Turkish lira banknotes are seen in this picture illustration taken in Istanbul October 18, 2011.
CREDIT: REUTERS
The beleaguered Turkish lira tumbled further on Thursday to new record lows, extending a sharp slide triggered in part by an escalating political crisis.
The lira hit lows of 3.1061 to the euro and 2.2909 to the dollar but then recovered slightly in mid-morning trading.
Analysts said the central bank was expected to sell at least $100 million on Thursday to shore up the currency.
The Istanbul stock market was also down 0.38 percent to 67,110.31 points.
The central bank has refrained from hiking interest rates to defend the lira, although market analysts said it had given itself room for manoeuvre to tighten monetary policy on certain days.
The currency has fallen by about 10 percent since mid-December following the launch of a major corruption probe targeting several key government allies.
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