BR Analysis. Romania's construction market down 2.7 percent in first four months on poor residential performance

The Romanian construction market lost pace in the first four months of the year and the volume of construction works as gross series decreased by 2.7 percent. On structural elements decreases have been registered in new construction by 6.1 percent and in capital repairs by 3.5 percent.

Growth occurred for maintenance and repair work, where current prices increased by 10.2 percent. On building objects, residential buildings decreased by 24.7 percent. Instead, non-residential buildings engineering construction by 6.9 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, a sign that public investment recovered partially, after a very bad 2017.

As series adjusted by number of working days and seasonality, the volume of construction works a low, by total, by 0.6 percent. On structural elements there were decreases in the new construction and construction works repair works by 2.6 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

Current maintenance and repairs have increased 8 percent. On construction objects, the volume of construction works decreased by 23.1 percent in residential buildings and increased in engineering and non-residential buildings cases by 11.6 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively.

Drops everywhere in April

The volume of construction works decreased as gross series by 3.1 percent, a decrease reflected in the capital repair works 13.6 percent, current maintenance and repairs by 2.5 percent and new construction works by 1.5 percent.

On building objects there were decreases in non-residential buildings by 14 percent and in residential buildings by 4.9 percent. Growth took place in engineering construction by 6.6 percent.

Compared to April 2017, the volume of construction works as gross series decreased by 4.1 percent, a decrease reflected in the new constructions with 11.4 percent, but maintenance and repair works went up by 17.1 percent and capital repairs by 12.7 percent.

On construction objects, the volume of construction works decreased by 24.4 percent in residential buildings. Increases have in non-residential buildings and in engineering construction by 4.7 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively.