The month of February in numbers

• February 1st

- The National Bank of Romania (BNR) announces that, on January 31, 2024, the foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 61,416 million euros, compared to 59,770 million euros on December 31, 2023. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Under the conditions of international price developments, its value was 6,269 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on January 31, 2024 were 67,685 million euros, compared to 65,983 million euros on December 31, 2023.

- The Ministry of Finance publishes the ANAF balance sheet for the year 2023, showing that undeclared tax obligations of 10.62 billion lei were identified, over 70% of which were generated in the field of manufacturing industries, trade (wholesale and retail), vehicle and motorcycle repair , and constructions.

- The Government adopts a memorandum authorizing the Ministry of Finance to contract legal assistance and representation services in order to ensure the representation of our country in the case pending before the Francophone Court of First Instance in Brussels, in which the company Pfizer - BioNTech sued Romania for payment to all anti-Covid vaccines purchased as part of the European Union supply contract, signed in 2021. In this file, Pfizer asks the Bucharest government to pay 564 million euros for the 28.94 million vaccines ordered.

• February 2

- The franc reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against our currency: 5.3393 lei, according to BNR data.

- The dollar - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.5697 lei, according to the BNR.

• February 8

- The gram of gold reaches the maximum price of the month: 302.4425 lei, according to the BNR.

• February 13

- The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania decides the following: maintaining the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 7% per year; maintaining the interest rate for the credit facility (Lombard) at 8% per year and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 6% per year; maintaining the current levels of the mandatory minimum reserve rates for liabilities in lei and in foreign currency of credit institutions.

- The NBR informs that, in the period January - December 2023, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 22,694 million euros, compared to 26,040 million euros in the period January - December 2022. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a deficit more small by 2,990 million euros, the balance of services - a larger surplus by 204 million euros, the balance of primary incomes - a smaller deficit by 9 million euros, and the balance of secondary incomes - a larger surplus by 143 million euros.

• 14 February

- The dollar - at the highest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.6505 lei, according to the BNR.

• February 15

- The gram of gold, quoted at the minimum level of the month: 297.7197 lei, according to the BNR.

• February 16

- The government decides to grant restructuring state aid in the form of a grant to the Oltenia Energetic Complex SA company to finance the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates in 2024, in the amount of 386.63 million lei.

• February 19

- Euro reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9773 lei, according to BNR figures.

• February 21

- The governing coalition PSD-PNL decides to combine the local elections with the European parliamentary elections and advance the presidential elections. Thus, on June 9 the European and local elections will take place, on September 8 and 22 - the two rounds of the presidential elections, and on December 8 the parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place.

• February 23

- The BNR announces that the money supply in a broad sense (M3) recorded, at the end of January 2024, a balance of 668,960.7 million lei. This increased by 0.2% (-0.9% in real terms) compared to December 2023, and compared to January 2023 it increased by 10.8% (3.2% in real terms).

• February 26

- Marius Voineag, chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) presents the balance sheet of the institution's activity for the year 2023, from which it follows that the number of solved cases increased by approximately 10% last year, compared to the year 2022, reaching 2,259.

• February 27

- The Ministry of Finance informs that the consolidated budget deficit was 7.89 billion lei (0.45% of GDP) in January 2024, compared to 4.02 billion lei (0.25% of GDP) in the first month of 2023 .

- The exchange rate of the Swiss franc reaches the lowest level of the month against our currency: 5.2030 lei, according to the BNR.

- Euro - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9686 lei, according to the BNR.

• February 28

- The government approves an emergency ordinance by which it ensures, in the future, to people from vulnerable categories, the right to help for heating the home and to the supplement for energy, for the remaining period of the cold season.

• February 29

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities from the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 2.4% in February, to 15,891 points, after reaching a maximum of 16,013 points during the month.

- The BET-BK index, the yield benchmark of investment funds, appreciated by 0.44%, up to 2,960 points.

- The BET-XT index, of the 30 most liquid stocks, increased by 1.9% in February, while the BET-NG, of energy and utility companies, appreciated by 1%.

- The securities of BRD-Groupe Societe Generale (BRD) appreciated by 10.7%, those of Banca Transilvania - by 4.6%. Both credit institutions reported growing profits.

- OMV Petrom shares appreciated by 6.38%, those of Romgaz decreased by 2.34%.

- Shares of the logistics and consumer goods distribution company Aquila rose by 7.7% in February, during which the shares reached a new all-time high.

- The shares of the wine producer Purcari Wineries from the Republic of Moldova depreciated by 6.6%, the biggest drop in the BET, in the context of the tensions in Transnistria.

- The BET-FI index, of SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, had a decline of 2.6% in February, up to 56,704 points, this being the only basket of shares from BVB that depreciated last month.