The leu opened at 4.337/4.340 against the euro, compared to 4.3365/4.338 at Friday closing.
However, within the first hour the leu strengthened and, at around 10:15 local time (GMT0815) it was trading at 4.3295/4.3315 to the euro. The currencies in the region were losing ground, following Friday’s decision of Standard&Poor’s to cut the ratings of nine euro-zone countries.
On Friday, the central bank set the leu’s reference at 4.3322 to the euro, nearly 0.3% stronger on the day. Against the US dollar, the leu’s indicative won 0.56% at 3.3884 units.
On the money market Monday, overnight rates were flat on the day at 1.75%-2.25% a year.