Bro, let me tell you what the BNR did today, July 3. I was sipping my coffee, checking my banking app, and what do you see – euro stopped dead at 5.2374 lei. The US dollar at 4.5761 lei. Seems like yesterday it was more, right? The British pound at 6.1117 lei – as if you didn't have enough worries with the BMW installments. The Swiss franc at 5.6990 lei. I look at the gram of gold: 613.8270 lei. I wish I had a kilo, sell it and get rid of debts, but I only have an engagement ring from Mioara, which she bought on sale.
And it's not just Europe, bro. The BNR also announced the rest of the world. The Polish zloty at 1.2215 lei – Poles make money with the zloty, we struggle with the leu. The Czech crown at 0.2165 lei, 100 Hungarian forints – 1.4827 lei. The Moldovan leu – 0.2602 lei, meaning we greet our brothers. The Ukrainian hryvnia – 0.1025 lei, the Russian ruble – 0.0592 lei. Look, the ruble is smaller than the pretzel from the corner! In Asia: the Chinese renminbi at 0.6747 lei, 100 Japanese yen at 2.8408 lei. The Hong Kong dollar – 0.5835 lei, the Thai baht – 0.1381 lei. From the Middle East: the Turkish lira at 0.0977 lei, the UAE dirham at 1.2460 lei, the Israeli shekel at 1.5269 lei. America: the Brazilian real at 0.8789 lei, the Mexican peso at 0.2623 lei, the New Zealand dollar at 2.6148 lei. So, wherever you look, the leu is like a leaf in the wind, but let's see about the interest rates.
Now, let's move to the stuff that burns us: ROBID and ROBOR. ROBID, unchanged from yesterday: 5.35% for overnight and tomorrow-next, 5.43% for one week, 5.46% for one month, 5.54% for three months, 5.59% for six months, and 5.64% for 12 months. ROBOR: 5.63% for O/N and T/N, 5.71% for one week, 5.74% for one month, 5.84% for three months, 5.92% for six months, and 5.98% for 12 months. The only change, at ROBOR one-month – it dropped from 5.75% to 5.74%. Yes, bro, a drop of 0.01%. Don't pop the champagne, it won't even buy you a bottle of water. Mioara said this morning: 'Look, you saved 0.01% on ROBOR, bring some money home too.' Yeah, with 0.01%, it'll take me a year to lower one installment.
What else can I say, today is also a Christian holiday – Saint Hyacinth the Martyr, originally from Caesarea in Cappadocia, who was at Emperor Trajan's table and died for his faith. So are we, Romanians, dying for faith... but especially for installments. My mother-in-law, Aunt Veta, who's from Teleorman, always says: 'Tell me, this Hyacinth, did he have an apartment or a house?' No point, bro, she sees politics everywhere.
And because it's Friday, we also have the World Cup: at 9 PM, Australia vs Egypt, in the round of 16. The winner faces Argentina or Cape Verde. Australia finished 2nd in Group D with 4 points; Egypt 2nd in Group G with 5 points. They've met only once in history, 16 years ago, in a friendly, 3-0 for Egypt. Mohamed Salah played in all matches, with one goal and two assists. I'm watching the match with the guys at Fane's terrace, but Gică the Dinamo Fan will say again that Australia is favorite because they're 'from another hemisphere'. Well, let's be serious: Egypt has to play, Salah is a world-class player. I bet a 20-lei ticket on Egypt, maybe it wins, maybe not. Mioara warned me: 'if you lose the bread money, you sleep on the couch.' So let's see. Anyway, I trust Salah and Egypt, because we Romanians are also good at football, but it's useless – the refs rob us.
Conclusion, bro: the exchange rate is like the weather – it changes every day, but it's still hot. ROBOR coughed a bit, but no big effect. If you have a loan, you pray it drops more. If not, you're glad you don't. And tonight, beer on the terrace and football. What else can I say? Romania moves forward, with the leu in its pocket and dreams on the hook.
