Market-Moving Highlights The Romanian interbank market recorded a daily liquidity surplus of RON 28.6 billion during the first four months of 2025. This abundance of liquidity has helped maintain the three-month ROBOR index within a narrow and stable range of 5.90% to 5.94%. Metropolitan Life Strengthens Stake in Sphera Franchise GroupMetropolitan Life, the manager of Pillar II private pension assets worth RON
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Equity markets across Southeastern Europe closed mixed on Friday, reflecting a blend of localized pressures and broader risk-off sentiment across the continent. Gains were recorded in Sofia, Sarajevo, Banja Luka while losses dominated in Zagreb, Athens, Nicosia, Bucharest, Belgrade, Skopje, and Ljubljana. The cautious mood mirrored a broader European downturn, after U.S. President Donald Trump reignited trade tensions by threatening a 50%
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Markets around the world closed the week mixed, as escalating trade tensions between the United States and the European Union weighed on investor sentiment. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats — including a proposed 50% levy on EU goods and a 25% tariff on non-U.S.-made iPhones — sparked renewed global volatility. While U.S. and European markets turned lower, select Asia-Pacific and Middle
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MARKET MOVING NEWS ECONOMY Public Debt Nears RON 1 TrillionRomania’s public debt is rapidly approaching the RON 1,000 billion threshold, reaching RON 990.8 billion at the end of February — equivalent to 56.3% of GDP, according to the Ministry of Finance. Material Consumption Declines, Still Up Long-TermDomestic Material Consumption (DMC) fell by 4.1% year-on-year in 2023, landing at 24.3 tons per capita.
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While major European markets closed lower on Thursday amid fresh geopolitical concerns and new economic and financial data, Southeast European bourses posted mixed performances, with gains in Zagreb, Bucharest, Belgrade, Banja Luka, and Nicosia, while markets in Sarajevo, Athens, Sofia, Skopje, and Ljubljana ended the day in the red. Market Performance by Country BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (Banja Luka) The Banja Luka bourse (BLSE)’s 12-share
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Global markets delivered a mixed performance on Thursday, with most European and Asia-Pacific indices declining amid renewed geopolitical tensions, fiscal concerns in the U.S., and key macroeconomic updates. Optimism was more fragile across Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, commodity prices slipped on a stronger dollar and profit-taking. ASIA/PACIFIC Asia-Pacific markets fell, tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as investor sentiment deteriorated over concerns
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MARKET MOVING NEWS ECONOMY The National Bank of Romania (NBR) has revised its inflation forecast for the end of 2025 upward to 4.6%, compared to the previous estimate of 3.8%. For 2026, inflation is expected at 3.4%, up from 3.1%. Despite concerns, NBR Governor Mugur Isărescu has ruled out the need for an IMF agreement, stating that Romania is not facing a
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Equity markets across Southeast Europe closed mixed today, echoing a broader trend across the continent as the European Central Bank (ECB) issued a warning that tariff policies and persistent geopolitical uncertainties could negatively impact financial stability in the euro area. Gains in Athens, Sofia, Nicosia, and Banja Luka contrasted with declines in Sarajevo, Zagreb, Bucharest, Belgrade, and Ljubljana, while other markets saw
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Global financial markets delivered mixed performances as investors weighed central bank actions, rising inflation, and geopolitical tensions. Asian markets rose broadly on optimism over China’s outlook, while U.S. stocks declined amid concerns over growing fiscal strain. European indices were uneven, influenced by an inflation surprise in the UK and caution following an ECB warning. In the Middle East, most bourses closed lower,
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MARKET MOVING NEWS ECONOMY -Romania recorded 32,600 job vacancies in the first quarter of 2025, a decline of 1,700 positions compared to the previous quarter, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on May 20. -The construction sector posted solid growth. In March 2025, the volume of construction works rose by 6.4% in unadjusted terms year-on-year, and by
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