Hungary’s industrial producer prices rose 1.4pc in June from the previous month, and increased 6.9pc from one year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Thursday.
The monthly rise was down from a sharp 3.8pc in May, the fastest pace in more than two years. May prices were up 5.5pc yr/yr.
Domestic producer prices rose 1.0pc from May as the monthly rise slowed from 3.4pc between April and May. June domestic sales prices rose 9.2pc in twelve months, little changed from a twelve-month increase of 9.1pc in May.
The monthly rise of forint-term export sales also slowed: to 1.8pc in June from a sharp 4.1pc in May, as the forint weakened less in June than in May. Export prices increased 4.7pc in forint terms from June 2009 after rising 2.0pc in the twelve months to May.
Reflecting yr/yr drops in the first four months, industrial producer prices were up just 0.9pc in January-June from a year earlier. Domestic sales prices rose 4.4pc yr/yr in the first six months and export prices fell 3.4pc yr/yr despite twelve-month rises, reflecting the weakening of the forint, in May and June.
The forint weakened 1.8pc to the euro in June over one month and 4.8pc to the dollar after a monthly weakening of 4.1pc and 11.2pc, respectively, in May. Compared with June 2009, the forint weakened 0.2pc to the euro and 15.0pc to the dollar. In May, the forint yet was 2pc firmer against the euro than a year earlier but weakened 6.3pc against the dollar in the period.
Domestic sales prices in the manufacturing sector rose 0.9pc in June from the previous month. The biggest increases were registered in metallurgy and metal processing (3.5pc), the chemical products and materials sector (2.8pc) and coke production and crude oil processing (1.3pc). Prices of textile and leather products fell 0.5pc. Prices of food and pharmaceutical products were unchanged. Prices in the electricity and gas supply sectors rose 1.1pc, while water supply prices remained almost unchanged.
In a twelve-month comparison, domestic sales prices in the manufacturing sector showed the biggest rises in the coke production and crude oil processing (23.2pc) and the chemical products and materials sector (20.8pc). Metal processing prices rose 11.6pc and prices in the electric machinery sector increased 5.7pc. Vehicle industry prices were up 2.9pc. The biggest price falls were recorded in the food industry (4.5pc), the textile and leather industry (3.4pc) and the wood processing, paper and printing sector (1.4pc). Prices in the electricity and gas supply sector were up 12.9pc and prices in the water treatment and supply sector rose 4.7pc from one year earlier.