Radio România Internațional

Tag: stock

  • Record-high stock market capitalisation

    Record-high stock market capitalisation


    The market worth of the over 370 companies listed with the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) went beyond EUR 60 bln for the first time in history at the end of the first 11 months of this year. Market capitalization has gone up 43% this year alone.



    In fact, in the past 6 years the market value of all the companies listed with BVB has doubled. Since the start of this year, the Romanian stock market has seen two-digit increase rates for all stock exchange indices. The BET, covering the most liquid 20 companies listed with the BVB, rose by 26%. The BVB listed companies have come to account for 21% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product for 2022.



    The positive trend in the stock market was influenced, among other things, by the listing this year of the energy producer Hidroelectrica, in the largest IPO in Europe so far, as well as by the continued Fidelis state bond programme, by the increase in the number of investors to a record 168,000, and by the projects implemented by BVB as a market and system operator.



    On Monday, transactions totaled more than a quarter of a billion euros. In the regulated market, the most traded stocks were Hidroelectrica, OMV Petrom and Romgaz. Also on Monday, the Bucharest Stock Exchange saw another record, with the main index BET up 0.41% in the longest upward trend of the past year.



    The combined worth of all the BVB-listed companies today is the highest in history, and we believe this to indicate as clearly as possible the extent of the countrys economic development, namely that a strong economy can only be based on a strong stock market, the BVB president Radu Hanga said. He explained that in the last 5 years alone, the Romanian stock exchange saw the listing of over 175 financial instruments with a combined worth of EUR 10.8 bln.


    The stock market growth is not accidental. According to iBan First, one of the worlds main payment service providers, Romania had the highest economic growth rate in the EU-roughly 800% in the past 20 years. According to a report of the institution, Central and East European countries have better economic growth rates than Western Europe, and their GDP will go up twice as much as the Euro zone average in 2023-2026.



    The strengths of Central and East European countries include the young, educated, highly skilled workforce and the around 30% smaller salary costs. At the same time, the region is a significantly large market, with rising purchasing power and a developing middle class, which generates high demand for Western products, the report also reads. (AMP)


  • June 23, 2023 UPDATE

    June 23, 2023 UPDATE

    SECURITY We are under an obligation to provide
    security to the Republic of Moldova, because Romanians also live there, PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday.
    The previous day the Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemned the statements
    made by the Russian-installed
    governor in occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo. The Romanian diplomacy says in a
    Twitter post that such statements addressed to the Republic of Moldova, but
    which also refer to a part of the territory of Romania, a member of NATO, are
    unacceptable and that targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. The
    reaction comes after Saldo threatened that the Russian army could attack a
    bridge over Prut River, in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of
    the bridges connecting Kherson to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea annexed by
    Moscow 9 years ago. Chisinau has summoned the Russian ambassador to the
    Republic of Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, for explanations. Created on some of
    the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1940, the
    Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from Moscow in 1991.


    STOCK MARKET In Romania, the Association of Fund Administrators
    welcomed the historic decision to list Hidroelectrica, through the sale of the
    stake held by Proprietatea Fund. The Association chief, Horia Gustă, says the
    listing is a huge development opportunity for the Bucharest Stock Exchange, which
    thus consolidates its entry in the big league of European financial markets. Moreover,
    the company’s presence will attract significant sums of money and major
    international investment funds into Romania. In turn, Hidroelectrica’s CEO
    Bogdan Badea says he expects nearly EUR 10 bln in capitalisation.
    Hidroelectrica is the country’s largest electricity producer and it recently
    became one of the most important energy suppliers for households.


    IMMIGRANTS 43 foreign citizens were caught, Friday morning, trying
    to cross Romania’s western border illegally. They were hidden in a truck driven
    by a Romanian national, which was carrying parcels on the Romania-Hungary
    route. The authorities found that the people hidden among the goods are from
    Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The foreigners are being
    investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border, and the truck
    driver for migrant trafficking.


    FOOD The large chain stores in Romania have agreed, in the framework
    of the dialogue started with the Government, that they could voluntarily reduce
    the shelf prices of 10 basic food categories. The announcement was made by
    Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, but talks will continue. In order for the
    reduction to be implemented, either a voluntary agreement of the sellers or an
    emergency ordinance is being considered, but in both cases, the prime minister promised
    that the government does not want to put pressure on Romanian producers.


    THEATRE The Sibiu International Theatre Festival began on Friday in
    central Romania. The event, which has a 30-year long tradition, brings to
    Romania 5,000 artists from 75 countries, in hundreds of events to be held until
    2 July.




