Report: Hungarian economy may have turned the corner

Deals

The worst is probably behind for Hungary’s economy and recent data has shown marked improvement in terms of economic activity, although some of this improvement has come about via measures which have damaged the business environment, reported London-based Capital Economics analysts yesterday.

In a report released to clients, Capital Economics said its own GDP tracker indicator suggests that the economy may have grown by around 0.3% year-on-year in the second quarter. If correct, they surmised, “this would be Hungary’s fastest growth rate since the final quarter of 2011.”

Looking ahead, there are reasons to believe that “things will get better from here on. For a start, the latest survey data suggest that the German economy, the destination for Hungarian exports equivalent to 20% of GDP may now be on stronger footing.”

In summary, Capital noted the “raft” of good news regarding the Hungarian economy as of late and that data on GDP for the first quarter of 2013 “showed that the economy exited recession, the budget deficit has narrowed to the extent that the European Commission lifted the country out of its excessive deficit procedure, and the local financial markets withstood the recent sell-off in Emerging Market assets relatively unscathed…”

The words of caution from the analysts: “significant tail risks remain.”

In a separate report highlighting key findings of a recent visit to Budapest, London-based economists at JP Morgan said that the consensus forecast on Hungary’s 2013 GDP growth has moved higher in recent months, to 0.3% from -0.1% in March, following the first-quarter expansion.

Hungary CPI Drop Acknowledged at IMF/World Bank Spring Meeti... Figures

Hungary CPI Drop Acknowledged at IMF/World Bank Spring Meeti...

Hungary to Address Future of Cohesion Policy During EU Presi... EU

Hungary to Address Future of Cohesion Policy During EU Presi...

AI may Save Hungarian Healthcare, Says Leading Doctor Science

AI may Save Hungarian Healthcare, Says Leading Doctor

Time Out Market to Open in Budapest Next Year Food

Time Out Market to Open in Budapest Next Year

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.