TRY, Inflation, and Erdogan's Gambit
Alright folks, let's talk Turkey – specifically the Lira. We've been watching $TRY dance around the 18.60 level against the dollar for what feels like an eternity, currently sitting at 18.6264. The official line from Ankara remains a rather rosy picture, but anyone with a screen knows inflation is running hotter than a summer day in Antalya, unofficially well north of 80% if you talk to locals. The curious thing, of course, is the market's relative calm, or perhaps, its resignation.
My take? The current 'stability' is a mirage, a function of central bank intervention that can't last indefinitely without deeper structural changes. The upcoming elections next year loom large. Erdogan's strategy of low rates to stimulate growth, despite rampant inflation, is a political play aimed at appeasing certain segments of the populace. But it's a house of cards. I'm putting a 65% probability on $TRY breaking decisively past 19.00 against the USD before the end of the year, likely spurred by a combination of further dollar strength and/or an inability to maintain the current level of FX market intervention. It's not about if, but when the pressure becomes too great. The only wild card is a surprise pivot in economic policy, which, let's be frank, seems about as likely as me winning the lottery without buying a ticket. Keep your eyes on the CPI releases; they're the canary in the coal mine, or perhaps, the dervish in the data.