The responses of asset prices in Turkey to monetary policies of Federal Reserve and European Central Bank

This study aims to investigate the responses of asset prices in Turkey such as stock market indices returns, exchange rates and domestic interest rate to the monetary policy changes of the Fed and the ECB for the pre- and post- global financial crisis. The time period of the study between 2004 and 2013 is separated into two main parts as the pre-crisis period (January 2004 - September 2008) and the post-crisis period (October 2008 - December 2013) by considering the key event of the global financial crisis, which is the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. The study employs event-study approach and standard instrumental variables approach proposed by Rigobon and Sack (2004) by utilizing appropriate monetary policy measures for the pre- and post-crisis periods. The monetary policy measures are based on short-term interest rates for the pre-crisis period while the monetary policy measures are retrieved from longer-term interest rates for the post-crisis period. The findings of the study offer that the most of the asset prices in Turkey react significantly to the monetary policy changes of the Fed and the ECB while the assets do not respond significantly in general in the pre-crisis period. The accommodative monetary policy actions during the post-crisis period increase most of the returns of the stock market indices in Turkey and lead to appreciation of Turkish lira against U.S. dollar. Furthermore, the expansionary policy implementations of the Fed during the post-crisis period result in depreciation of Turkish lira against euro as well as a decrease in the domestic interest rate.