Weekly news:

FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC NEWS

STATISTICS

Hungary’s Finance Ministry expects HUF 332.9 bln state budget deficit in March

Hungary’s construction output falls 16% y/y in January

Hungarian gross wages down 5.2% y/y in January, real wages fall 6.9% y/y on one-offs

Hungary’s industrial output falls 21% y/y in January on manufacturing exports – final data

COMPANY NEWS

MANUFACTURING

Austrian tile maker Tondach completes EUR 50 mln Hungarian investment

REAL ESTATE

Israeli Plaza Centers buys further 27% stake in Budapest casino resort project for EUR 21.4 mln

U.K.’s Chayton, Hungary’s Whitestone launch HUF 15 bln mixed-use project Neo Center

Hungarian new home completions to drop some 30% y/y in 2009 – R/E franchise Otthon

ENERGY NEWS

OIL & PETROCHEMICALS

Hungarian retail gasoline prices to drop HUF 2 per liter this week, diesel unchanged

GAS

Eastern Hungary’s Peneszlek gas field seen holding up to 11.27 bcf of gas

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

New nuclear blocks in Hungary may be completed by 2020, cost up to EUR 3 bln – energy minister

IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LANDLINE/MOBILE TELECOMS

Hungary’s mobile telecom penetration flat at 121.4% in February

Hungary’s telecom authority cancels tender for fourth mobile license; transparency an issue

IT SERVICES

Hungarian IT firm Synergon boosts revenues 5% in 2008, ends HUF 1.1 bln in red on financials

BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

BANKING

National Bank of Hungary official interest rates – 17/03/2009

Fitch downgrades Hungarian OTP Bank’s Russian unit to ’BB’

National Bank of Hungary official interest rates – 16/03/2009

FINANCIAL MARKETS

EQUITIES

Budapest Stock Exchange share trading 13–20/03/2009

Budapest Stock Exchange, Indices, 13–20/03/2009

FIXED INCOME

Hungary fixed income benchmark yields 13–20/03/2009

CURRENCY

National Bank of Hungary official exchange rates – 13–20/03/2009

Nb: This news report features only the headline of each news.

Agency Interfax