Hungary Business Confidence Drops as Orban’s Stimulus Falls Flat

Hungarian business confidence dropped sharply at the start of the year, reversing recent gains in another blow to Prime Minister Viktor Orban before parliamentary elections.

A business index from the GKI institute fell to -11.5 in January from a 17-month high of -7.9 in December, according to data published on Thursday. The consumer confidence index was unchanged at -22, matching the best score in two years, though in deeply negative territory, reflecting persistent pessimism.