BusinessMagazin

Author: adison

  • Romania a avut a patra scadere a PIB din UE in trimestrul doi

    Cele mai accentuate contractii ale economiei au fost inregistrate, in trimestrul al doilea, in Lituania (-22,6%), Letonia (-18,2%) si Estonia (-16,6%), la polul opus situandu-se Grecia (-0,2%), Cipru (-0,7%) si Franta (-2,6%), se arata intr-un comunicat al Biroului de Statistica al UE, Eurostat.

    In ceea ce priveste datele trimestriale, Romania se plaseaza pe pozitia a cincea in UE dupa amploarea contractarii economiei, cu o scadere de 1,2% a PIB in perioada aprilie-iunie comparativ cu ianuarie-martie.Cele mai severe contractari trimestriale au fost inregistrate in Lituania (-12,3%), Estonia (-3,7%), Ungaria (-2,1%) si Letonia (-1,6%), in timp ce Slovacia a obtinut cea mai accentuata crestere economica din UE, de 2,2%.

    Germania si Franta, cele mai mari economii europene, au raportat cresteri ale PIB de 0,3% fiecare in trimestrul al doilea comparativ cu primele trei luni ale anului, iesind oficial din recesiune, spre surprinderea economistilor, dar si a guvernelor.

    Astfel, datorita evolutiilor pozitive din Germania si Franta, scaderea PIB-ului zonei euro s-a restrans la numai -0,1% in perioada aprilie-iunie fata de primul trimestru, de la -2,5% in perioada ianuarie-martie, respectiv -1,8% in ultimele trei luni ale anului trecut.
     

     

  • Harta recesiunii: Pariaza pe cine scapa!

    Cresterea surprinzatoare a Produsului Intern Brut (PIB) al Frantei a fost anuntata, in dimineata zilei de joi, de ministrul Economiei, Christine Lagarde, la postul de radio RTL, si confirmata ulterior de datele oficiale publicate de institutul de statistica INSEE, potrivit Reuters.

    "Datele sunt foarte surprinzatoare. Dupa patru trimestre consecutive de scadere, Franta iese in sfarsit din recesiune, iar cresterea economica redevine pozitiva, la 0,3%", a declarat Lagarde inainte de publicarea datelor INSEE.

    Economistii prognozau o scadere economica de 0,3% in trimestrul al doilea comparativ cu primele trei luni ale anului. Principalii factori care au sustinut cresterea economiei franceze in trimestrul al doilea sunt consumul, atat in sectorul public, cat si consumul populatiei, investitiile publice si exporturile.

    Germania, cea mai mare economie din Uniunea Europeana, a anuntat de asemenea, joi dimineata, ca a iesit din recesiune, cu o crestere economica de 0,3% in trimestrul al
    doilea comparativ cu primele trei luni.

    Avansul trimestrial al economiei a fost sustinut de cresterea consumului public si privat si a activitatii din constructii si comert, a anuntat Biroul Federal de Statistica intr-un raport preliminar privitor la evolutia economica. In plus, scaderea importurilor a fost mai mare decat cea a exporturilor.

    Produsul Intern Brut (PIB) a scazut cu un ritm anual de 7,1% in al doilea trimestru, dupa ce in perioada ianuarie-martie s-a contractat cu 6,4%. Guvernul german estimeaza ca in 2009 economia va scadea cu aproximativ 6%.
     

    Comentati care sunt celelalte tari din UE care ar putea iesi din recesiune in perioada urmatoare pe blogul BUSINESS Magazin si puteti castiga un set de audio-book-uri.

  • PIB a scazut cu 8,8% in trimestrul al doilea

    Conform primelor estimari privind evolutia Produsului intern brut in trimestrul al doilea, acesta s-a redus, comparativ cu primul trimestru, cu 1,2% (date ajustate sezonier). Fata de perioada corespunzatoare din anul 2008, potrivit primelor estimari, Produsul intern brut (serie bruta) a inregistrat o scadere cu 8,8% in trimestrul doi 2009 si cu 7,6% in primul semestru”, se arata intr-un comunicat al Institutului National de Statistica privind estimarile pentru PIB.

