Bloomberg: euro only partly to blame for currency pain in E Europe

History

pexels

At face value, the euro is to blame for the currency slide across Eastern Europe, since the regionʼs economies are enmeshed with the EU’s supply chains, says a report by Bloomberg. Several other factors are at play, however, particularly in Hungary.

Image: Pexels.com

From elections and EU court rulings to government spending and monetary-policy quirks, homegrown headwinds have placed Hungary’s forint, the Polish złoty, the Czech koruna and the Romanian leu among the worst-performing emerging market currencies this month, says the business newswire.

The forint is the worst performer this month, hitting a record low against the euro. A dovish turn from Hungaryʼs central bank and a buildup of speculative positioning against the currency have added to its pain, while a current-account balance that has turned to a deficit isn’t helping either, says the report.

Rising liquidity after the central bank’s decision to relax monetary policy, as well as “the delicate external balance of Hungary and downward squeeze on the euro,” will keep pressure on the forint, according to London-based Citigroup strategists Dumitru Vicol and Luis Costa, who have an underweight call for the currency, Bloomberg reports.

ADVERTISEMENT

Households Continue to Make Net Withdrawals in Oct Banking

Households Continue to Make Net Withdrawals in Oct

Gov't Keeps Rate on General-purpose Student Loans at 7.99% Government

Gov't Keeps Rate on General-purpose Student Loans at 7.99%

Wolf Theiss Advises Kyoto Group on HaaS Delivery to Kall Ing... Deals

Wolf Theiss Advises Kyoto Group on HaaS Delivery to Kall Ing...

4-legged Guests Welcome at Hungary's 1st Hampton by Hilton Hotels

4-legged Guests Welcome at Hungary's 1st Hampton by Hilton

SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL

Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For 27 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.
Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.