The Budapest Stock Exchange expects HUF2 billion (€7.9 million) in net profit in 2005, CEO Zsolt Horvath announced. The figure is roughly two times higher than the result in 2004 and reflects both the merger with the commodities exchange and higher turnover from trading. The latter comprised some 49% of bourse's HUF3.4 billion in revenues last year, compared to HUF2.1 billion in 2004. That was largely due to the increased interest in BSE fuelled by the record-breaking year for the main index BUX. The average daily turnover on the bourse was the highest ever last year at HUF18.6 billion. Horvath projected that if the same volumes were matched in 2006 the net profit should come at HUF 1.5 billion without however elaborating on the factors for the decrease.

BSE president Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy expressed his disappointment with the recent government decision not to allow the bourse to acquire NBH's 53.3% stake in central clearing house and depository Keler. He stressed that this amendment would most probably cause discontinuation of the plans to list the bourse's shares.