Romanian business sentiment worsens in construction, retail

Company managers in Romania expect a drop in construction and retail activity in January and February and stability in manufacturing and services, the national statistical office (INS) said on Wednesday.

Managers from the manufacturing sector expect a relative stability in production volumes, with a sharp decrease of 36% in manufacturing of tobacco products, INS said in a monthly business sentiment survey.

Regarding the number of employees and the industrial products' prices in the manufacturing sector, relative stability is forecast, according to the survey.

Construction is expected to show a drop of up to 34% in production volumes and the number of orders over the next two months. Managers also see a drop of 21% in the number of employees and a moderate decrease of 6% in the prices of construction works.

The managers of retail companies expect economic activity to drop by 14% over the next two months. The volume of orders and prices are expected to be decrease by 18%, while the number of employees is seen decreasing by 16%. Also, for the next period, managers of the trade companies estimate a relative stability of retail prices.

Sales in services is expected be stable during the next two months. The number of employees and sales prices are also expected to be relatively stable, according to the survey.

A total of 8,216 managers of Romanian-based companies from construction, manufacturing, retail, and services were interviewed in the survey.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!