    In 2008, Romania a inregistrat cea mai mare crestere economica din Uniunea Europeana, de 7,1%. In primul trimestru al acestui an, economia s-a contractat cu 6,2% comparativ cu perioada similara a anului trecut, al saselea declin al PIB la nivelul UE, din cauza scaderilor mai accentuate in agricultura si industrie. Comparativ cu trimestrul IV din 2008, scaderea economica a fost de 4,6%.

    Fondul Monetar International prognozeaza pentru Romania o scadere economica de 8-8,5% in 2009, dublu fata de estimarea de 4,1% din luna martie, cand a fost negociat acordul stand-by.

    Cititi mai multe despre solutiile propuse de oamenii de afaceri pentru a iesi din criza aici.

     

  • Revista presei economice: posturi

    Ziarul financiar afirma ca guvernul isi va angaja raspunderea in fata Parlamentului pentru proiectul privind restructurarea agentiilor guvernamentale si rationalizarea cheltuielilor publice. Decizia a fost luata in urma analizei proiectelor de restructurare pe care fiecare minister le-a prezentat in sedinta de astazi a Guvernului. Cititi mai multe pe www.zf.ro.

    Gandul scrie ca Altex vrea ca programul “Prima Casa” sa fie extins si pentru produsele necesare utilarii locuintei, adica mobila si produse electrocasnice. “Daca guvernul ii ajuta (pe beneficiarii programului de garantare a creditelor) sa cumpere casa si nu au pe ce sa doarma asta este” a spus directorul de marketing si vanzari al companiei Altex, Cristian Moanta. Cititi mai multe pe www.gandul.info.

    Business Standard afirma ca statul are la dispozitie doar trei luni pentru a recupera distanta care il desparte de masurile adoptate de mediul privat, pentru a-si adapta mecanismele la situatia actuala. Angajatii din sectorul privat au fost supusi, de la inceputul anului, la multiple presiuni, in timp ce salariatii statului au fost ocoliti de masurile drastice de taiere a costurilor. Cititi mai multe pe www.standard.money.ro

    Cotidianul scrie ca SC Sorste SA, firma la care ministrul Tineretului si Sportului Luminita Placinta, detine 96% din actiuni, a beneficiat recent din partea Fiscului de o compensare a unor datorii la bugetul de stat in valoare de 5,5 milioane de euro. Copiii sefilor Fiscului din Vrancea sunt angajatii lui Placinta. Cititi mai multe pe www.cotidianul.ro.

    Evenimentul zilei afirma ca firmele din domeniul instalatiilor sanitare isi pun speranta anul acesta in proiectele guvernamentale de infrastructura, cele realizate din fonduri europene si in programul „Prima casa”. Din cauza crizei, majoritatea romanilor au renuntat la planurile de constructie sau achizitie a unei locuinte, cumparand mai putine echipamente sanitare decat in 2008. Cititi mai multe pe www.evz.ro.

    Imaginea a fost realizata prin intermediul programului Wordle.
     

  • ING Asigurari: profit triplu cu afaceri mai mici

    "Sesizam in aceasta perioada o schimbare a preferintelor clientilor, care cauta in special produse ce le ofera protectie si randamente garantate. Astfel, in vanzarile noi ale ING Asigurari de Viata din prima jumătate a anului 2009 acest tip de contracte reprezintă circa 80% din numarul total de polite, fata de 40% in aceeaşi perioada din 2008", a declarat Cornelia Coman, director general al companiei si presedinte al Consiliului de Administratie al ING Fond de Pensii.

    In schimb, profitul brut al companiei a crescut aproape de trei ori pana la aproape 55 mil. lei (13,1 mil. euro). „In principal, această evolutie a fost determinata de cresterea veniturilor din investitii si de scaderea cheltuielilor administrative", a mai declarat Cornelia Coman. Pe segmentul de asigurarilor de viata, valoarea activelor financiare in administrare a ajuns la nivelul de 1,631 miliarde de lei la sfarsitul lunii iunie 2009, in crestere cu circa 6,25% fata de aceeasi perioadă a anului trecut.

    Pe segmentul de pensii facultative, ING Asigurări de Viata are in administrare doua fonduri de pensii facultative, ING Clasic şi ING Optim, care însumau la jumatatea anului 66.651 de participanti (in crestere cu aprox. 56% faţă de iunie 2008) si active de 57,5 milioane de lei (in crestere de peste 3,7 ori comparativ cu iunie 2008).

