ISTANBUL, June 9 Reuters The Turkish lira slid to beyond 17.2 against the dollar on Thursday, slipping for a fourth consecutive session towards December39;s record lows amid concerns over soaring inflation, a widening current account deficit and Ankara39;s policy response.

The lira stood at 17.20005 at 0612 GMT slightly weaker than Wednesday39;s close of 17.17. It has lost more than 23 of its value against the U.S. currency this year after a slide of 44 last year.

Last December39;s lira crisis was triggered by a series of unorthodox interest rate cuts carried out in line with President Tayyip Erdogan39;s economic plan, which prioritises production, exports, growth and low borrowing costs.

The lira has been the worst performer among emerging markets for several years due largely to investors39; concerns about economic and monetary policy under Erdogan39;s government, leaving households financially strained ahead of elections set for mid2023.

Erdogan set off the latest bout of weakness after a cabinet meeting on Monday when he said Turkey would not raise rates but would rather continue cutting them in the face of high living costs.

Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Nevzat Devranoglu; Editing by Tom Hogue and Gareth Jones

Source Reuters