    FOOTBALL On Saturday in Bucharest Romania takes on Ukraine,
    in Group B of the European Under-21 Football Championship, which it hosts
    together with Georgia. In the same group, Spain will play against Croatia. In
    the debut matches, the Under-21 national team was beaten 3-0 by Spain, while
    Ukraine defeated Croatia 2-0. The final tournament takes place between 21 June and
    8 July, and it brings together 16 teams, divided into four groups. Two are
    hosted by Romania, in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca (north-west), and two by
    Georgia. Two quarter-finals and a semi-final will also take place in Romania.
    The top three finishers qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Romania
    is at its 3rd consecutive participation in the competition, with a total
    of 4 final tournament presences, starting with 1998, when it hosted the final
    tournament for the first time. The country’s best performance was in 2019, when
    it reached the semi-finals, which secured the national team’s qualification in
    the Tokyo Olympics. (AMP)

  • Romanian stock market, on the rise

    Romanian stock market, on the rise

    Romania’s capital market went up 7.1%
    in the first 5 months of the year, as the number of investors hit a new record,
    the Bucharest Stock Exchange announced. The context is highly favourable for
    the upcoming listing of the country’s largest electricity producer, Hidroelectrica,
    which is expected to draw substantial capital as of July.


    Eight million Romanians will be
    able to benefit from the listing, thanks to the stock to be purchased by
    private pension funds, and a large number of business people will be able to invest
    directly in the company, the Bucharest Stock Exchange president Radu Hanga
    said.


    According to Hanga, Hidroelectrica’s
    standing and the size of the transaction, expected to reach some EUR 2 bln,
    indicates that the local stock market has grown to maturity, and the success of
    the operation will contribute significantly to strengthening the confidence of
    local entrepreneurs and investors in the potential of the Romanian capital
    market.


    The Hidroelectrica IPO (Initial
    Public Offering) will be the most important event in the forthcoming period
    for Romania, in economic terms as well as in terms of image, and one of the biggest
    in the world at the moment, the Bucharest Stock Exchange chief also said.


    Hanga explained that the transaction
    is critical for Romania, with significant implications for the country’s
    inclusion in the MSCI emerging markets index. At present, MSCI rates Romania as
    a frontier market, whereas the second-largest relevant company, the FTSE, upgraded
    Romania to secondary emerging market status in 2020.


    The sale by the Proprietatea Fund of
    its 20% share in Hidroelectrica takes place in a positive context. The number
    of investors in the Romanian stock market was over 141,000 at the end of the
    first quarter of 2023, compared to nearly 54,000 in 2019. This accounts for a 160%
    rise in the past 5 years.


    Also, overall listings with the
    Bucharest Stock Exchange amounted to over EUR 1.8 bln in the first 5 months of
    this year, in spite of international market volatility. As many as 7 corporate
    bond issues for a combined EUR 1 bln, and 5 Fidelis state bond issues totalling
    EUR 618 mln. were listed. Over the past 5 years, the Bucharest Stock Exchange
    has listed 163 financial instruments amounting to a combined EUR 8 bln,
    offering investors returns of over 100%. (AMP)

  • Stock de gaz naturels conforme au planning

    Stock de gaz naturels conforme au planning

    La Roumanie dépasse actuellement le niveau de
    stockage de gaz naturels assumé devant la Commission européenne, a déclaré le
    ministre de l’Énergie, Virgil Popescu. Et lui de préciser qu’il n’y aurait
    pas de problèmes de consommation durant l’hiver prochain, la Roumanie ayant
    déjà stocké plus de 1,8 milliards de mètres cubes, une quantité supérieure à la
    cible assumée pour cet automne : « Nous avons accéléré le stockage des
    gaz naturels. Nos cibles étaient de 46% pour le 1er août et de 57%
    pour le 1er septembre. Or, nous en sommes déjà à 59,48%, au-dessus donc du pourcentage de septembre. Pour
    le 1er novembre, j’estime un stock de gaz naturels de plus de 80% du
    nécessaire, ce qui nous assurera le confort durant l’hiver. Les Roumains ne
    doivent pas en craindre une pénurie. »     Le ministre Virgil
    Popescu a ajouté que son équipe du ministère était en train de mettre au point
    un plan de réduction de 15% de la consommation de gaz, suivant les
    recommandations de la CE, bien que, pour l’instant, ce ne soit pas nécessaire. Il
    faut, pourtant, nous habituer à économiser, a-t-il insisté.


    Par ailleurs, le premier ministre, Nicolae Ciucă,
    a demandé au président du Conseil de la concurrence de vérifier l’évolution des
    prix de l’énergie, compte tenu des différences visibles entre les prix de
    production et ceux du marché : « Le
    Conseil de la concurrence, avec l’Autorité nationale de régulation de l’énergie
    (ANRE) et tous les autres responsables de ce domaine, je vous prie de vérifier
    cette évolution des prix. Le lendemain, le marché doit être équilibré, or nous
    constatons qu’en fait, c’est un marché consolidé de l’énergie et je vous prie
    de vérifier si des éléments spéculatifs apparaissent dans les transactions
    d’énergie. »    ,a dit le chef du gouvernement de Bucarest.



