MARKET MOVING NEWS
ECONOMY
-Romania’s unemployment rate decreased to 5.5% in January 2025, a 0.2 percentage point drop from December 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
-Industrial production prices saw a slight 0.1% decrease year-over-year in January 2025, but increased by 0.5% compared to the previous month, as reported by INS.
Financial Sector Updates
FINANCE
-Romania’s foreign exchange reserves reached EUR 62.5 billion at the end of February 2025, marking a EUR 1.75 billion increase from January, the central bank announced.
-Solida Capital acquired the Victoria Center office building in Bucharest from Manova Partners.
-Vertical Group disclosed exceeding a 5% stake in agribusiness company Agroserv Mariuta (MILK) in a stock market filing.
COMPANIES
-The Romanian Competition Council authorized MB Beteiligungs GmbH’s acquisition of Plantextrakt SRL and Plantmed SRL.
-Steel producer Liberty Galati plans to negotiate with creditors amid challenging market conditions, including U.S. tariffs and perceived lack of EU support.
-UCM Resita, now owned by Hidroelectrica, reported a significant profit of RON 20.5 million in 2024, despite an 85% decrease in turnover.
-Hagag Development will reopen Bucharest’s Știrbei Palace as a luxury department store later this year.
-Germany’s Bosch has reportedly abandoned its plans to build a household appliance factory in Romania.
TODAY’S MARKET DATA
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE NATIONAL LEU CURRENCY
| EUR 4.9769 | GBP 6.0235 |
| USD 4.7331 | CHF 5.3090 |
| BGN 2.5446 | MDL 0.2555 |
(Source: National Bank of Romania BNR)
BUCHAREST STOCK EXCHANGE (BVB) INDICES
| BET -2.09% BET-TR -2.09% BET-FI -1.09% BET-NG -2.25% BET-EF -2.07% BET-XT -1.89%, BET-BK -2.10% BET AeRO -1.03% ROTX -2.08% |
CAPITAL MARKET COMMENTARY
| Bucharest stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday, mirroring losses across European markets as investors reacted to the implementation of US tariffs on Mexican, Canadian, and Chinese goods. The retaliatory countermeasures from these countries added to market jitters, fueling a broad sell-off. The Romanian benchmark BET index dropped 2.09%, with Petrom leading the blue-chip losses, plunging 3.86%. The risk-off sentiment dominated global markets, as investors weighed the potential economic impact of escalating trade disputes. |
BET Index Constituents
| Company | Price | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| ANTIBIOTICE S.A. | 2.3800 | -0.83 |
| AQUILA PART PROD COM | 1.3300 | -2.21 |
| BANCA TRANSILVANIA S.A. | 28.0000 | -2.27 |
| BRD – GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE S.A. | 17.8000 | -0.67 |
| C.N.T.E.E. TRANSELECTRICA | 44.3000 | -2.74 |
| Digi Communications N.V. | 66.2000 | -2.07 |
| FONDUL PROPRIETATEA | 0.3606 | -1.37 |
| MedLife S.A. | 5.7500 | -1.20 |
| OMV PETROM S.A. | 0.7230 | -3.86 |
| ONE UNITED PROPERTIES | 19.9000 | -1.73 |
| Premier Energy PLC | 18.6200 | -1.22 |
| PURCARI WINERIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED | 14.2200 | -0.70 |
| S.N. NUCLEARELECTRICA S.A. | 40.3500 | -2.65 |
| S.N.G.N. ROMGAZ S.A. | 5.8000 | -2.03 |
| S.N.T.G.N. TRANSGAZ S.A. | 27.8000 | -0.18 |
| S.P.E.E.H. HIDROELECTRICA S.A. | 118.0000 | -0.84 |
| SOCIETATEA ENERGETICA ELECTRICA S.A. | 13.8400 | -3.08 |
| Sphera Franchise Group | 39.4000 | -0.51 |
| TERAPLAST SA | 0.4120 | -2.60 |
| TTS (TRANSPORT TRADE SERVICES) | 4.6200 | -1.81 |
