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Hungary offers fuel traders 2 weeks to match local average prices

Hungary's federal government is providing fuel traders two weeks to change their rates to the central European average, Economy Minister Marton Nagy was priced quote by the index.hu outlet as telling a news conference on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government ditched a fuel rate cap in December 2022 after a lack of imports and panic purchasing resulted in sustain scarcities, but guaranteed it would intervene again if fuel rates increased above the regional average.

On Tuesday, the nationwide bank said fuel rate margins had actually expanded because the cap was ditched, going beyond not just their previous levels however likewise typical levels seen somewhere else in main Europe.

In two weeks, the government will review this problem, appearance at cost developments and step in with difficult procedures if fuel sellers do not go back to the regional average, Marton Nagy was priced estimate as stating.

On Tuesday, deputy central bank governor Barnabas Virag said he thought any intervention that moves the market towards an enduring and sustainable reduction in these margins, setting fuel costs on a long lasting and sustainable lower path was warranted.

In the very first quarter of last year, yearly inflation in Hungary stood at 25%, the highest in the European Union. It stood at 3.6% last March, but economists see it rebounding to 5.4% by the end of 2024 as base impacts fade and services inflation stays hot.

Morgan Stanley economist Georgi Deyanov said Hungary's. strategy to line up fuel costs to the local average could trim 20. to 30 basis points off heading inflation, raising the chances. of keeping it within the central bank's tolerance band.

We believe that such a result would create a beneficial. environment for the NBH to continue with 25bp of rate cuts per. conference in 3Q24, he said.

Yet, for the reserve bank to consider such an option,. our company believe more beneficial global monetary conditions would. require to materialise too..

(source: Reuters)