Currencies unchanged after mixed GDP data from region
By Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk
WARSAW, Aug 14 (Reuters) -Central European currencies remained stuck in a range on Wednesday as data showed Poland was the only country in the region to achieve better than expected growth in the second quarter.
Poland's gross domestic product rose 3.2% year-on-year in the second quarter compared to a 2.0% rise in the previous quarter, a first estimate from the statistics office showed on Wednesday. Analysts expected a reading of 2.8%.
"This confirms our intuition that the situation in Germany weighs heavily on all economies of our region, and this can be seen in the latest data from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania", said Piotr Bielski, director of the economic analysis department of Santander Bank Polska.
"But there were grounds for greater optimism towards Poland, because Poland has a much larger internal market, consumer demand is more important, and this is supported by a very rapid increase in incomes."
The Polish zloty EURPLN= barely moved after the data and at 0839 it was down 0.1% at 4.2925 per euro. Analysts said investors may pay more attention to U.S. inflation data later in the day, and liquidity may be lower than usual due to a national holiday on Thursday.
"EUR/PLN fell the most across the region yesterday and we think the PLN rally is outpacing the market a bit. While we agree with the direction, yesterday's move was probably too much in our view," ING analysts wrote in a note.
"On the other hand, we think HUF has still a clear path for further gains closer to 390 EUR/HUF. EUR/CZK probably needs a clearer signal from the central bank that the current dovish expectations are too far away for a further move lower."
The Czech crown EURCZK= remained stable at 25.1960, while Hungary's forint EURHUF= fell 0.2% to 394.20 per euro. The Romanian leu EURRON= was stable at 4.9760.
Romania's economy rose 0.8% on the year in the second quarter, below market expectations, a flash estimate from the National Statistics Board showed on Wednesday.
"The central bank was looking for 'a somewhat more robust quarter-on-quarter economic growth in 2024 Q2 than previously anticipated'," Erste Bank said in a research note.
"The sequential deceleration to 0.1% q/q in the second quarter from 0.5% q/q in the first quarter should support a more dovish approach by the central bank."
Slovakia's economy grew by 1.9% year-on-year, below a forecast of 2.4% in a Reuters poll and decelerating from a 2.7% increase in the first quarter.
Data published at the end of July showed weak foreign demand held back the economies of the Czech Republic and Hungary in the second quarter, with Hungarian gross domestic product falling on a quarterly basis for the first time in more than a year.
CEE MARKETS | SNAPSHOT | AT 1039 CET | ||||
CURRENCIES | ||||||
Latest | Previous | Daily | Change | |||
trade | close | change | in 2024 | |||
EURCZK= | Czech crown | EURCZK= | 25.1960 | 25.2050 | +0.04% | -1.96% |
EURHUF= | Hungary forint | EURHUF= | 394.2000 | 393.3000 | -0.23% | -2.79% |
EURPLN= | Polish zloty | EURPLN= | 4.2925 | 4.2890 | -0.08% | +1.21% |
EURRON= | Romanian leu | EURRON= | 4.9760 | 4.9756 | -0.01% | -0.03% |
EURRSD= | Serbian dinar | EURRSD= | 116.9000 | 117.0000 | +0.09% | +0.30% |
Note: daily change | calculated from | 1800 CET | ||||
Latest | Previous | Daily | Change | |||
close | change | in 2024 | ||||
.PX | Prague | .PX | 1565.65 | 1557.8500 | +0.50% | +10.72% |
.BUX | Budapest | .BUX | 71428.90 | 71832.47 | -0.56% | +17.83% |
.WIG20 | Warsaw | .WIG20 | 2339.91 | 2330.32 | +0.41% | -0.13% |
.BETI | Bucharest | .BETI | 18099.89 | 18057.12 | +0.24% | +17.75% |
Spread | Daily | |||||
vs Bund | change in | |||||
Czech Republic | spread | |||||
CZ2YT=RR | 2-year | CZ2YT=RR | 3.4450 | -0.0170 | +109bps | -4bps |
CZ5YT=RR | 5-year | CZ5YT=RR | 3.4740 | -0.0260 | +136bps | -5bps |
CZ10YT=RR | 10-year | CZ10YT=RR | 3.6790 | -0.0430 | +148bps | -6bps |
Poland | ||||||
PL2YT=RR | 2-year | PL2YT=RR | 4.8330 | 0.0160 | +247bps | -1bps |
PL5YT=RR | 5-year | PL5YT=RR | 4.9630 | -0.0280 | +285bps | -5bps |
PL10YT=RR | 10-year | PL10YT=RR | 5.1730 | -0.0010 | +297bps | -2bps |
FORWARD RATE AGREEMENTS | ||||||
3x6 | 6x9 | 9x12 | 3M interbank | |||
Czech Rep | CZKFRAPRIBOR= | 3.88 | 3.50 | 3.24 | 4.42 | |
Hungary | HUFFRABUBOR= | 6.70 | 6.18 | 5.77 | 6.55 | |
Poland | PLNFRAWIBOR= | 5.71 | 5.34 | 4.87 | 5.86 | |
Note: FRA quotes | are for ask prices | |||||
************************************************************** |
Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw, Boldizsar Gyori in Budapest, Luiza Ilie in Bucharest and Jan Lopatka in Prague; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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