SLOVENIA
Rise in unemployment brought to halt last week
A sharp increase in Slovenia's registered unemployment total caused by the coronavirus crisis was brought under control last week with the weekly figure rising only by 59 to 90,272 compared to the previous week, show interim data from the Employment Service. The number even dropped in the span of two days. (STA)
Tourism virtually dead in April
The Covid-19 lockdown meant Slovenia recorded no tourist arrivals in April, while the number of recorded overnight stays was 11,000. This is 99% less that in April 2019 and was mostly accounted for by ongoing student exchange programmes. The lockdown for tourist facilities was in place from mid-March to 18 May. (STA)
Business sentiment improves in May after a drastic drop
After plummeting in April, business sentiment in Slovenia improved somewhat in May, with the relevant index standing at -33.1 percentage points, or 6.5 points higher than in April, mostly due to an improvement in confidence in manufacturing, the Statistics Office reported on Monday. (STA)
Slovenia's electricity consumption down 15% in April
Electricity consumption in Slovenia declined by 15% year-on-year in April and by 19% compared to March, an indication of a sharp decline in economic activity, fresh Statistics Office data show. (STA)
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Stock rally gains steam in the final hour of trading, Dow now up 1,300 points; European markets close sharply higher, cheered by gradual slowdown in coronavirus cases; BELEX15 up 2.9% on new jump at Beggared Airport, Tehnogas ended 2019 with flat numbers
Stocks jumped on Monday, rebounding from sharp losses in the previous week, as the number of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. appeared to slow down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 1,311 points higher, or more than 6%. The S&P 500 gained 6% along with the Nasdaq Composite.
In oil markets, prices were still down after a key meeting got postponed. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 8% to $26.08 per barrel.
European markets closed sharply higher Monday as the rate of new coronavirus infections appeared to slow in the region. The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally closed 3.75% higher, with autos stocks climbing 9% to lead gains as all sectors and major bourses ended in positive territory.
Rolls-Royce climbed almost 17% after announcing overall liquidity of £6.7 billion ($8.23 billion).
BELEX15 started this week with 2.9% gain. This was led mainly by new jump at Belgrade Airport (12.5%), while 2.7% gain at NIS also contributed. Jubmes Banka and Komercijana Banka were the most traded names, with RSD 5.2 and 2.9m in volume. Tehnogas reported non-consolidated numbers for 2019 and these are very little changed versus 2018. Sales were with no changes, while operating profit was also flat. Net profit arrived at RSD1.79bn, which is down only 1.6% y/y. The result were already priced in during mid-March drop, while now we have almost no activity at the stock. Consolidated figures should be available after GA. (CNBC, Ilirika)
