Economic situation, stakes in state-owned firms and regulatory changes are main challenges for Romanian stock markets in 2013

The main challenges Romania’s stock market will face this year will be the general economic developments , selling on the stock exchange the state-owned stakes in large companies and the reorganization process of the supervision authority, according to a study conducted by brokerage company XTB Romania. The two first factors will be influenced by the effectiveness economic measures taken, both locally and globally. For the Romanian trading market to develop, the economic recovery has to continue on an upward trend. However, the most important factor that will determine the magnitude of this development is the economic recovery’s rhythm, according to XTB Romania. The local capital market will also face an important challenge this year, namely the dissolution of the National Securities Commission (CNVM), due to its integration into the Financial Supervision Authority (ASF). “Although the official deadline is very close (March 15 ), many details are still in question and even the new proposed deadline - April 15, doesn’t allow significant time for changes,” said Tadeusz Kuropatwinski, XTB Romania’s General Manager. Another challenge is represented by the local stock exchange’s attractiveness. This factor is tied up with selling large share packages in certain companies in which the state has significant holdings, such as Transgaz or Petrom, according to the XTB study. Restoring Romanians’ confidence in trading is considered to be another challenge. Also, the number of brokers on the Romanian market is expected to decrease this year, mainly because only the companies meeting high quality standards will survive the difficult economic conditions. XTB Romania, part of X-Trade Brokers Dom Maklerski, has been active on the local market since 2009 and is governed and supervised by the National Securities Commission. The company plans to invest EUR 1 million this year in education and marketing tools. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: sxc.hu)