     

  • Altex: preturile produselor vor creste in semestrul doi

    Compania Altex a realizat in prima parte a acestui an vanzari de 83 de milioane de euro, in scadere cu 50% fata de perioada similara a anului anterior.
    Cauzele care vor duce la cresterea preturilor din cadrul retelelor de electronice si electrocasnice sunt de mai multe tipuri.

    Pe de o parte stocurile pe care le-au constituit companiile pentru finalul anului trecut si care nu s-au mai vandut conform asteptarilor se epuizeaza si promotiile agresive datorate acestor stocuri se vor incheia. In al doilea rand, pretul de productie creste iar acest lucru se reflecta la raft. Ecranele, da ca exemplu Dan Ostahie, presedintele grupului de firme Altex, sunt produse exclusive pe piata chineza, unde forta de munca se scumpeste – PIB-ul Chinei este in crestere cu 8% fata de anul anterior.

    In al treilea rand, piata intra pe o usoara panta de crestere, iar “orice companie va simti macar o tentativa usoara de a-si atrage castiguri”, declara oficialii Altex. Ultima perioada pare sa sustina ideea de revenire a pietei, compania avand in iulie vanzari in crestere cu 15% fata de iunie, procent de crestere care s-a mentinut si in primele 10 zile din luna august.
    Piata va scadea, conform estimarilor Altex, cu 40% anul acesta fara de rezultatele anului trecut, cand s-a plasat la cca. 1,5 mld. de euro.

     

  • Don’t Knock the RON off it’s Stand

    At the beginning of this year, in the midst of pessimistic economic forecasts and with the recent experience of the October depreciation of the RON, many experts (and BUSINESS Magazin readers, as well) were willing to believe it would be difficult to avoid an evolution of the exchange rate towards 5 RON/euro in the first half of the year. However, when we asked bankers in January to give us an exchange rate projection, not only none of them predicted a rate of over 4.50 RON/euro, but the majority went no further than 4.30 or even 4.10 RON/euro.

    Eventually, reality matched the bankers’ predictions, with the exchange rate remaining at 4.2067 RON/euro on June 30 – decidedly very far from the ideal levels of 3.1 RON/euro in the summer of 2007, but also very remote from the apocalyptic scenarios of 5 RON/ euro or even higher. Now, history seems to repeat itself: after forecasts on the economic progression have changed several times over the last few months, and an 8% economic decline has become an official scenario, while the budget deficit is widening day after day, a collapse of the RON is something that many Romanians, especially those with loans in euros, continue to fear. In this context, it could be considered surprising that most commercial banks officials who agreed to answer BUSINESS Magazin’s questions gave moderate predictions that start from 4.1 RON/euro, and only on a few occasions reach 4.50 RON/euro.

    The explanation lies mainly with the fact that the main pressure factor on the RON last year, the large balance of payments deficit, lost its impact due to the crisis, which caused a slowdown in economic activity and, implicitly, generated a decline in imports. ”The adjustment of the balance of payments’ current account is significant, from 12.5% last year to less than 6%, perhaps even 4% this year – and has been more than 100% covered via foreign direct investment,” says Mihai Bogza, chairman and CEO of Bancpost. However, Bogza says that if the economic policies implemented by the authorities do not fall within the limits agreed with the IMF, the external perception will be that Romania’s economic imbalance will deepen again.

    And, if, under such a scenario, the IMF would cut off its funding, meant to pad the Romanian National Bank’s foreign exchange reserve, ”it is easy to imagine a scenario where foreign pressure on the exchange rate would escalate so much as to make the current level difficult to safeguard by the central bank,” says Mihai Bogza. As for how the Romanian economy will be affected by the evolution of the crisis worldwide, most bankers see the quality of economic policies to be implemented by the authorities as being decisive, a quality that cannot be judged without taking into consideration the risks posed by the electoral context of the next few months.

  • Warehouses in Crisis

     The beginning of August brought a change in the professional life Vlad Radu Dumitrescu, who had acted as country manager of ProLogis, one of the world’s biggest developers and owners of logistics space. ”It is true that I have stopped working for the company as of August 1. We were a team of eight originally, and now there will be two people left,” Dumitrescu said, without providing details on the reasons behind the team restructuring. According to information in the industry, ProLogis has decided to put an end to plans to develop new logistics spaces, after completing the development of 108,000 square metres in the ProLogis Park Bucharest A1 project, located alongside the Bucuresti-Ploiesti motorway.

