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Istanbul stocks climbed to a fresh record on Monday, with the benchmark BIST 100 touching an intraday high of 11,675.73 on a 1.5% gain as lower-than-expected December inflation strengthened optimism over disinflation and the outlook for interest rate cuts.
As of 12:15 p.m. local time (GMT+3), the BIST 100 was trading around the 11,620 level, with all major sectoral indices in positive territory led by technology stocks, which rose by around 3.5%.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), annual inflation eased to 30.89% in December 2025, while monthly inflation came in at 0.89%, both below market expectations. The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye’s (CBRT) December market participants survey had previously pointed to expectations for a 100-basis-point rate cut, which would bring the policy rate down to 37%.
However, the softer-than-expected inflation readings prompted markets to price in a larger cut of up to 150 basis points.
Among sub-sector indices, brokerage firms recorded the strongest performance with gains exceeding 4%, followed by leasing and factoring companies, which rose by around 3.9%.
Most sub-sector indices advanced during the session, while wood, paper and printing, investment trusts, insurance, sports, non-metal mineral products, and textile and leather stocks lagged behind. The BIST banking index was trading slightly higher on a flat trajectory at the same time.
The upbeat mood on Borsa İstanbul was mirrored in global markets. Asian equities advanced on Monday, driven by a surge in technology stocks and easing concerns over geopolitical risks following the U.S.-led ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Traders appeared to shift focus away from Venezuela-related tensions, returning instead to themes such as artificial intelligence-driven growth and potential interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 3% to 51,832.80, buoyed by gains in SoftBank and chipmaker Tokyo Electron. Seoul’s Kospi rose more than 3%, lifted by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. TSMC fueled a 2.6% rally in Taipei’s benchmark, which also hit a record high.
In Europe, Germany’s DAX 40 rose 1.1%, while the broader STOXX 600 gained 0.5%.
Meanwhile, oil prices dipped slightly, with Brent crude down 0.9% at $60.27 per barrel and WTI at $56.83, while the safe-haven asset gold climbed more than 1% to trade around $4,400 per ounce.
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