Private pension funds in Romania have started to invest more in shares listed on the Romanian capital market, with their stock market investments going up by 2.08 percentage points from December 2010 to February this year, according to the Private Pensions System Supervisory Commission in Romania. Overall, stock market investments make 14.48 percent of these funds' portfolios in Romania.

The private pensions funds own 0.66 percent of Fondul Proprietatea (symbol FP) in Romania, with its stake in the fund worth around EUR 13.6 million. The fund ranks forth in the top of Romanian companies where the private pensions' funds investments were directed.

The Private Pensions System Supervisory Commission has recently decided private pensions funds should publicize their investment portfolios, for a more transparent market.

OMV Petrom shares (symbol SNP) made the biggest stake in the private pensions funds' portfolio, with a value of EUR 18.1 million. These funds own 0.33 percent of the company. Holdings in Banca Transilvania shares (symbol TLV) reach a market value of EUR 15.4 million, with pensions funds holding 3.25 percent of the bank's shares.

BRD Groupe Societe Generale shares (symbol BRD) follow through, with a 0.60 percent weight of the bank's shares and a market value of EUR 14.3 million.

The next investment targets on the Romanian capital market, from the private pensions' funds perspective were Transgaz, Transelectrica, SIF Moldova, SIF Banat Crisana and SIF Transilvania. Private pension fund own 4.8 percent of SIF Moldova and 4.2 percent of SIF Oltenia, which are among the highest stake ratios among all investments.

The value of shares in Romanian companies in the portfolio of private pension funds went up by 29 percent, while that of shares in issuers from other EU countries was up by 16 percent.

editor@romania-insider.com