The reference exchange rate hikes to 4.2729 lei per euro, on depreciation of regional currencies

Romania's national currency, the leu, continued its depreciation and lost 0.38 percent to a reference exchange rate of 4.2729 against the single European currency, after a session in which the leu lost ground steadily, on a regional trend.

Yesterday the central lender BNR posted a reference exchange rate of 4.2569 lei per euro.

'The exchange rate posted a constant downward evolution, with the leu fall throughout the session. If the national currency was out of line with the rest of the emerging currencies in the beginning of the day, now the leu's evolution is correlated with the region,' a market dealer declared for NewsIn.

The leu depreciated during the day from 4.2473 to 4.28 against the euro. At 1:13 p.m. banks bought the euro with 4.2758 lei and sold it for 4.2870 lei.

In the region, the Hungarian forint inched slightly on opening to 292.27 units per euro, but the exchange rate climbed throughout the day to 294. The Polish zloty gained ground during the first transactions of the day from 4.55 to 4.51 versus the euro, but then fell back to 4.5250.

The reference rate also indicated a 0.62 percent depreciation of the leu to 3.3023 against the American dollar, from yesterday's level of 3.2817.

On international markets, the U.S. currency strengthened initially from 1.292 to 1.2851 versus the euro, then depreciated back to 1.2990. At 1:13 p.m. Romania's hour, the euro was traded at 1.2955 dollars.

BNR posted an average interbank bid rate (ROBID) of 13.83 percent, lower than that of the previous session of 14.05 percent and the interbank offer rate for overnight deposits (ROBOR) slipped to 15.14 percent from 15.84 percent.

Interbank interests for overnight deposits fell slightly on the previous day, but remained high at 13 – 15 percent per year, close to the lombard credit rate of 14 percent.