January in numbers

• January 1

- Mandatory electronic invoicing comes into force for all transactions between taxable persons established in the country. The measure is applicable until December 31, 2026.

• January 4

- The National Bank of Romania (BNR) announces that, on December 31, 2023, foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 59,770 million euros, compared to 58,894 million euros on 30 November 2023 and 46,636 million euros on 31 December 2022. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Under the conditions of international price developments, its value was 6,213 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on December 31, 2023 were 65,983 million euros, compared to 65,081 million euros on November 30, 2023 and 52,305 million euros on December 31, 2022.

- In the first government meeting in 2024, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announces that the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Development must find solutions for the urgent employment of 4,500 doctors, in the context of protests in the field.

• January 5

- The franc reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against our currency: 5.3439 lei, according to BNR data.

• January 9

- Hundreds of farmers are moving to the Capital, dissatisfied with the fiscal measures imposed by the Government at the end of last year and the generalization, starting from January 1, 2024, of the Ro e-Invoice and Ro e-Transport digital reporting systems, as well as the increase in excise duties for fuels and RCA tariffs.

- Euro - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9715 lei, according to the BNR.

• January 11

- The European Commission approves a state aid scheme notified by Romania in the amount of 126 million euros to support investments in ports facing an increase in trade flows as a result of the war started by Russia against Ukraine.

- The executive adopts a memorandum on the basis of which employment was unlocked for 1,055 positions in Health.

- The dollar - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.5351 lei, according to the BNR.

• January 12

- The Board of Directors of the NBR 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 levels of minimum mandatory reserve rates for liabilities in lei and in foreign currency of credit institutions.

- The BNR announces that, in the period January - November 2023, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 20,200 million euros, compared to 24,331 million euros in the period January - November 2022. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a smaller deficit by 3,510 million euros, the balance of services - a larger surplus by 552 million euros, the balance of primary incomes - a smaller deficit by 320 million euros, and the balance of secondary incomes - a smaller surplus by 251 million euros.

• January 18

- The bonds issued by the Cluj County Council make their debut on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The bond issue took place within a private placement, concluded in December 2023. The amount raised from investors was 76 million euros.

- The gram of gold, quoted at the minimum level of the month: 295.3822 lei, according to the BNR.

• January 19

- The exchange rate of the Swiss franc reaches the lowest level of the month against our currency: 5.2629 lei, according to the BNR.

• January 23

- The BNR announces that the money supply in a broad sense (M3) recorded, at the end of December 2023, a balance of 667,757.5 million lei. This increased by 3% (2.8% in real terms) compared to November 2023, and compared to December 2022 it increased by 10.7% (3.9% in real terms).

• January 25

- The government modifies some provisions regarding the application of the tariff for the use of the national road network (rovinieta), for the period up to January 1, 2026.

• January 29

- Euro reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9770 lei, according to BNR figures.

- The dollar - at the highest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.6007 lei, according to the BNR.

• January 30

- The Ministry of Finance announces that the execution of the general consolidated budget for 2023 ended with a deficit of 89.90 billion lei, respectively 5.68% of GDP, compared to 80.77 billion lei, respectively 5.76% of GDP in 2022.

- There is a cyber attack that managed to break the databases of the Chamber of Deputies and copy 316 files, some containing personal data of the parliamentarians, including contracts or medical records.

• January 31st

- The Government approves an emergency ordinance by which it decides to extend the capping of the commercial addition to 14 basic foods, a measure established for 90 days by GEO 67/2023 and then extended for another 90 days at the end of October last year.

- The gram of gold reaches the maximum price of the month: 301.0282 lei, according to the BNR.

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 0.92% in January, to 15,512 points, while the BET-BK index, the yield benchmark of investment funds in shares, had an advance of 2.06%, up to 2,947 points.

- The shares of the distribution and logistics company for the consumer goods market Aquila rose by 12.5%, the titles of the manufacturer of construction materials TeraPlast - by 12.04%, those of the ship carrier and port operator Transport Trade Services - by 8, 15%, recording the best developments in BET.

- Hidroelectrica shares fell by 2.5%, those of Nuclearelectrica stagnated.

- The BET-FI index, of SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, fell by 1.81% in January, being the only share basket from BVB that depreciated.