Activity on Hungary’s credit market showed a general slowdown in October, even though bank lending rates only started to rise sharply in November. Given the rather aggressive monetary tightening pursued by the National Bank of Hungary, the coming months could bring an even more accentuated slowdown in lending. Activity on the Hungarian retail credit market […]
Record weak forint puts Hungarian central bank in tight spotThe Hungarian forint weakened to a record level against the euro this week and Hungarian government bond yields jumped amid a souring of international market sentiment and a surge in COVID-19 cases. The central bank raised the interest rate on its one-week deposit facility in an […]
Faced with surging inflation and a weakening currency, Hungary’s monetary policy maker took decisive steps this week. The central bank raised the one-week deposit rate by 70 basis points after hiking the benchmark interest rate hike 2 two days earlier. The Hungarian National Bank (MNB) raised the benchmark interest rate by 30 basis points to […]
The faster-than-expected increase in Hungarian consumer prices has taken the market by surprise and is prompting analysts to revise their inflation projections upward. Many believe that the nation’s central bank will be forced to tighten monetary conditions more aggressively than planned to tamper inflationary pressures in the economy. Hungarian consumer prices jumped 6.5% year on […]
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán put forward USD2 billion in income tax refunds for families as the government gears up its campaign ahead of next year’s general elections. Polls suggest that Orbán’s cabinet faces a competitive race for the first time in a decade in the 2022 vote. Millions of Hungarian parents will receive partial […]
The National Bank of Hungary delivered its third interest rate hike in as many months as monetary policy makers seek to slow the rate of price increases. Meanwhile central bank Governor György Matolcsy berated the government’s economic policy and called for a turnaround in competitiveness. The Monetary Policy Council of the National Bank of Hungary […]
Hungary’s budget deficit continued to widen on government stimulus measures, reaching nearly half of the increased annual target by the end of July. Meanwhile, the head of the nation’s central bank warned that a global economic crisis was looming large on the horizon and the government needs to undergo structural changes to respond to the […]
Housing prices in Hungary have nearly doubled in the past ten years; the extent of price increases was higher only in two other European Union member states in this period. Despite the jump in prices, interest in home purchases remains strong. Average residential real estate prices in Hungary increased by nearly 100% in the last […]
Hungary’s economy is expected to make a strong comeback this year following the ravaging impact of the Covid pandemic. The International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are the latest to project that GDP growth is set to exceed earlier expectations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its forecast of Hungary’s […]
The National Bank of Hungary hiked interest rates this week, becoming the first monetary authority in the European Union to start monetary tightening as it seeks to tame inflation in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. The bank indicated it would continue to raise borrowing costs due to inflation risks. The Monetary Council of the […]
Hungary’s forint broke multi-month records against the euro in recent days, fueled by rate hike expectations and a promising economic growth outlook. The currency gained ground even as a steadying US dollar cut international risk appetite. As inflation in Hungary and other central European nations is above central banks’ target levels, investors are betting on […]
Hungary’s central bank indicated this week it was planning to raise interest rates amid widespread market expectations for policy makers to affirm rate-hike plan. The interest rate hike, needed to stem soaring inflation, would be the first in the European Union since the outbreak of the pandemic. The National Bank of Hungary said this week […]
Although Hungary’s economy contracted in the first quarter of 2021, analysts expect the country to return to growth throughout the year and predict a swift recovery from the malaise caused by the coronavirus epidemic. According to current market expectations, the nation could see GDP growth of around 6% this year. Hungarian economic output declined an […]
Hungary’s government submitted plans to Brussels on how the country would utilize more than 2,500 billion forints (EUR 7bn) distributed from the bloc’s recovery and resilience fund (RRF). The money can be spent on strategic development projects over the next six years. Earlier, the Cabinet indicated it would not make use of the EU’s credit […]
The Hungarian government argues that next year’s budget bill, submitted earlier this week, is aimed at relaunching the economy. However, the bill has come under heavy fire from the Fiscal Council, the National Bank of Hungary and opposition parties for being an election-year budget designed to support key voting groups. Hungary’s 2022 budget targets economic […]
