CAPITAL MARKET MOVING NEWS
ECONOMY
-Romania’s Fiscal Council revised its forecast regarding the country’s budget deficit, to 8.58% of GDP, Adevarul reported.
-The cap on the trade mark-up on essential food products has been extended until 30 June 2025, according to an amendment included into an emergency ordinance adopted on Wednesday (Dec.18).
-Romania had the highest annual inflation in the EU in November 2024, with an increase in prices of 5.4%, Eurostat data showed.
FINANCE
-Bucharest Stock Exchange investors became more cautious this year, opting for stable stocks amid market volatility, accoring to the 2024 edition of the Market Pulse study, dedicated to the capital market and the behavior of retail investors in Romania.
-Garanti BBVA Leasing, part of Garanti BBVA Group Romania, has entered into a new finance agreement with the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to support Microenterprises and SMEs in Romania. Garanti BBVA Leasing is an EFSE partner since 2014.
-Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) and Erste Group Bank AG have provided EUR107.23 million financing to Enery, a key player in the renewable energy sector in Central and Eastern Europe.
-Banca Transilvania’s shareholders approved BT’s merger with OTP Bank Romania at Wednesday’s (Dec. 18) Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. The integration of OTP Bank Romania into Banca Transilvania started in August 2024 and ends on February 28, 2025, through the merger of the two banks.
-Real estate holding Meta Estate Trust refinances the investment in Swissotel in Poiana Brasov, through a bank loan of almost 1 million euros from Patria Bank.
COMPANIES
-Romanian state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica signed the main engineering contract to extend the life of its first reactor at a cost of about 1.9 billion euros, it said on Thursday.
-Romanian coffee shop chain 5 To Go announced that Bulgaria’s investment fund Invenio Partners and Poland’s Accession Capital Partners (ACP) have taken over 60% of the company’s shares.
-TeraPlast Group, the largest polymer processor in Southeast Europe, continues its geographical expansion in Europe and acquires the assets for PVC and PE pipes production held by Wavin Hungary.
– ATM Ventures, the investment arm of Romanian car rental group Autonom has taken over 30% in Bucharest’s Meridian Taxi.
-Kingfisher plc, the international home improvement company, announced, following a competitive process, the sale of its Brico Dépôt Romania business to Altex Romania, the leader in the local electro-IT market, for an enterprise value of €70m.
-Private equity fund SARMIS Capital, focused on Romania and the CEE region, announced the acquisition of Total Technologies, a company with over 30 years of experience in IT market.
TODAY’S MARKET DATA
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE NATIONAL LEU CURRENCY
| EUR 4.9749 | GBP 6.0430 |
| USD 4.7790 | CHF 5.3324 |
| BGN 2.5437 | MDL 0.2581 |
(Source: National Bank of Romania BNR)
BUCHAREST STOCK EXCHANGE (BVB) INDICES
| BET -2.00% BET-TR -2.00% BET-FI 0.10% BET-NG -1.64% BET-EF -1.82% BET-XT -1.76%, BET-BK -1.77% BET AeRO -1.43% ROTX -1.97% |
CAPITAL MARKET COMMENTARY
| Bucharest stocks closed once again lower with the benchmark BET index plunging 2% as investors assessed the recent decision by both the Bank of England to hold its interest rates and the United States Federal Reserve to reduce their key interest rates by 25 basis points. Medlife, the largest private healthcare provider in Romania, led blue-chip decliners shrinking by 4.44%. |
BET Index Constituents
| Company | Price | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| ANTIBIOTICE S.A. | 2.4900 | -3.11 |
| AQUILA PART PROD COM | 1.1500 | -2.95 |
| BANCA TRANSILVANIA S.A. | 26.2500 | -2.78 |
| BRD – GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE S.A. | 18.4000 | -1.18 |
| C.N.T.E.E. TRANSELECTRICA | 37.4000 | -1.32 |
| Digi Communications N.V. | 63.6000 | -1.85 |
| FONDUL PROPRIETATEA | 0.3150 | -0.44 |
| MedLife S.A. | 5.5900 | -4.44 |
| OMV PETROM S.A. | 0.7015 | -2.23 |
| ONE UNITED PROPERTIES | 0.3970 | -0.63 |
| Premier Energy PLC | 19.6300 | 0.15 |
| PURCARI WINERIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED | 14.3600 | -2.84 |
| S.N. NUCLEARELECTRICA S.A. | 40.6000 | -2.29 |
| S.N.G.N. ROMGAZ S.A. | 5.2800 | -0.38 |
| S.N.T.G.N. TRANSGAZ S.A. | 22.0000 | -3.08 |
| S.P.E.E.H. HIDROELECTRICA S.A. | 119.9000 | -1.07 |
| SOCIETATEA ENERGETICA ELECTRICA S.A. | 12.6000 | -3.67 |
| Sphera Franchise Group | 38.5000 | -3.51 |
| TERAPLAST SA | 0.4185 | -2.22 |
| TTS (TRANSPORT TRADE SERVICES) | 4.5250 | -3.93 |
