Brokers' trading volumes cut in half

The largest brokerage companies on the Stock Exchange saw an average decline of 30% in the value of transactions against the previous month, however, in some cases, transactions fell by as much as 50%. February was the worst month of the last year and a half for brokerage companies, after the value of Stock Exchange transactions registered a steep decline, amid problems on international markets. The overall value of transactions on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (including the RASDAQ market) stood at 761 million RON (around 208 million euros) last month, the lowest volume since 2006. Under the circumstances, most brokerage firms registered a significant decline in the volume of transactions – over 50% in some cases. For instance, Raiffeisen Capital & Investment brokered transactions worth almost 20 million euros, down 59% in January, while IFB Finwest, an independent brokerage firm from Arad, saw its volume drop 51% to 13 million euros.