Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga will continue to oversee the economic portfolio in Hungaryʼs new government, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in his weekly radio interview on Friday. Meanwhile, János Lázár, who has headed the Prime Ministerʼs Office for the past four years, is set to return to local politics.

The head of the Hungarian Pharmaceutical Manufacturersʼ Association (Magyosz) called for the formulation of a national strategy for the pharmaceutical industry in an interview published in business daily Világgazdaság on Thursday, summarized by state news wire MTI.   

Economy ministers of the Visegrád Group - Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia - signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperating in the area of industrial policy in Budapest on Thursday.

The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) and the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) have together produced a package of proposals for the government to consider when it drafts its new strategy for economic policy, daily Magyar Idők reported on Wednesday, cited by state news wire MTI.   

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its projection for Hungaryʼs GDP growth this year by 0.4 of a percentage point to 3.8% in its fresh World Economic Outlook published on Tuesday. The IMF projects growth slowing to 3% in 2019, although this projection, too, was raised by 0.2 of a percentage point. 

The total number of registered economic organizations in Hungary - including companies, partnerships, private entrepreneurs, and state and non-profit entities - rose by 1.3% from the end of 2016 to the end of 2017, says a summary of data published by the Central Statistical Office (KSH), cited by state news agency MTI.   

Output of Hungaryʼs construction sector rose 26% year-on-year in February, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said Friday. The output of the building segment rose 19.8% during the period, while the civil engineering segment climbed 40.1%.

Forint liquidity of Hungaryʼs banking sector fell in March from a month earlier, which was mainly reflected in declines in the average stocks of overnight and other deposits, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) said in a report released today and based on preliminary data.

A rise in EU transfers reduced the decline in Hungaryʼs external financing capacity last year, and, coupled with continued net FDI inflow, was the main factor behind a continuing drop in the countryʼs net and gross external debt ratios, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) said in a quarterly Balance of Payments report Thursday.   

In February 2018, the volume of industrial output rose by 4.1% year-on-year, according to a second estimate of monthly data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH), confirming the figure in the first estimate on April 6. The working day-adjusted index was equal to the non-adjusted index.

Agricultural producer prices were up by 4.9% in February 2018 compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, which was made up of increases of 6.2% in prices of crop products and 2.6% in prices of live animals and animal products, show data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH) released Thursday.

In February 2018, the number of nights spent by international tourists increased by 7.4% and that of nights spent by domestic tourists by 10.7% compared to a year earlier, data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH) show. Total gross revenues grew by 12% at current prices in accommodation establishments.

Consumer prices were 2.0% higher on average in March 2018 than a year earlier, up slightly from a 1.9% year-on-year increase in February. The highest price increases were measured for alcoholic beverages, tobacco and food, according to a first release of monthly data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH) on Tuesday.

In euro terms, exports increased by 5.0% and imports by 4.5% in February 2018 compared to the same month of the previous year. The trade surplus was up by EUR 72 million year-on-year, according to a first estimate of monthly data for the external trade in goods from the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

Hungaryʼs industrial output was up 4.1% in February compared to the same month a year earlier, a preliminary release of data by the Central Statistics Office today showed.

The National Bank of Hungaryʼs (MNB) international reserves stood at EUR 23.059 billion at the end of March, up EUR 502.1 million from the end of the previous month, preliminary data cited by national news agency MTI shows.

In February 2018, the volume of sales in retail shops, according to both raw and calendar-adjusted data, grew by 6.5% compared to the same month last year, according to a first estimate of monthly retail data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH).  Sales growth slowed from 7.8% in January.

The deficit of the general government sector in 2017 was HUF 746.3 billion, equivalent to 2% of GDP, according to a first release of preliminary data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH). The balance deteriorated by HUF 156.9 bln, or 0.3 of a percentage point, as a proportion of GDP compared to 2016.

Hungaryʼs seasonally adjusted Purchasing Managersʼ Index (PMI) slipped slightly to 57.0 points in March, from 57.2 in February, the Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management (Halpim), which compiles the index, said on Tuesday.   

Hungaryʼs gross consolidated state debt, calculated according to Maastricht rules and including the liabilities of state-owned Magyar Eximbank, stood at 73.6% of GDP at the end of 2017, down from 76.0% at the end of 2016, show preliminary data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) on Tuesday.