Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Forint falls, Hungarian yields jump amid rate hike expectations, COVID-19 surge

Forint falls, Hungarian yields jump amid rate hike expectations, COVID-19 surge

Hungary's forint fell to a record low against the euro on Tuesday, while Hungarian government bond yields jumped, as a surge in COVID-19 cases and expectations for further interest rate hikes by the Hungarian central bank added to global woes.
Hungary's bond yields rose more than 20 basis points (bps) amid selling pressure triggered by factors including the forint's weakness, a trader said, adding that the rise in longer yields followed a jump in yields on the short end last week, when the National Bank of Hungary raised its one-week deposit rate by 70 bps to 2.5%.

"The short end was pushed higher already last week... and it seems the market's patience had run out and they started selling Hungarian bonds so we diverted from core yields," a fixed income trader in Budapest said, adding there was no panic selling.

Another trader also said there was no panic in the market, but rather a "repricing" as players expect more rate increases now.

He said the 10-year 2033/A bond was trading at 4.55%-4.6%, with the yield rising about 25 bps on Tuesday.

The 2024/C 3-year bond yield was up 20 bps. According to the fixing page of the state debt management agency AKK benchmark yields rose about 27-30 bps along the curve from 3-year maturities upwards.

In the meantime, the Polish 10-year bond yield was up about 8 bps at 3.457%.

A strong dollar and worry over the worsening COVID-19 situation in central Europe has weakened the region's currencies in the past days. But the forint has underperformed its regional peers as concerns over high government spending and uncertainty ahead of the Hungarian central bank's deposit rate decision on Thursday added to concerns.

The forint slid half a percent on the day and was trading at 371.91 per euro after falling to a historic low at 372 earlier in the session.

"The entire CEE region keeps being pressured by the strength of the dollar," an FX trader in Budapest said.

"But the forint was hit harder than the others. The somewhat uncertain rate hike cycle is not helping, neither does the high level of government expenditures in the run-up to the elections."

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has announced a $2 billion tax rebate for families in 2022, paying an extra month's worth of pensions, scrapping income tax for career starters and other measures.

Hungary's central bank raised its one-week deposit rate by 70 bps to 2.5% at its weekly tender last Thursday, following a 30 bps benchmark base rate hike, and pledged to continue the tightening as long as necessary.

The central bank sets the rate on the one-week deposit facility weekly on Thursdays.

The Polish zloty also edged lower following gains in the previous session, after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieczki vowed the government would do all it could to help the zloty strengthen.

The zloty was down 0.2% and trading at 4.7192 to the euro, still near 12-year lows. The Czech crown was down 0.1% versus the euro.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×