MARKET MOVING NEWS
ECONOMY
-The beginning of 2025 saw a contraction in nominal wages. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the average net salary in Romania decreased by 5.6% (RON 317) in January 2025 compared to December 2024, reaching RON 5,328 (approximately EUR 1,070).
-The labor market showed a slight decline in the fourth quarter of 2024. The employment rate for the working-age population (15-64 years) was 63%, a 0.3 percentage point decrease from the third quarter of 2024, as reported by INS.
-The electronics, home appliances, IT, and telecom sectors experienced robust growth in 2024. Market research from NielsenQ, analyzed by ZF, indicates a roughly 10% increase in sales compared to the previous year, with varying growth rates across different segments within the computer and electronics market.
-Romania’s e-commerce sector continued its growth trajectory in 2024, achieving a record value of EUR 7.7 billion in online purchases. This represents an 8% increase compared to 2023, as highlighted by the eCommerce Insights 2025 survey from MerchantPro, a local SaaS solutions platform.
FINANCE
-Evergent Investments, an alternative investment fund, announced on Thursday that it has exercised its legal right to withdraw as a significant shareholder from Aerostar. The fund submitted a statement to Aerostar’s headquarters, requesting the full purchase of its 15.14% shareholding
COMPANIES
-Romania experienced a notable increase in company insolvencies in 2024. According to a survey by CITR, a leading insolvency and restructuring firm in Romania, the number of companies filing for insolvency rose by over 9% compared to 2023, reaching 7,274. Of these, 141 were companies with assets exceeding EUR 1 million, considered to have a significant economic impact. This represents a substantial 58% increase from the 90 such companies recorded in the previous year.
In positive developments, Ford Otosan’s Craiova plant has commenced deliveries of the first electric vehicles manufactured in Romania to Ford dealerships across Europe.
Furthermore, Romania’s Competition Council has approved two significant transactions: IPP Holding Group SRL’s acquisition of Imersia Multichannel Agency SRL, and Antalis SA’s acquisition of certain assets from Xerox (Romania) Echipamente si Servicii SA.”
TODAY’S MARKET DATA
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE NATIONAL LEU CURRENCY
| EUR 4.9768 | GBP 5.9082 |
| USD 4.5625 | CHF 5.1610 |
| BGN 2.5446 | MDL 0.2566 |
(Source: National Bank of Romania BNR)
BUCHAREST STOCK EXCHANGE (BVB) INDICES
| BET -0.51% BET-TR -0.51% BET-FI 0.09% BET-NG -0.65% BET-EF -0.51% BET-XT -0.43%, BET-BK -0.20% BET AeRO 0.67% ROTX -0.51% |
CAPITAL MARKET COMMENTARY
| The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) concluded the trading week with a decline, contrasting with the broader European market trends. The BET index fell by 0.51%. Leading the blue-chip decliners was Iasi-based pharmaceutical company Antibiotice, which experienced a significant drop of 2.52%. |
BET Index Constituents
| Company | Price | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| ANTIBIOTICE S.A. | 2.3200 | -2.52 |
| AQUILA PART PROD COM | 1.4150 | -0.35 |
| BANCA TRANSILVANIA S.A. | 28.2000 | -0.53 |
| BRD – GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE S.A. | 18.1000 | 0.56 |
| C.N.T.E.E. TRANSELECTRICA | 45.1000 | -0.33 |
| Digi Communications N.V. | 67.0000 | 0.30 |
| FONDUL PROPRIETATEA | 0.3562 | -0.84 |
| MedLife S.A. | 5.9600 | 0.34 |
| OMV PETROM S.A. | 0.7310 | -0.54 |
| ONE UNITED PROPERTIES | 19.4400 | -1.22 |
| Premier Energy PLC | 19.2000 | 0.26 |
| PURCARI WINERIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED | 14.9800 | 0.67 |
| S.N. NUCLEARELECTRICA S.A. | 40.2000 | -1.35 |
| S.N.G.N. ROMGAZ S.A. | 5.9500 | -0.17 |
| S.N.T.G.N. TRANSGAZ S.A. | 28.1000 | -0.88 |
| S.P.E.E.H. HIDROELECTRICA S.A. | 118.1000 | -0.92 |
| SOCIETATEA ENERGETICA ELECTRICA S.A. | 13.0800 | -1.06 |
| Sphera Franchise Group | 40.5000 | -1.22 |
| TERAPLAST SA | 0.4335 | -0.12 |
| TTS (TRANSPORT TRADE SERVICES) | 4.7300 | -2.37 |
