Friday, January 6, 2012

Markets punish Hungary for power grab on central bank

The forint hit a record low against the euro on Wednesday (4 January) and Budapest's borrowing costs spiked as the Hungarian government remained defiant on EU and street protesters' calls to roll back controversial constitutional changes. The forint fell to 319.4 against the euro, a record low after a gradual depreciation of 20 percent in the last six months, while 10-year bond yields spiked to 10.5 percent, the highest since April 2009.
Hungary, the EU's most indebted eastern member, already saw its credit rating downgraded to junk in December and initiated talks for a standby loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).But the centre-right government led by Viktor Orban has pursued controversial legal changes to some of the country's independent institutions, including the central bank and media bodies, prompting IMF negotiators to walk out of talks.
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