This is it for Turkey, default wave coming up... They have reached the last line of defense, Turkey's Central Bank might default later this year at this rate.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...m-central-bank-reserves-sources-idUSKCN1SJ0T4
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s Treasury ministry is working on legislation to transfer the central bank’s 40 billion lira ($6.6 billion) in legal reserves to the government’s budget to shore it up, three economic officials told Reuters.
The budget deficit is deeper than expected, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It was unclear when or whether the draft law would reach parliament, though one of the sources said it would happen “soon”.
The “legal reserves” are what the central bank sets aside from profits by law to be used in extraordinary circumstances. At end-2018, they stood at 27.6 billion lira, according to the bank’s balance sheet data.
A second source with knowledge of the matter said last year’s “legal reserves” combined with this year’s amounted to the 40-billion lira figure, which was cited by all three people who spoke to Reuters.
Despite the January boost from central bank profits, Turkey’s budget recorded a 36.2 billion lira deficit in the first quarter of 2019, Treasury and Finance Ministry data show. The deficit is expected to reach 80.6 billion lira by year-end.