About 68% of Romanian investors do not trust the economic prospects

  Approximately 68% of Romanian individual investors say they do not trust the prospects of the Romanian economy, compared to 65% at the end of the first quarter of this year, reveals an eToro survey, published on Tuesday.According to the cited source, Romanian individual investors have become more pessimistic regarding the country's economic outlook, while confidence in their own incomes and standard of living has deteriorated compared to the previous quarter."The level of confidence in the Romanian economy has deteriorated compared to the previous quarter, with 68% of Romanian individual investors declaring that they do not have confidence in its prospects, up from 65% at the end of the first quarter of this year. The survey also found an increase in the number of investors who consider the state of the Romanian economy to represent a risk for their portfolios (+1 percentage point) compared to the previous quarter. In fact, analyzing how investors perceive the greatest external risk for their portfolios, 24% mentioned inflation, and equal percentages (21%) mentioned the state of the global economy and the Romanian economy," explained eToro analyst Bogdan Maioreanu, quoted in the press release.The political crisis triggered by the dismissal of the Bolojan government through a motion of censure, combined with the highest inflation in the EU, could explain the increase in distrust in the prospects of the Romanian economy, the survey authors claim. There has also been a decrease in confidence in personal income, living standards and the cost of living.In the second quarter of 2026, only 63% of Romanian individual investors declared themselves confident in their income and standard of living, compared to 66% in the previous quarter, the cited source notes.The latest survey also shows a decrease in the level of confidence in job security, to 70% of respondents, compared to 74% in the previous quarter."The results of the latest quarterly survey also show that global and local uncertainties have led to the lowest percentage in the last three years (73%) of investors who have confidence in their investment portfolios. This is a considerable decrease compared to the confidence level of 82% recorded three months ago," the document states.In terms of portfolio allocation, 48% of Romanian individual investors hold local stocks, 40% hold foreign stocks, 42% hold some form of cryptoassets, 40% hold domestic bonds, while almost 71% hold cash, including in savings accounts."This is the first time in the last three years that we have observed fewer than 50% of Romanian investors holding crypto-assets in their portfolios. One reason could be the drop in Bitcoin's value, with its price falling from a high of over $126,000 last October to under $60,000 currently," the analysis further indicates.When asked if they intend to increase their investments in the next three months, 40% of Romanian individual investors answered affirmatively."The asset classes in which investors want to increase their holdings are crypto assets (16%), followed by foreign stocks (15%), currencies (12%) and, equally (11%), stocks on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and cash. The sectors in which Romanian investors intend to increase their investments are technology (20%), followed by energy (19%), financial services (13%), real estate (6%) and utilities, also 6%. We observe a slightly increased interest in technology and energy compared to the previous quarter," the document states.The latest eToro Retail Investor Beat survey indicates a clear shift in sentiment among Romanian individual investors, driven by a combination of domestic political uncertainty, persistent inflationary pressures, and a more fragile global environment, the cited source notes."While confidence in both the economy and personal financial outlook has diminished, investors are not completely retreating. On the contrary, they appear to be readjusting their strategy by reducing exposure to more volatile assets, such as cryptoassets, and selectively increasing allocations to sectors perceived as more resilient or promising, such as technology and energy. They are also increasing their cash holdings and maintaining a high level of liquidity. This suggests that the current pessimism may reflect a more cautious and tactical approach, with investors adopting a defensive stance while remaining prepared to seize opportunities once macroeconomic conditions improve," the survey authors note.The latest Retail Investor Beat report was based on a survey of 11,000 retail investors from 13 countries and 3 continents. The survey was conducted between May 14-29, 2026, by research company Opinium.