INS: Investments up by over 9 pc last year compared to 2010

Compared to 2010, investments in the economy grew by 9.2 per cent to RON 64.529 bln in current prices (EUR 15.22 bln) last year, after registering a 22.1 per cent growth in Q4 of 2011 compared to the same period the year before, the National Statistics Institute (INS) announced on Friday. In the last quarter of 2011 growth was registered in the case of all structural elements, such as means of transportation and new construction works. Compared to Q4 of 2010, Q4 of 2011 registered a 1.8 per cent drop in the share that new construction works have in total investments, and a 1 per cent drop in the share that other expenditures have. The share of investments in tools (including means of transport) grew by 2.8 per cent. Investments in new construction works totaled RON 31.913 bln last year, representing 49.5 per cent of the total, compared to a share of 51.2 per cent in 2010. Investments in tools and means of transport totaled RON 26.305 bln, representing 40.8 per cent of the total, compared to 38.4 per cent in 2010. A higher volume of investments was registered in industry and commerce/services. According to the National Bank of Romania (BNR) data released in February, FDI dropped by 13.6 per cent compared to 2010, to a level of EUR 1.917 bln, thus reaching the lowest level in the last 9 years. As compared to the previous month, in January 2012 the retail trade turnover, with the exception of trade in auto vehicles and motorcycles, dropped by 27.8 per cent as gross series, but grew by 2.9 per cent as series adjusted to the number of workdays and seasonality. The evolution in the gross series was determined by drops registered in the sales of food, beverages and tobacco (-32.8 per cent), of non-food products (-28.4 per cent) and of fuels for auto vehicles (-16.9 per cent).In January, overall industrial production prices grew by 0.7 per cent compared to the month before and by 6 per cent compared to the same month last year. By destination, industrial production prices for the internal market grew by 0.4 per cent compared to December, while those for the external market grew by 1.3 per cent. Compared to January 2011, the prices grew by an overall 6 per cent.