    According to Dumitrescu’s previous statements, the developer should have started construction of a new stage of the logistics park near Bucharest, which was supposed to have a 45,000 squaremetre lettable area – out of an overall 300,000 square metres – and was in talks to acquire the land necessary for a similar project close to Arad. Dumitrescu says he had decided back in autumn to scrap the project near Arad, as well as plans to start a new stage of the ProLogis Park Bucharest Park A1.

    The already built area is 100% rented out. The situation is not unique on the market. The local team of Eyemaxx Real Estate is also down from eight to three employees, with Johannes Rudnay, general manager of the Romanian branch, being among those who left. ”At this point, demand for logistics space is not strong,” Andre Hofer, CEO of Eyemaxx, says about the freezing of the company’s development plans. Eyemaxx sold its 50% stakes in two logistics projects in Timisoara and Ploiesti at the beginning of May, as well as three other plots to its former partner, Austrian investment fund Immoeast. Andre Hofer says he does not know if Eyemaxx will develop the projects taken over by Eyemaxx; it is as yet uncertain whether the company will pursue its pre-crisis plans to make 500 million-euro investments in ten logistics parks. The freezing of development plans was manifest in the first six months of the year, when Bucharest and the surrounding area saw only 40,000 square metres of logistics space delivered, compared with 350,000 in the similar period of last year, according to a study conducted by Colliers International.
     

  • The Owner Is Waiting

    It is Tuesday evening and, for the first time in days, it appears it will not rain in Bucharest. This, of course, makes waiters in bars and restaurants in Bucharest’s old town happy. Now, they are busy waiting on clients, who have filled all the outdoor restaurants, although it is not a weekend.

    ”Who do I ask for a drink around here?,” asks a young woman who has just joined acquaintances at a table. ”Me,” says a guy at the table, getting up and stepping into the bar. ”I didn’t know he was a waiter here,” says the young woman, and the explanation comes promptly from another person at the table: ”He doesn’t just wait tables here, he owns the bar with a few of his friends.” The four friends knew one another beforehand – their common passion for motorcycles in fact brought them together.

    ”One spring day we were passing by in the street and we sensed there was money to be made here. So we decided we would set up a motorcycle bar,” recounts Giani Manta (35), one of the four owners of the Jaya Café, which opened in mid-May on Smardan Street. Although none of them had previously had any experience in the field, the decision was very easy to make. ”I had just come back after eight months in Tibet. I went there to recover after 11 years of corporate grind,” says Emil Spataru (35), referring to the time he spent working for the formerly state-held operator Romtelecom.

    He is the only one who was an employee before; Giani Manta has a constructions company and a clothing store, and Mihai Sorin, another shareholder, has a real estate agency. It is not uncommon for bar or restaurant owners in the old centre to moonlight as waiters. The number of places has more than doubled compared with last year, with over 50 bars and restaurants located in the area. Further openings are expected before the cold weather sets in. ”We are hoping to make new openings by the end of the summer,” says Vasi Andreica, developer of the two Coffee Store coffee shops and importer of Moak coffee in Romania.

  • Credit or Policy?

    In Romania, the standard combination includes three or four products on average – a bank account, a loan, a mandatory insurance policy and an account in the mandatory private pensions system. There is no joint calculation method for companies in the fi nancial system that can reveal Romanians’ preferences in terms of fi nancial products.

    However, a standard combination for Romanian clients is not very difficult to put together. ”The most common fi nancial products include banking loans and auto liability insurance, especially since it’s mandatory,” says Cornelia Coman, general manager of ING Asigurari de Viata (ING Life Insurance). On the other hand, there are the over 4.35 million participants to the mandatory private pensions system, making private pensions one of the most prevalent fi nancial products among the employed.

    The same can be said about the current account – decidedly the banks’ best-selling product, ”to which a card and an overdraft, and/or a consumer loan can be attached. But the most common combination is current account – card – overdraft,” says Rozaura Stanescu, delegate executive manager of the strategy and marketing department within BRD-Groupe Société Générale.