Economic research institute GKIʼs combined gauge of consumer and business confidence rose to 1.7 points in May, a three-year high, from 0.5 points in the previous month. The standalone business confidence index rose from 6.4 points to 7.9 points, reported state news wire MTI.   

Zsolt Fehér has been named CEO responsible for European operations at personality test developer Hogan Assessments, to be responsible for keeping in touch with distributors and strengthening products and the brand in the region, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air celebrated its 13th anniversary on May 19, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal. In the past 13 years, Wizz Air has flown 1 billion kilometers, the equivalent of circling the Earth 25,000 times, and has carried nearly 135 million passengers. 

Balaton ferry and boat company Balatoni Hajózási Zrt. (Bahart) expects a 5.2% rise in revenues from HUF 2.64 billion last year, CEO József Kollár told reporters following the companyʼs annual general meeting on Friday, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

The automotive industry plays a significant role in the Hungarian economy; it already contributes more than 10% of GDP and employment, while it is the fastest growing sector.

Central and Eastern Europe, and especially Hungary, has for decades been an attractive investment location for large Western European and American enterprises, given the region’s favorable location and the availability of a qualified workforce.State subsidies also play a key role in maintaining the attractive business environment.

A HUF 40 billion test track for both traditional and self-driving cars will be unique not only in Hungary but in Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Zalaegerszeg, western Hungary, where the cornerstone of the investment was laid on Friday.   

Parizs Property, a member of Mellow Mood Group, confirmed on Friday that it is building a five-star hotel for HUF 12.5 billion at the landmark Párizsi udvar in Budapest, to be finished in May 2018.   

Hungary has won the right to host Division I Group A of the 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship, it was decided at the congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Friday, according to a report on Hungarian online news site vg.hu.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Kossuth Radio Friday that while Hungary is willing to alter several laws that have come under attack recently should the courts rule against them, it remains ready to “go to the wall” to defend its standpoints if necessary, according to a report by online news portal index.hu.

FHB Mortgage Bank, Hungaryʼs largest mortgage re-financer, booked a HUF 279 million after-tax profit in the first quarter, compared to a HUF 1.27 billion loss in the base period, an earnings report published late Thursday shows, according to state news wire MTI.

Banks will be able to apply from June 1 to receive the "consumer-friendly home loan" certification the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) is introducing for mortgages to counter high interest margins and the low rate of borrower refinancing, the central bank said on Friday, as reported by state news wire MTI.

Sales of top beer brewers in Hungary could rise by 2%-2.5% this year from 6.7 million hectoliters in 2016 if the summer is warm and sunny, business daily Világgazdaság reported on Friday, citing data from the Association of Hungarian Brewers (MSSz).   

In January–March 2017, average gross monthly earnings amounted to HUF 281,900 in Hungary, according to a first release of data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH). In the first three months of the year, both gross and net earnings grew by 11.0% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Military spending in Hungary will reach 1% of GDP in 2018 and the government will make a commitment to raise the rate to 2% by 2024, János Lázár, the head of the Prime Ministerʼs Office, said at his weekly press briefing on Thursday, as reported by Hungarian news agency MTI.

The Hungarian unit of Italian building materials maker Mapei launched a HUF 2.4 billion capacity-expanding investment at its plant in Sóskút (30 kilometers southwest of Budapest) on Wednesday, according to Hungarian news agency MTI. 

Assets managed by members of the Association of Hungarian Investment Fund and Asset Management Companies (BAMOSZ) were up 1.1% in April from the previous month, to HUF 5.957 trillion, BAMOSZ said Thursday, according to Hungarian news agency MTI.

Exposing Hungary to “public scorn” is “foolish” when the country has the first or second largest growth rate and the biggest drop in unemployment in the European Union, when it sticks to all European financial regulations and state debt is dropping, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said today, according to news agency MTI.

Home prices in Budapest rose at more than twice the national average in the three years till mid-2016, a growth disparity unmatched even by London, data from the National Bank of Hungaryʼs (MNB) Housing Market Report shows, according to Hungarian news agency MTI.

Hungaryʼs rolling four-quarter net household savings ratio fell to 4.4% of GDP in Q1, preliminary data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) yesterday shows, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.