January in numbers

• January 1

- Our country fully enters the Schengen area.

- The National Bank of Romania announces that, as of December 31, 2024, foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 62,135 million euros, compared to 61,174 million euros on November 30, 2024, and 59,770 million euros on December 31, 2023. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Given the evolution of international prices, its value stood at 8,356 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) as of December 31, 2024 were 70,491 million euros, compared to 69,573 million euros as of November 30, 2024, and 65,983 million euros as of December 31, 2023.

• January 8

- The gram of gold, quoted at the minimum level of the month: 411.4200 lei, according to the NBR.

• January 10

- Romania is admitted to the Visa Waiver Program, which allows Romanian citizens to travel without a visa to the US for a period of up to 90 days.

- The Government decides to modify the framework program for issuing government securities "Medium Term Notes", by increasing it from 75 billion euros to 90 billion euros.

- The authorities announce the allocation of 5.6 million lei for compensation related to the expropriations necessary for the Răstoliţa Hydropower Development, a strategic project in the energy field.

- Euro - at the lowest rate of the month against the leu: 4.9728 lei, according to NBR data.

• January 13

- The Ministry of Finance launches a new issue of Treasury government bonds, with maturities of 1, 3 and 5 years, with annual interest rates of 7%, 7.5% and 7.8%, respectively. The bonds could be purchased until February 6.

- The franc reaches the maximum rate of the month against our currency: 5.3188 lei, according to NBR data.

- The dollar - at the highest rate of the month against our currency: 4.8734 lei, according to NBR.

- The National Bank of Romania announces that, in the period January-November 2024, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 26,301 million euros, compared to 19,770 million euros in the period January-November 2023. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a deficit higher by 3,824 million euros, the balance of services - a surplus lower by 1,766 million euros, the balance of primary income - a deficit higher by 1,056 million euros, and the balance of secondary income - a surplus higher by 115 million euros.

• January 15

- The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania decides the following: maintaining the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 6.50% per annum; maintaining the interest rate for the lending facility (Lombard) at 7.50% per annum and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 5.50% per annum; maintaining the levels of the minimum reserve requirements for lei and foreign currency liabilities of credit institutions.

• January 16

- The Government adopts the necessary legislative framework for the reorganization of the presidential elections, setting the election date for May 4, 2025 and May 18 for the second round.

• January 22

- The euro reaches its maximum exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9768 lei, according to NBR figures.

• January 25

- Pieces from the Dacian Treasure of Romania are stolen from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands. Bucharest authorities open a criminal case for aggravated theft.

• January 27

- The dollar - at the lowest rate of the month against our currency: 4.7360 lei, according to the National Bank of Romania.

- The National Bank of Romania informs that the broad money supply (M3) recorded, at the end of December 2024, a balance of 741,796.2 million lei. This increased by 2.9% (2.6% in real terms) compared to November 2024, and compared to December 2023 it increased by 11.3% (5.9% in real terms).

• January 29

- The Ministry of Finance announces that the budget deficit for 2024 was 152.72 billion lei (8.65% of GDP), compared to 90.06 billion lei (5.61% of GDP) in 2023.

• January 31

- The franc reaches the minimum exchange rate of the month against our currency: 5.2638 lei, according to the National Bank of Romania.

- The gram of gold reaches the maximum price of the month: 430.9044 lei, according to the National Bank of Romania.

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 1.67% in January, while the BET-BK index, the benchmark for the return of equity investment funds, appreciated by 1.68%.

- The BET-XT index, of the 30 most liquid stocks in our market, appreciated by 1.5% last month, in anticipation of the season of preliminary financial reporting of issuers for 2024.

- Shares of utility company Transelectrica (+10.3%), those of naval cargo carrier Transport Trade Services (+7.5%) and energy supplier and distributor Electrica (+6.2%), had among the largest increases in the BET index, in the first month of the year.

- OMV Petrom shares appreciated by 2.8%, in anticipation of the financial results for 2024, those of Romgaz, OMV Petrom's partner in the Neptun Deep project, by 5.2%.

- In terms of declines, the shares of TeraPlast, a company operating in the construction market (-8.3%), and those of the drug manufacturer Antibiotice Iaşi (-3.5%).

- The BET-FI index, of former SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, rose by 1.56% in January, primarily due to FP shares, which appreciated by 7.6%.