Turkey - Factors to Watch on May 31

ISTANBUL May 31 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Thursday.

The lira was at 1.8530 against the dollar at 0530 GMT, weakening from 1.8471 late on Wednesday. The lira was approaching the four-month low of 1.8582 which it hit last week due to euro zone worries.

The yield on Turkey's benchmark bond maturing on March 5, 2014 closed at 9.46 percent on Wednesday, up from a previous close of 9.40 percent.

The main stock index fell 0.58 percent to 55,125 points, outperforming a 1.52 percent decline in the MSCI emerging markets index.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Shares and commodities slid while the euro fell to its lowest in almost two years against the dollar on Thursday, as surging borrowing costs in troubled Spain heightened fears that it would not be able to rescue its banks and may have to seek a bailout. Investors fled from risk assets to U.S. government bonds, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield falling below 1.6 percent in early Asian trade on Thursday, its lowest in at least 60 years. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield hit a nine-year low of 0.810 percent.

TRADE BALANCE

April trade data will be announced by the Turkish Statistics Institute (0700 GMT). In a Reuters poll the deficit was forecast at $7.3 billion.

BORROWING PROGRAMME

The Treasury will announce its borrowing programme for June-August (1400 GMT).

AVIATION SECTOR STRIKES OUTLAWED

Parliament has approved a law banning aviation sector workers from going on strike, despite protests by Turkish Airlines employees earlier this week over the move.

ABANK

ABank said it mandated international banks coordinated by Standard Chartered Bank to arrange a one-year syndicated loan in two tranches denominated in euros and dollars.

TURKISH AIRLINES

The flag carrier said it had leased three A319-100 aircraft from the International Lease Finance Corporation.

ISBANK

The lender said in a statement its headquarters had been mandated to assess options for its branches in northern Cyprus, including bringing them under the umbrella of a new bank.

Note: For a list of forthcoming events, see.

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For real-time quotes, double click on: Istanbul National-100 stock index, interbank lira trading, lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)