The Bucharest Exchange Trading Index (BET) is a stock market index that tracks the performance of the most liquid stocks listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB). It is the first and primary benchmark for the Romanian capital market. The index is designed to serve as a performance and transparency benchmark and can be used as an underlying asset for derivatives and structured products.

The BET index crossed the 20,000-point threshold for the first time in 2025, eventually closing the year at a historic high of 24,439, marking its strongest annual growth rate since 2009. The total return index version, BET-TR, has performed even more strongly. Over the decade ending in 2025, the BET-TR index compounded significantly, placing it among the top best-performing global equity indices, alongside the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500.

History

The BET index was introduced on 19 September 1997, two years after the re-establishment of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, with an initial value of 1,000 points. It started with ten companies and a total market capitalization of 443 million Romanian lei (RON). Over time, the number of constituents has varied between a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 companies, based on liquidity and quality criteria.

In 2015, the index methodology was enhanced to include qualitative criteria related to transparency, reporting quality and investor communication, in addition to the quantitative liquidity metrics. Since its launch, 36 different issuers have been part of the BET index at various points in time.

Methodology

The BET index is a free-float capitalization-weighted price index, calculated in real time during Bucharest Stock Exchange trading hours in Romanian leu (RON). Euro and U.S. dollars versions are published daily after the market close using exchange rates from the National Bank of Romania.

Each constituent weight is determined by two factors, the free-float factor and a representation factor that caps any single company weight at 20% of the total index capitalisation to ensure diversification. Unlike the BET-TR, the index is not adjusted for dividends, but operational adjustments are made for corporate events such as stock splits, consolidations, and capital increases to maintain continuity and avoid artificial price distortions.

Composition

the Bucharest Exchange Trading Index consists of the following 20 companies, with a weighting as shown:

See also

• BET-TR

• BET-XT

• ROTX

• Bucharest Stock Exchange

• Economy of Romania

• Foreign trade of Romania

• List of companies of Romania

• List of stock exchanges

• List of stock market indices

References

External links

• Bucharest Stock Exchange

• Expat Romania BET UCITS ETF on Xetra