October in numbers

• October 2

- The BNR announces that, on September 30, 2023, the foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 59,238 million euros, compared to 53,901 million euros on August 31, 2023. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Under the conditions of international price developments, its value was 5,879 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on September 30, 2023 were 65,117 million euros, compared to 59,859 million euros on August 31, 2023.

• October 3

- The exchange rate of the Swiss franc reaches the lowest level of the month against our currency: 5.1499 lei, according to the BNR.

- The dollar - at the highest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.7430 lei, according to the BNR.

• October 4

- Euro reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9752 lei, according to BNR figures.

• October 5

- 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.

• October 6

- The gram of gold, quoted at the minimum level of the month: 275.2816 lei, according to the BNR.

• October 7

- There are terrorist attacks in Israel, followed by the bombing of the Gaza Strip by the armed forces led from Tel Aviv, which gives rise to the current Israel-Hamas war.

• October 10

- The first visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to our country is taking place.

• October 12

- The Supreme National Defense Council (CSAT) decides to set up an inter-institutional working group that will develop a common action plan that will include the objectives, general and particular measures, specific tasks and responsibilities in order to prevent and effectively combat risks generated by drug trafficking and consumption to individual and collective safety.

- Euro - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against the leu: 4.9627 RON, according to the BNR.

• October 13

- The NBR announces that, in the period January - August 2023, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 13,759 million euros, compared to 18,502 million euros in the period January - August 2022. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a deficit more small by 2,564 million euros, the balance of services - a larger surplus by 1,681 million euros, the balance of primary incomes - a smaller deficit by 322 million euros, and the balance of secondary incomes - a larger surplus by 176 million euros.

• October 18

- The Constitutional Court rejects the notification of the USR and the Law Force regarding the fiscal measures for which the Government assumed responsibility in the Parliament, in September.

• October 20

- The franc reaches the maximum exchange rate of the month against our currency: 5.2654 lei, according to BNR data.

• October 23

- The BNR announces that the money supply in a broad sense (M3) recorded, at the end of September 2023, a balance of 640,762.4 million lei. This increased by 2.4% (1.6% in real terms) compared to August 2023, and compared to September 2022 it increased by 10.1% (1.2% in real terms).

• October 26

- The Ministry of Finance announces the execution of the consolidated general budget for the first nine months of 2023: deficit of 56.46 billion lei (3.55% of GDP), compared to 41.70 billion lei (2.96% of GDP) in the same period from 2022.

- President Klaus Iohannis promulgates the Law on the new package of fiscal measures.

- The gram of gold reaches the maximum price of the month: 301.1915 lei, according to the BNR.

• October 27

- The government extends by 90 days the provisions of GEO 67/2023 regarding the capping of the commercial addition for 14 basic foods to which it added seven foods most often used during the winter holidays (minced meat, garlic, rice, broth, cozonac, margarine , yeast, cream and pears).

• October 31

- The Government approves by emergency ordinance the increase, from November 1, of the minimum wage in construction, agriculture and the food industry, which is applied starting with the incomes related to the month of November.

- The dollar - at the lowest exchange rate of the month against our currency: 4.6585 lei, according to the BNR.

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities from the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), depreciated by 0.83% in October, BET-BK, the yield benchmark of investment funds in shares, decreased by 0, 15%, and BETAeRO, the index of companies from the BVB Multilateral System, with 1.97%.

- The BET-XT index, which reflects the dynamics of the 30 most liquid shares from BVB, decreased by 0.83%.

- Fondul Proprietatea (FP) shares rose by 16.67%, to 0.49 lei, registering the best evolution in BET.

- BVB stocks rose by 6.99% in October.

- The BET-NG index, of energy and utility companies, had a decline of 3.38% in October, the biggest decline among the baskets of shares on the BSE.

- The BET-FI index, of SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, rose by 3.1% last month, due to the evolution of FP shares.