Against the US dollar, the leu’s indicative was set at 3.3525 units, from 3.3551 units Thursday.
The leu opened flat at 4.405/4.4075 to the euro and moved in a narrow range in the first hour. It later gained ground, and at around 13:00 pm traded at 4.4025/4.403 to the euro.
Market participants believe the leu’s appreciation might have been prompted by a RON199.4 million deal on the Bucharest exchange.
A stake of 2.6% in investment fund Fondul Proprietatea (FP.RO) was sold in Bucharest earlier Friday, and the buyer could have bought lei to pay for the transaction. Large deals with Proprietatea stock are usually conducted by non-residents.
On the money market, overnight rates were at 4%-4.5% a year, little changed on the day.