Net investments in Romania's economy, up 14% in the first quarter

Net investments in the Romanian economy amounted to RON 15.79 billion (EUR 3.39 billion) in the first quarter of this year, up by 14.3% compared to the same period of 2017, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). Investment in new construction work went down by 3.8% year-on-year, to RON 6.26 billion (EUR 1.34 billion). Meanwhile, investment in equipment increased by 7.7%, to RON 6.59 billion (EUR 1.41 billion) and other investment expenses more than doubled, to RON 2.94 billion (EUR 0.63 billion). Industry accounted for about a third (32.9%) of the net investments, followed by trade and services (23%), construction (21.7%), and other branches (16.5%). Investments in agriculture represented almost 6% of the total, up from 4.4% in the first quarter of 2017. editor@romania-insider.com