MARKET MOVING NEWS
ECONOMY
-The unemployment rate in Romania stood at 5.3% in November 2024, down 0.1 percentage points on a monthly basis, according to the data published by the National Statistics Institute (INS).
-Adrian Codirlasu, the president of CFA Romania, stated that economic growth must double in 2025, from a 1% advance in 2024, Ziarul Financiar reported.
-The revenues of the National Forest Administration (Romsilva) from the sale of berries, truffles, mushrooms and medicinal plants, as well as from hunting and fish farming activities stood at RON 33 million RON (EUR6.6 million) in November 2024, data provided by the administrator of the state-owned forests revealed.
-The BCR Romania Manufacturing PMI ended 2024 at the lowest figure on record: At 46.4 in December 2024, the headline index shows the sharpest contraction in monthly terms of the manufacturing sector in the 18-month survey history.
FINANCE
-The Ministry of Finance (MoF) plans to borrow RON 5.2 billion from commercial banks this month, while another RON 570 million may add to, through additional non-competitive bidding sessions corresponding to bond auctions, Money.ro reported.
-Romanians are the Europeans with the highest appetite for consumer loans, which they find useful and very accessible, especially in the case of 100% digital loans, according to a new survey conducted by Revolut.
-Bucharest Stock Exchange’s benchmark BET index, which follows the price movements of the most traded 20 companies listed on the BVB’s main market, closed up 8.78% in 2024 compared with 2023.
COMPANIES
-A total of 5,588 newly-established companies running on foreign capital were set up in Romania in the first 11 months of 2024, down 13.32% on an annual basis, data by the National Trade Register Office (ONRC) showed. The new companies’ total subscribed share capital stood at almost $17.878 million, down 85.52% y-o-y.
-Austria’s OMV has reportedly struck a deal to supply Germany’s Uniper with gas from its Neptun Deep Black Sea project, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The deliveries would begin in 2027. The development of the Neptun Deep field is being carried out by OMV Petrom in cooperation with the state-owned Romanian energy group Romgaz.
-American multinational hospitality company Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with Romanian firm Restaurant President targeting the opening of the first Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Craiova in southwestern Romania.
TODAY’S MARKET DATA
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE NATIONAL LEU CURRENCY
| EUR 4.9738 | GBP 6.0012 |
| USD 4.8217 | CHF 5.2862 |
| BGN 2.5430 | MDL 0.2595 |
(Source: National Bank of Romania BNR)
BUCHAREST STOCK EXCHANGE (BVB) INDICES
| BET 0.51% BET-TR 0.51% BET-FI 0.89% BET-NG 0.82% BET-EF 0.61% BET-XT 0.47%, BET-BK 0.14% BET AeRO -0.89% ROTX 0.48% |
CAPITAL MARKET COMMENTARY
| Bucharest stocks traded in the green on Wednesday bucking the trend across Europe where markets closed lower after a decline in Eurozone economic sentiment for December. The benchmark BET index rose 0.51% with Romgaz leading bluechip gainers. |
BET Index Constituents
| Company | Price | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| ANTIBIOTICE S.A. | 2.6000 | 0.00 |
| AQUILA PART PROD COM | 1.1550 | -0.86 |
| BANCA TRANSILVANIA S.A. | 27.9500 | 0.90 |
| BRD – GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE S.A. | 18.8800 | -1.46 |
| C.N.T.E.E. TRANSELECTRICA | 39.9500 | 2.17 |
| Digi Communications N.V. | 64.0000 | 0.00 |
| FONDUL PROPRIETATEA | 0.3260 | 0.12 |
| MedLife S.A. | 5.8700 | -1.18 |
| OMV PETROM S.A. | 0.7390 | 1.58 |
| ONE UNITED PROPERTIES | 0.4300 | -0.92 |
| Premier Energy PLC | 19.6000 | 0.26 |
| PURCARI WINERIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED | 14.4600 | -0.41 |
| S.N. NUCLEARELECTRICA S.A. | 41.0000 | -0.97 |
| S.N.G.N. ROMGAZ S.A. | 5.3100 | 2.31 |
| S.N.T.G.N. TRANSGAZ S.A. | 23.8000 | 0.00 |
| S.P.E.E.H. HIDROELECTRICA S.A. | 123.8000 | 0.08 |
| SOCIETATEA ENERGETICA ELECTRICA S.A. | 13.3400 | -0.45 |
| Sphera Franchise Group | 40.5000 | 0.25 |
| TERAPLAST SA | 0.4555 | -0.11 |
| TTS (TRANSPORT TRADE SERVICES) | 4.8200 | -1.03 |
