The business index edged down to 3.5 points from 4.4 points while the consumer index improved to minus 22.4 points in February from minus 23.8 points in January.
Business expectations improved minimally in industry and trade, but worsened among service and construction companies. Industrial companies’ assessment of output in the previous period as well as that of the order stock and inventories improved slightly. On the other hand, the assessment of the outlook for production in the next period was again more pessimistic.
The construction sector index reached a fifteen-month low in February, with the assessment of the order stock deteriorating slightly. Trade companies were more pessimistic with regards to their sales position, though more optimistic regarding inventories and prospective orders. The service sector index continued to fall as the assessment of business in general improved, but turnover in the previous and coming periods worsened.
People’s inflationary expectations continued to decrease and their unemployment fears also lessened.
The assessment of the outlook for the Hungarian economy improved across all sectors, however, those expecting to see a deterioration are still a majority, excluding the service sector. Consumers are also only slightly more optimistic on this matter.
Households’ assessment of their own financial outlook improved slightly and substantially more said they would be able to put aside savings in the coming period.
The seasonally adjusted GKI-Erste index is supported with European Union funding.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 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.
