SLOVENIA
Slovenia's exports up 4% y/y in November, imports rise by 0.4%
Ljubljana, 9 January - Slovenia's exports and imports rose by 4% and 0.4% respectively in November 2019 compared to the year before, the Statistics Office said on Thursday, attributing this to the increased value of trade with EU non-member countries. (STA)
NLB bankers off the hook in Iranian money-laundering case
The Specialised State Prosecution has abandoned a part of an investigation in the Iranian money-laundering case related to abuse of office by bankers at Slovenia's No. 1 bank, NLB. (STA)
OTP with ambitious plans in Slovenia after SKB Banka takeover
OTP, the Hungarian banking group which took over SBK Banka last year, plans to grow in the Slovenian market organically and through potential takeover. OTP CEO Sandor Csanyi believes the group could achieve a 25-30% market share in the country. (STA)
Slovenia issues EUR 1.5bn bond at record low interest rate
Slovenia successfully completed a EUR 1.5 billion ten-year eurobond issue, leveraging market appetite for fixed assets to secure a record-low coupon interest rate of 0.275%. The last bond issue a year ago came with a coupon rate of 1.188%. (STA)
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Stocks rise, lifting Nasdaq to a record, after Trump’s comments on Iran attack ease tensions; Europe stocks close slightly higher after Iran missile strike curbs sentiment
Stocks rose on Wednesday after President Donald Trump’s comments on an attack by Iran on an Iraqi air base that houses American troops, which had led to a massive sell-off in overnight trading, eased worries of further escalation in U.S.-Iranian tensions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 161.41 points, or 0.6% to close at 28,745.09. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.7% to 9,129.24 and notched intraday and closing records. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to 3,253.05and hit an intraday all-time high.
Boeing shares dropped 1.8%. A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 airliner burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard in a crash that an initial report blamed on engine failure.
European stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday, reversing earlier losses suffered after Iran fired missiles on Iraqi airbases housing U.S. troops. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was around 0.1% higher at the closing bell, with travel and leisure stocks adding 0.6% to lead gains while food and beverages slipped 0.6%.
Data published Wednesday by economic institutes Ifo in Munich, KOF in Zurich and Istat in Rome suggested that the euro zone economy is gaining momentum. The Ifo Institute said that economic growth will rise to 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 0.2% in the previous quarter.
Source: CNBC
SERBIA
Real estate prices expected to remain steady in 2020
Serbian real estate prices will most likely remain at the same level in 2020 and no major increases are expected, according to the Construction Chamber of Serbia. "We have many buildings that are complete, but their real estate structure is not so favourable compared to what is in demand - and that is smaller one-, one-and-a-half- and two-room flats. Real estate prices will remain at the same level this year, there might be a small jump in zones where demand is higher, but they will be identical to those in 2019," the Chamber's Vice President Goran Rodic has told Tanjug.
Source: Tanjug
GMON: Deco eyes Gosa Montaza shares at 2,271 dinars apiece
Vrnjacka Banja, central Serbia-based Deco has offered to buy 122,114 shares of the Belgrade assembly company Gosa Montaza at a price of 2,271 dinars apiece, according to a bid published in the Central Securities Register last week. Deco was buying Gosa Montaza shares throughout 2019 and now has a 50.3 pct stake in the company. If successful, the bid for the remaining 49.7 pct of shares will make it the sole owner of the company. Goran Dedic, who chairs the Gosa Montaza supervisory board, is the sole owner and legal representative of Deco. The bid is valid until January 20.
Source: Tanjug
TurkStream hugely significant for future of Serbia
The TurkStream gas pipeline is hugely significant for Serbia's future, for attracting investments and for further economic and industrial progress of the country, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Istanbul Wednesday. Vucic, who is in Istanbul for the inauguration of a section of the pipeline, said TurkStream would make it possible for Serbia to buy gas at decent, lower prices. "The construction of a 403 km stretch of the pipeline through Serbia, and then also of a secondary gas pipeline to get the gas to Vladicin Han, Ljubovija, Bajina Basta (western Serbia) and other places, is hugely significant for attracting investments and for progress of industrial production," Vucic told reporters.
Source: Tanjug
