In February 2020, the volume of sales in retail shops increased by 10.9% according to raw data and by 11.3% when adjusted for calendar effects compared to the same period of 2019, according to data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

Monthly turnover on the Budapest Stock Exchange reached HUF 500.8 billion in March, up from HUF 302.4 bln in February and HUF 282.8 bln in the same month a year earlier as coronavirus fears led an equities sell-off, data released by the bourse show, state news wire MTI reports.

Hungary has put its 2020 general government deficit, calculated according to the European Unionʼs accrual-based accounting standards, at 2.9% of GDP, Hungarian news agency MTI says, citing a report submitted by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) to Eurostat in the framework of an Excessive Deficit Procedure.

A prerequisite for effective disease control measures is that the authority has accurate information on each animal, says agroforum.hu.

New passenger car registrations in Hungary reached 11,478 in March, down 14% from the same month a year earlier, the Hungarian Association of Vehicle Importers (MGE) told state news wire MTI, citing figures compiled by DataHouse.

The forint slipped as far a 369.63 to the euro - a new historic low - during the day, but snapped back after the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) announced the launch of a one-week deposit that pays the 0.9% base rate, state news wire MTI reports.

In January 2020, the surplus on external trade in goods was EUR 423 million (revised downwards from EUR 433 mln), with the balance improving by EUR 39 mln compared to January 2019, according to a second reading of data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

According to preliminary data, the deficit of the general government sector in 2019 was HUF 958 billion, 2% of GDP, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) reports.

Hungaryʼs seasonally-adjusted Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) plummeted to 29.1 points in March from 50.3 in February, showing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management (Halpim), said on Wednesday, Hungarian news agency MTI reports.

While in Budapest, passengers disappeared from public transport vehicles and car traffic dropped significantly almost from the beginning of the month, the number of trucks on the roads did not decrease until mid-March, according to data from the National Toll Payment Service Company (NSZSZ), writes g7.hu. 

In view of the expected effects of the coronavirus epidemic, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) may maintain its countercyclical capital buffer rate at 0% in the longer-term, the central bank has published on its website. 

The Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) sold HUF 43.5 billion of discount three-month T-bills at auction on Tuesday, HUF 3.5 bln more than planned.

Hungaryʼs gross state debt, as a percentage of GDP, fell to 66.3% at the end of the fourth quarter, state news wire MTI reports, citing a second reading of financial accounts data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB).

In January 2020, both average gross earnings and average net earnings grew by 9.2% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

Industrial producer prices were about 3.8% higher in February 2020 than in the same period of 2019, with wage growth, forint exchange rate changes, and the development of the world market prices of raw and base materials influencing the price rise, according to data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

Retail chains reported HUF 56.9 billion in grocery and drug sales between the week of March 9 -15, 47% more than in the same period last year, says novekedes.hu.

Half of all companies have completely halted their recruitment activities, but there are examples of growing demand in some market segments, according to Trenkwalder’s labor market review, writes portfolio.hu.

This yearʼs central budget must be radically restructured in order to manage the crisis and revitalize the economy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after holding a videoconference with representatives of the government and the economic chambers on Monday, state news wire MTI reports.

Although the hotel industry was the first to be hit by the coronavirus epidemic, its business relationships could be among the first to recover, according to Világazdaság. 

Hungaryʼs three-month rolling average jobless rate reached 3.5% in February, up 0.1 percentage point from the previous month but down 0.1 percentage point from 12 months earlier, Hungarian news agency MTI says, citing data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).