SLOVENIA
Mercator emerges from loss to post Jan-Sep profit of EUR 9m
Mercator, Slovenia's largest retailer, posted a group net profit of EUR 9m for the first nine months of 2018, which compares to a EUR 10.5m loss in the same period last year, as sales rose by 1.6% to EUR 1.62bn.
Vir: STA
800m extension of Maribor airport runway planned
The government is planning a 800-metre extension of the runway at Maribor airport, according to a zoning plan presented to locals in the nearby village of Hoče on Thursday. These raised concern about an increase in traffic.
Vir: STA
Sovereign Holding board made complete
Andrej Božič, a former long-serving general manager of the glassworks Steklarna Hrastnik, and legal adviser Boštjan Koler were appointed members of the board of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) on Thursday.
Vir: STA
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
U.S. closed; European stocks slump as investor sentiment remains cautious; sterling up 1%; Italian banks fall
European markets traded in negative territory on Thursday as investors remained cautious in the face of Brexit and Italy budget difficulties in Europe, and wider geopolitical tensions. By the mid-afternoon, the pan-European Stoxx 600 was down 2 percent, with all major indexes in negative territory. Looking at individual stocks, Centrica is down nearly 7 percent. This after the owner of British Gas lost 372,000 home energy accounts in four months amid rising competition. U.S. market was closed due to thanks giving day.
Source: CNBC
SERBIA
KMBN: Fourteen companies respond to the ad for financial adviser for the sale of Komercijalna Banka, selection to be made by the end of the year
Fourteen companies have responded to the ad placed by state for the financial adviser for the sale of the state's share in Komercijalna Banka, eKapija learns at the Ministry of Finance. The adviser should be selected and the agreement on consulting services should be signed by the end of the year – the ministry says and adds that the public call for privatization should be placed by the end of June and that the transactions should be closed by the end of 2019.
Source: Ekapija
Gazprom decides for TurkStream route to include Serbia – First gas deliveries in 2020
The Russian company Gazprom reached the decision to have the TurkStream gas pipeline go through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia. These countries have started preparing for the project, writes Russian newspaper Komersant, as reported by Sputnik. As said, the first deliveries of gas to Bulgaria and Serbia will begin in 2020, and Russian gas is to reach Hungary a year later, which will enable the Russian company to stop delivering gas through Ukraine in 2022.
Source: Ekapija
Government bonds worth RSD 10 billion redeemed thanks to budget surplus
At the first early redemption of 3-year Government Bonds of the Republic of Serbia, which mature on February 22, 2019, Government Bonds in the amount of 1,000,000, with total nominal value of RSD 10 billion were redeemed, the Ministry of Finance announced. The offered redemption volume amounted to RSD 10 billion, while the volume of submitted bids at the auction was RSD 16,777,230,000.00, or 167.77% of the offered redemption volume.
Source: Ekapija