SLOVENIA

Slovenia advances the most in Bloomberg Innovation Index

Slovenia has advanced ten spots to place 21st in the 2020 Bloomberg Innovation Index, which is the greatest improvement among all 60 countries surveyed for the list. Placing the highest in the rankings is Germany, which has overtaken South Korea after the latter's six year streak as the most innovative nation. (STA)
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Dow drops more than 200 points, posts losing week as coronavirus fears resurface; European stocks close lower as coronavirus spread curbs sentiment

Stocks fell sharply on Friday after the number of new coronavirus cases escalated, fueling worries over a pronounced global economic slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 227.57 points lower, or 0.8%, at 28,992.41. It was the Dow’s first close below 29,000 since Feb. 4. The S&P 500 slid 1.1% to 3,337.75 while the Nasdaq Composite declined by 1.8% to 9,576.59. The Dow had its worst daily performance since Feb. 7 while the S&P 500 posted its biggest one-day loss since Jan. 31. The Nasdaq recorded its worst session since Jan. 27.
IHS Markit said activity in the U.S. services sector hit its lowest level in more than six years, noting confidence was “subdued” to the coronavirus.
Traders plowed money into safe havens such as Treasurys and gold on Friday. The 30-year Treasury bond yield hit a record low, breaking below 1.9%. Yields move inversely to prices. Gold hit a fresh seven-year high, gaining more than 1%.
European stocks closed lower on Friday afternoon, as investors monitored a raft of economic data and the latest developments in the coronavirus outbreak. The pan-European Stoxx 600 fluctuated for much of the day but closed 0.6% lower, taking cues from poor sentiment over on Wall Street.
As for corporate news, Allianz reported an increase in net profit of 9.5% to 1.858 billion euros ($2.01 billion) — a better-than-expected fourth-quarter result for the German insurer. Its stock closed around 1% higher.
Source: CNBC