Matolcsy flags Cbank rate hike as early as June

Monetary policy is set to shift towards a more hawkish stance as early as June, with a possible hike in the base rate, Gyorgy Matolcsy, the governor of the National Bank of Hungary (NBH), told a conference on Wednesday. A persistent rise in inflation would endanger the recovery, he said. The Hungarian economy can withstand a rate hike, the governor said, adding that given the risk to the economy posed by inflation, the Monetary Council is compelled to raise interest rates.