    Dans le contexte de la guerre en Ukraine,
    l’Europe essaie de sortir de sa dépendance au gaz russe. De nombreux pays se
    sont préparés à affronter un arrêt complet des livraisons, décidé par Moscou,
    et cherchent des solutions. Les Pays-Bas ont
    baissé d’un tiers leur consommation depuis le début de l’année, mais d’autres
    pays, tels la Pologne et la Hongrie, s’opposent à une démarche similaire.
    Par ailleurs, les livraisons de gaz naturel liquéfié des États-Unis vers
    l’Europe ont fortement augmenté. Durant les six premiers mois de l’année en cours, les Américains y ont
    déjà exporté une quantité supérieure à celle enregistrée sur l’ensemble de
    l’année dernière. Le gazoduc azéri vers les marchés grecs et italiens
    augmentera également son débit vers l’Europe, jusqu’à 12 milliards de mètres
    cubes par an.

    État membre de l’Union
    européenne le moins dépendant au gaz russe, la Roumanie détient d’importantes
    réserves de gaz naturels en mer Noire, estimées à 200 milliards de mètres
    cubes, mais elles ne sont pas exploités. Le gisement le plus riche se trouve dans le périmètre Neptun Deep,
    que la compagnie d’État roumaine Romgaz exploitera ensemble avec la
    compagnie autrichienne OMV Petrom. (Trad. Ileana Ţăroi)

  • March 17, 2020

    March 17, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania President Klaus Iohannis is today chairing a meeting held by conference call with PM Ludovic Orban and the ministers involved in the management of the COVID-19 outbreak. Also today, Klaus Iohannis is taking part in a European Council conference call focusing on measures to manage the crisis. The head of the Romanian state Monday signed an order introducing a 30-day state of emergency in Romania. The document is to be voted on in Parliament on Thursday. According to official data, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania has reached 184, with 16 people already recovered. Around 3,300 people are in quarantine facilities and nearly 16,600 are self-isolating at home under medical supervision. Scores of criminal investigations have been initiated with respect to thwarting efforts to combat diseases. All asymptomatic persons entering Romania from countries with more than 500 infections, such as Spain, France, or Germany, will enter mandatory self-isolation at home for a period of 14 days. The measure applies to people entering by air and road. Safety measures have been strengthened, with all indoor cultural, scientific, artistic, religious, sports and entertainment activities involving more than 50 people now banned. Parliament has amended its regulations to the effect that in exceptional situations meetings and votes may be held by electronic means.



    COVID-19 World The number of deaths caused around the world by the new coronavirus has exceeded 7000, after Italy Monday announced 349 deaths in 24 hours. A total of over 175,000 cases have been reported so far in 145 countries. Italy, with 2,158 deaths out of 28,000 cases, is the second-worst hit country in the world, after China, which reported 3,213 deaths. France ordered a 15-day lockdown as of today. With over 9,000 cases, Spain has closed borders for non-residents and foreign workers. Hungary, too, has closed borders for foreigners. The European Commission may decide today to close the EU external borders and is considering a ban on non-essential travel. Several European countries have made the unilateral decision to close their borders, fully or partially. In many European countries, schools are closed down, public gatherings have been cancelled and business operations suspended. In the US, president Donald Trump announced strict quarantine measures and believes the epidemic may be followed by a recession. The World Health Organisation director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said governments must do more to fight the coronavirus pandemic. He also emphasised the importance of large-scale testing and screening.



    STOCK MARKET The Bucharest Stock Exchange opened on the rise for all trading indices on Tuesday. Both the BET, which covers the 16 most traded companies, and the BET-Plus, which reflects the stocks of the 37 most traded companies in the Bucharest Stock Exchange, had gone up nearly 1.8%. European stock markets also recovered slightly on Tuesday, after plummeting to a 2012 low on Monday over coronavirus concerns and fears of global recession. Also on Monday, the Wall Street saw the worst decline since the 1987 Black Monday, after president Donald Trump said the coronavirus pandemic may last for months and the American economy might head towards recession. Investors are worried that the authorities will not be able to take efficient measures to address the economic damage caused by the outbreak. Meanwhile, the Philippines stock market Tuesday shut down indefinitely, the first move of this kind in the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.



    RAILWAY The Romanian Railway Corporation suspended, as of today, some international passenger services, including to and from neighbouring Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and Hungary, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Passenger trains to Ruse, in Bulgaria, to Chisinau, in Moldova, and local cross-border railway transport on the Hungarian border have been suspended. Passengers may request fill refunds.



    2020 OLYMPICS The president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach is today reviewing the situation of this summers scheduled Olympic Games, due to take place in Tokyo, Japan. In a conference call meeting with the chiefs of international federations, he may announce the postponement of the Games, over the coronavirus pandemic. Also today UEFA is to decide whether to postpone the 2020 European Championship, scheduled to take place in Romania and another 11 countries between June 12 and July 12. Bucharest is supposed to host 4 matches in the final tournament. Romania failed to qualify into the Euro 2020 preliminaries, but may still gain access to the competition if they win the Nations League playoffs scheduled this month. According to the initial calendar, on March 26 Romania should play against Iceland away from home, and if it wins it should play against the winner of the match pitting Hungary against Bulgaria, on March 31.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)