CEE MARKETS-Hungary's Richter falls on windfall tax on drug producers

By Anita Komuves BUDAPEST, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Hungarian equities were down on Tuesday, underperforming the region as shares in pharmaceutical company Richter fell after the government imposed a windfall tax on drug producers late on Friday as it tries to plug holes in the state budget. Budapest's blue chip index was 0.94% lower, while Richter's shares plunged 4.15% by 0903 GMT. The tax will be imposed on net revenues generated in 2022 and 2023 and the country's largest pharmaceutical company Richter is expected to be especially hard hit by the new tax. The company said on Tuesday that it expected extra profit taxes payable by the company for the year 2022 to be approximately 28 billion forints ($74.42 million). Hungary's forint was 0.32% lower at 401.00 per euro in thin holiday trade, but still trading in its recent range between 400 and 405. "There is a very strong support level between 398 and 400, we do not expect to rate to significantly break this level, while there is a short-term resistance level at 405," brokerage Equilor wrote. The currency, central Europe's worst performer so far in 2022 as it shed near 8%, regained some of its losses after Hungary struck a deal on funds with the European Union on Dec. 12. Elsewhere, the Czech crown was flat as data showed on Tuesday that overall Czech economic sentiment worsened in December after an uptick in the previous month. "Domestic consumers are being adversely affected by the rising cost of living and the associated fall in wages, which is having an adverse effect on retail trade, while glimmers of pessimism are also evident in services," said Radomir Jac, Generali Investments CEE chief economist. The Polish zloty slid 0.19% to 4.6540 per euro while the Romanian leu eased 0.07% to 4.9075 to the euro. CEE SNAPSH AT MARKET OT 1002 S CET CURREN CIES Latest Previo Daily Change us bid close change in 2022 EURCZK Czech 0 0 % % EURHUF Hungary 00 00 EURPLN Polish EURRON Romania % EURHRK Croatia % EURRSD Serbian 00 00 % % Note: calculated 1800 daily from CET change Latest Previo Daily Change us close change in 2022 .PX Prague 1205.7 1198.4 +0.00 2 000 % .BUX Budapes 44583. 45007. -0.94% -12.10 t 33 80 % .WIG20 Warsaw <.WIG2 1782.3 1780.2 +0.12 -21.37 0> 9 7 % % .BETI Buchare <.BETI 12154. 12147. +0.06 -6.94% st > 95 12 % .SBITO Ljublja <.SBIT 1069.6 1067.4 +0.21 -14.80 P na OP> 7 8 % % .CRBEX Zagreb <.CRBE 1965.9 1964.7 +0.06 -5.46% X> 1 3 % .BELEX Belgrad <.BELE 808.33 809.51 -0.15% -1.52% 15 e X15> .SOFIX Sofia <.SOFI 602.95 602.95 +0.00 -5.15% X> % Yield Yield Spread Daily (bid) change vs change Bund in Czech spread Republi c CZ2YT= 0 ps CZ5YT= ps CZ10YT 0 ps Poland PL2YT= 0 ps PL5YT= ps PL10YT ps FORWAR D 3x6 6x9 9x12 3M interb ank Czech Hungary Poland Note: are for ask FRA prices quotes *************************************** *********************** ($1 = 376.2500 forints) (Additional reporting by Robert Muller in Prague and Pawel Florkiewicz in Warsaw, Editing by Louise Heavens)