By Anita Komuves BUDAPEST, July 20 (Reuters) – Central European currencies held steady on Tuesday after losses from the previous session, as traders and analysts expected concerns about the spread of the variant Delta continue to put pressure on the region’s markets. The Hungarian forint edged up 0.09%, trading at 359.50 per euro – near a two-and-a-half-month low – and just below the psychological and technical barrier of 360 qu ‘he tested in the previous session. If that level is significantly broken, the currency could rise to 364, brokerage firm Equilor wrote in a note. “Due to negative global sentiment and the strengthening dollar, the forint is stuck around 360 and could stay here until next week’s rate meeting,” said an FX trader in Budapest. “An appropriately sized rate hike could then strengthen the currency.” Hungary’s central bank will hold a rate-setting meeting next Tuesday. He raised the key rate by 30 basis points in June to fight inflation. The Polish zloty edged down 0.02% to trade at 4.5977 against the common currency. The zloty could weaken further and test the barrier of 4.63 in the coming days as it is put under pressure by deteriorating global sentiment as well as local factors, Bank Millennium wrote in a note. Local risks include the “accommodating narrative of the National Bank of Poland”, the looming Supreme Court ruling on Swiss franc loans and the renewal of the dispute with the European Union over the rule of law, the bank said. . Unlike the central banks of Hungary and the Czech Republic, the National Bank of Poland has not raised its rates and is continuing its conciliatory rhetoric. Governor Adam Glapinski reiterated in an interview on Tuesday that the bank should not rush possible decisions on interest rate hikes due to high uncertainty over the impact of the pandemic on the economy. Stock markets in the region strengthened with Prague leading the gains and adding 0.8%. Budapest was up 0.46%. Shares of Hungarian pharmaceutical company Richter rose 1.25% at 08:19 GMT after the company’s uterine fibroid drug was approved by the European Commission. CEE SNAPSHO AT MARKETS T 1034 CET CURRENC IES Last daily change previous offer closing change in 2021 EURCZK = Czech EURHUF = Hungary 0 EURPLN = Polish EURRON = Romania EURHRK = Croatia EURRSD = Serbian 0 Note: calculated from 1800 change daily CET Last previous daily change near change in 2021 .PX Prague 1186.48 1177.010 + 0.80% +15.51 0% .BUX Budapes 47484.7 47268.49 + 0.46% +12.77 t 2 % .WIG20 Warsaw 2,218.46 2,205.86 + 0.57% + 11.82% .BETI Bucare 11,899.9 11,845.54 + 0.46% +21.36 st 7% .SBITOP Ljublja <.sbitop na> % .CRBEX Zagreb 1917.55 1915.69 + 0.10% + 10.25% .BELEX1 Belgrad <.belex1 e> .SOFIX Sofia 562.84 563.26 -0.07% + 25.77% Yield Yield Spread Daily variation (bid) vs Bund variation of the Czech spread Republished CZ2YT = R s CZ5YT = R s CZ10YT = s Poland PL2YT = R s PL5YT = R s PL10YT = s FORWARD 3×6 6×9 9×12 3M Czech interbank 1.21 1.56 1.80 0.69 Hungary Rep 1.69 2.02 2.21 1.07 Poland 0.28 0.35 0, 45 0.21 ******************************************* *** **** ********** (Additional reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz in Warsaw; edited by Uttaresh.V)