Moldovan leu slightly appreciates against euro, dollar
17:35 | 18.02.2015 Category: Economic
Chisinau, 18 February /MOLDPRES/ - The Moldovan leu has slightly appreciated after the 17 February intervention of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) on the foreign exchange market by selling 34 million dollars. BNM announced an official exchange rate of 20.7571 lei for one dollar for 19 February, against a quotation of 20.9933 lei today.
The leu/euro exchange announced for 19 February will stand at 23.6018 lei for one euro against the today's rate of 24.0154 lei.
Even if BNM set an exchange rate by 1.64 lei higher for the European currency for today than for 17 February, and by 1.4 lei higher for one dollar, most banks lowered the quotations on panels. On 17 February, some exchange desks were selling the euro against 29 lei, and the dollar at a rate of 25 lei. BNM Governor Dorin Dragutanu said these high quotations showed an agiotage on the market.
The National Bank sold 418.5 million dollars on the local market as currency interventions in 2014, thus partially covering the currency deficit. In last January, BNM intervened by selling 114.4 million dollars, and in the first 15 days of February - 87 million dollars.
The Moldovan leu has depreciated by 33 per cent against the dollar since early 2015.
(Reporter V. Berco editor L. Alcaza)
