BCR launches BCR Romania PMI® Index and brings a new economic perspective on the local manufacturing sector

Romania has been so far the only major economy in Central and Eastern Europe without a PMI® index.

Banca Comercială Română (BCR), in collaboration with the National Council of Small and Medium-Sized Private Enterprises in Romania (CNIPMMR), announces the launch of the BCR Romania Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI®), an essential indicator in determining the health of the economy. This initiative, under the global methodology provided by S&P Global, marks a significant milestone in providing accurate, timely insights into the Romanian manufacturing sector.

The BCR Romania PMI® is designed to measure the performance of the manufacturing industry by assessing new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries, and the employment environment.

As the first of its kind in Romania, this index stands as a critical tool for all financial institutions, central banks, local authorities and governments, as well as for investors and companies across sectors, providing a reliable basis for timely strategic decision-making and for coherent economic policy formulation. Romania has been so far the only major economy in the CEE region without a PMI® index.

“For BCR, the launch of the PMI® for Romania is a country project, to which we are directly contributing. The index indicates the overall health of our economy and serves as a compass for all stakeholders. It enables financial institutions to better assess risks and have a more efficient financial planning. For authorities, it provides a factual basis for policy-making that aligns with real economic conditions, while for companies, harnessing this information means optimizing operations, better supply chain management and improved investment strategies. Given the complex overview offered by PMI® index, we are most pleased to announce to announce that Romania benefits from an analysis and forecasting tool that is essential for any dynamic economy. Moreover, our involvement in BCR Romania PMI® shows how we believe and invest in Romania. It shows how BCR supports Romania to fulfil its superior economic potential so that every Romanian can enjoy real prosperity”, said Ciprian Dascălu, Chief Economist BCR.

“Romania continues to have an economy based on exports of raw materials, which was also noticed in 2023, a year in which, for example, chemical products or manufactured goods represented significant increases (between 13% and 17%) in import. Therefore, I believe that the future of Romania must mean the financing of companies from various manufacturing industries, the support of job creation and above all the training of adequate human resources in industrial fields, and this index that we are making in Romania together with BCR, precisely conveys these conclusions. We will continue to analyze the various components of the Romanian economy and we will always come up with concrete solutions and public policy proposals”, said