Cercel, BRD: Interest rates will remain low on monetary market

The year 2011 will not bring tensions on the local financial markets, the RON will start on a trend of slight appreciation, interest rates on the monetary market will remain low amid excess liquidity, and the state will continue to finance itself problem-free, while on the Stock Exchange the "historic event" will be flotation of Fondul Proprietatea (Property Fund), anticipates Claudiu Cercel, vice-president of financial markets of BRD-SocGen, the second-largest bank on the Romanian market.

"I don't expect tension on the financial markets this year, especially since we are starting off with positive data, we have hit budget deficit target set for 2010, foreign confidence has increased in the past two months, and on Friday we will have good news from the IMF, as well. Questions remain over external factors - if something bad happens with Spain , it will be felt promptly in interest rates."

Over the past few months, CDS-es (the cost of insuring Romania's debt against default (country risk premium) have remained below 300 basis points, 80 points lower than Hungary's. The increased confidence abroad has also reflected in the absence of significant pressure on the RON/euro exchange rate, which allowed for low interest rates to be preserved on the interbank market.