Turkish state fund to manage, sell firms seized after coup - PM

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Companies seized by the Turkish authorities because of suspected links to the religious movement blamed for a failed coup will be managed or sold by the state's TMSF Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday. Turkey launched a crackdown on companies it suspects of links to sympathisers of Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric the government blames for masterminding the July 15 putsch. The prime minister also said ratings agencies should not take rash decisions about Turkey's credit rating. Fitch lowered its outlook on Turkey to negative from stable last month, while Moody's said on July 18 it was putting its rating on review for a possible downgrade to junk status. (Reporting by Asli Kandemir; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Nick Tattersall)