Launch of the NEW MONEY.ro - INSCOP ECONOMIC SENTIMENT INDEX | Expectations regarding price developments / What the real economy looks like in uncertain times

Launch of the NEW MONEY.ro - INSCOP ECONOMIC SENTIMENT INDEX – 2nd Edition, Wednesday, September 23, 2026

The vast majority of Romanians expect prices to increase in September, with the percentage being slightly higher than in June. This is one of the conclusions of the second edition of the NEW MONEY.ro – INSCOP ECONOMIC SENTIMENT INDEX (ISE), whose full launch will take place on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, starting at 10:00 a.m., at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (Virgil Madgearu Hall).

During the event, changes in the Romanian population's opinions regarding several key indicators will be presented: the evolution of incomes in recent months, expectations regarding family incomes in the coming months, expectations regarding price trends, perceptions of control over one's own economic situation, the population's willingness to purchase government securities and euros, to open bank deposits in lei, and to purchase durable goods (cars, household appliances/furniture, residential properties such as studio apartments, apartments or houses).

The sociological research will be presented by the director of INSCOP Research, Remus Ștefureac, while the main contributions will be delivered by Leonardo BADEA, First Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Florin Jianu, President of IMM Romania, Daniel Dăianu, President of the Fiscal Council, and Marius Profiroiu, Vice-Rector of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

“What the real economy looks like in uncertain times” will be the topic of Constantin Rudnițchi's discussion with Adrian Codîrlașu, President of CFA Romania, Dan Sultănescu, CEO of NewsVibe, Adrian Cocan, co-founder of Lăptăria cu Caimac, Oana Luca, Vice President for the North-West Region of the Federation for Innovation and Sustainable Competitiveness in SMEs, Mihaela Mitroi, Managing Partner, Global Tax and Business Advisory, and Marius Tudosiei, entrepreneur, Băcănia Veche.

Remus Ștefureac, Director of INSCOP Research: “Between June and September, the population's Economic Sentiment INDEX (ISE) changed very little. We are not witnessing a change in the climate, but rather the stabilization of an already established state of economic distrust. The September data and comparison with those from June 2026 show that we are entering a stage of ‘normalization of economic uncertainty.’ Not in the sense that people consider the situation normal or acceptable, but that they are beginning to adapt their decisions to the assumption that difficulties will persist, thus expressing a form of resilience.”

The graphical presentation of the data is available here: Launch of the Newmoney.ro - INSCOP INDEX

To register for the event, please use the link here.

Expectations regarding price trends

86.1% (compared with 84.5% in June 2026) of respondents believe that prices will increase over the next six months. 7.9% (compared with 8.5% in June 2026) believe that they will remain unchanged, while 4.3% (compared with 3.8% in June 2026) believe that they will decrease. The share of non-responses is 1.8% (compared with 3.1% in June 2026).

USR voters and public-sector employees expect prices to increase at a higher rate than the rest of the population.

PNL voters believe that prices will remain stable at a higher proportion than the average.

Young people under 30 anticipate a decrease in prices at a rate above the sample average.

The Newmoney.ro – INSCOP Economic Sentiment INDEX (ISE) is a sociological research program that periodically measures Romanians' economic perceptions, expectations and behaviors through nationwide surveys conducted by INSCOP Research. ISE periodically measures how the population perceives its economic situation, expectations regarding its development, and willingness to make important economic decisions.

BOX: How the ISE INDEX is calculated: ISE indicators are calculated based on the balance between positive and negative responses. The percentage of favorable opinions is reduced by the percentage of unfavorable opinions, resulting in a theoretical scale between −100 and +100. Zero represents the balance between positive and negative perceptions. Values above zero indicate the predominance of favorable sentiment, while those below zero indicate the predominance of unfavorable sentiment. The method is aligned with international practices used in research on consumer confidence and economic sentiment.

Survey methodology: The data were collected between September 1–7, 2026. Research method: questionnaire-based interview. The data were collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), with a simple random sample of 1,100 people, representative across significant sociodemographic categories (sex, age, occupation) of Romania's non-institutionalized population aged 18 and over. The maximum margin of error for the data is ± 2.95%, at a 95% confidence level.