The cost of oil products in the Moldovan market is expected to rise by 3-5% in December and January.
As InfoMarket agency notes, in the first days of quarantine in March 2020, retail prices for gasoline and diesel fuel decreased by 4%; for liquefied gas - by 2%. A month later, the cost of oil products fell by another 6-7%, gas - by 1%. Thus, since April 22, when filling stations set the average price for gasoline at 15.5 lei per liter, diesel fuel - 13.0 lei per liter and liquefied gas - 9.0 lei per liter, retail prices in the country have not changed for more than seven months. Most market participants note that during the pandemic, besides the sharp decline in sales, companies incurred losses at sale points (when trading was prohibited). At the same time, almost all operators talk about keeping the staff, which is the main item of operating expenses, against the background of a decrease in sales by about 15-20%. A sharp decline in sales of petroleum products in 2020 was especially noted at gas stations located near the border crossing points of Moldova. In the world markets, the cost of Brent oil (the refineries that supply finished oil products to Moldova refer to it in the purchase process) dropped in March to $23.03 per barrel; by early summer, after the lifting of quarantine measures, it rose to $42-44 per barrel. A new rise in the cost of raw materials began in the third decade of November, reaching $48.73. Global trends in late autumn - early winter are associated with the supply of vaccines against COVID-19, the imminent start of mass vaccination, and the expectation of economic revival. In this regard, in December in Moldova one can expect a 3-4% increase in retail prices for oil products. And starting from January 1, 2021, due to the increase in excise taxes prescribed in the new fiscal policy (it was submitted by the government for parliamentary approval), retail gasoline prices will increase by 3% (about 0.5 lei); diesel fuel - by 2% (about 0.25 lei); liquefied gas - by 1% (about 0.12 lei). // 03.12.2020 - InfoMarket.
