The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) experienced continued growth in February, during which key indices exceeded expectations.

The BET, which tracks the most liquid shares of 10 companies on the market, hit a nine-year high of 8.045 points.

"Investors are now rewarded for their trust in the capital market,” BVB Chairman Lucian Anghel said in an announcement. “The market shows outstanding dynamics as it exceeded in just eight weeks the level even the most optimistic analysts had predicted for the end of the year. We believe the macroeconomic evolution far above the economic growth within the European Union, the payment of consistent dividends following the positive yearly financial results and the perspective to upgrade Romania to the emerging market status, grounded investors’ optimism."

The BET and BET-TR, which is based on the evolution of shares in BET and dividends for shareholders of the included companies, grew by 12.49 percent in February, and the BET-TR, BET-XT-TR and BET-Plus indices all hit historic record values. The daily average trading value increased 14.83 percent from January and grew 62.5 percent year-on-year with its February value of $9.5 million.

"As the result of consequent modernization of the capital market, its growing openness to international flows of capital, its attractiveness to domestic investors, Romania is leaving the territory of low valuations and low trading activity," BVB CEO Ludwik Sobolewski said.