The leu closed at 4.577/4.5795 per euro after hitting an all-time low of 4.5825 per euro in intraday trading. Wednesday, the leu closed at 4.5655 per euro.
It opened modestly higher at 4.563/4.565 per euro, but later lost ground and traded above 4.57 per euro in the second half of the session. Market participants said the central bank stepped in several times and sold euros to keep the leu in check. However, short of a more aggressive intervention, the leu is unlikely to reverse its losses any time soon, they added.
The national currency lost around 2.5% against the euro in the past two weeks, amid political tensions that culminated in the President’s impeachment by parliament.
The central bank set the leu’s reference at 4.5638 to the euro Thursday, slightly stronger from 4.5647 units a day earlier. Against the US dollar, the leu’s indicative gained 0.5% on the day to 3.7128 units.
In the money market, overnight rates were at 1.1%-1.6% a year, from 1.2%-1.7% a year in the previous day.