

Istanbul Shares Slip as Telecoms, Tourism and Paper Stocks Weigh on BIST 100

BIST 100 closes down 0.78% with mixed sector performance; oil rises while gold retreats

By Ajmal Hussain
Istanbul Shares Slip as Telecoms, Tourism and Paper Stocks Weigh on BIST 100

Turkey's BIST 100 index ended lower as losses in Telecoms, Tourism and Wood, Paper & Printing sectors exerted downward pressure. Market breadth favored decliners, while commodities and currency pairs showed divergent moves - oil strengthened, gold fell, and the lira edged weaker against major currencies.

Key Points

  • BIST 100 closed down 0.78% as Telecoms, Tourism and Wood, Paper & Printing sectors weighed on the market.
  • Top gainers included IS:REEDR (+9.88%), IS:MAVI (+3.54%), and IS:ECILC (+2.37%); top decliners included IS:EFOR (-9.99%), IS:KLRHO (-9.94%), and IS:TRALT (-6.51%).
  • Commodities and FX diverged - April gold futures fell 2.65% to $4,875.26/oz, May crude rose to $98.22/bbl and May Brent to $108.99/bbl; USD/TRY moved to 44.22 and EUR/TRY to 51.13.

Stocks in Turkey finished the trading day lower on Wednesday, with the BIST 100 sliding 0.78% as declines in Telecoms, Tourism and Wood, Paper & Printing names dominated activity.

At the close in Istanbul the benchmark BIST 100 index registered a 0.78% loss.

Among individual equities, the session's top performers included Reeder Teknoloji Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS (IS:REEDR), which jumped 9.88% - a gain of 0.73 points - to end trading at 8.12. Apparel group Mavi Giyim Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS (IS:MAVI) rose 3.54%, adding 1.52 points to close at 44.40. EIS Eczacibasi Ilac Sinai ve Finansal Yatirimlar Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (IS:ECILC) also posted gains, up 2.37% or 2.80 points to finish at 121.00 in late trade.

On the downside, Efor Yatırım Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (IS:EFOR) led losses after dropping 9.99%, a fall of 1.39 points, to close at 12.53. Kiler Holding AS (IS:KLRHO) declined 9.94%, shedding 14.30 points to end the session at 129.60. Turk Altin Isletmeleri AS (IS:TRALT) fell 6.51%, down 3.42 points to 49.08.

Market breadth on the Istanbul Stock Exchange skewed negative, with 397 issues falling compared with 195 gaining, while 26 stocks finished unchanged.


Commodities showed mixed performance during the session. Gold Futures for April delivery slid 2.65%, down $132.94, to settle at $4,875.26 a troy ounce. In contrast, crude oil prices moved higher - May delivery crude oil climbed 2.82% or $2.69 to reach $98.22 a barrel. The May Brent contract was up 5.39%, gaining $5.57 to trade at $108.99 a barrel.

In currency markets, the Turkish lira moved slightly weaker against major currencies. The USD/TRY pair was up 0.09% at 44.22, while EUR/TRY increased 0.17% to 51.13. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.22% to 99.55.


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Overall, the trading day closed with the BIST 100 lower and a majority of stocks retreating, while oil strengthened and gold declined amid modest currency moves.

Risks

  • Sector-specific weakness in Telecoms, Tourism and Wood, Paper & Printing could continue to pressure related equities and weigh on overall market performance - this impacts the corresponding sectors directly.
  • Volatility in commodity prices presents uncertainty for markets and sector earnings - falling gold and rising oil introduce differing pressures on energy, materials and investor hedging behavior.
  • Currency fluctuations in USD/TRY and EUR/TRY create exchange-rate risk for companies with FX exposure and for investors assessing returns in lira-denominated assets.

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