News report of 29.04.2008

* Bosnia *

Bosnia’s Air Traffic Authority Calls Tenders for Procurement of Construction Services Apr 29, 2008, 10:07 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April 29 (SeeNew) - Bosnia’s Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA) has called three tenders for the supply of construction and reconstruction services which is financed by a 12 million euro ($18.7 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the bank said. link

Bosnia Federation Calls Tender for Procurement of Road Repairs Apr 29, 2008, 12:56 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April 29 (SeeNews) – The road authority of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation on Tuesday called a tender for procurement of road rehabilitation works co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the bank said. link

S&P Assigns ’B/B’ Rating to Bosnia-Based Partner Mikrokreditna Organizacija Tuzla, Outlook Stable Apr 29, 2008, 18:32 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April 29 (SeeNews) - International rating agency Standard & Poor’s said on Tuesday it has assigned ’B’ long-term and ’B’ short-term counterparty credit ratings to Bosnia-based microfinance institution Partner Mikrokreditna Organizacija Tuzla. link

Bosnia Schedule of Events - April 29 - Oct 29 Apr 29, 2008, 09:29 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Bosnia and Herzegovina through October 29. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Bulgaria *

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK – European Commission Lowers Bulgaria’s 2008 GDP Growth Forecast to 5.8% – Table Apr 29, 2008, 10:51 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) – The European Commission lowered its forecast for EU newcomer Bulgaria’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to 5.8% from 6.0% forecast earlier. link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Bulletin, Selected Announcements - April 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 10:04 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Kapitan Dyado Nikola AD-Gabrovo, BSE code - KDN, has submitted to X3 News information pursuant to Art. 82b of the POSA. The entire notification is available on link

Bulgarian REIT Advance Terrafund Cuts Q1 Loss Apr 29, 2008, 12:28 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - Advance Terrafund, a Bulgarian real estate investment trust (REIT) targeting mainly farm land, said on Tuesday it cut its net loss for the first quarter by 96% on the year to 15,000 levs ($12,000/7,700 euro) as revenue doubled. link

Dutch-based Sanoma Magazines Intl Buys 68% of Bulgaria’s Net Info.BG Apr 29, 2008, 13:17 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) – Dutch-based publisher Sanoma Magazines International (SMI) said it has acquired 68% of Bulgarian Internet media and online services company Net Info.BG for an undisclosed price, aiming to become the single owner of Net Info.BG. link

Bulgaria’s Enemona More Than Doubles Q1 Net Profit Apr 29, 2008, 13:41 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian engineering, construction and energy group Enemona on Tuesday said it more than doubled its net profit for the first quarter of this year to 1.0 million levs backed by rising revenue. link

Bulgaria’s Albena Invest Holding Proposes To Pay No 2007 Dividend Apr 29, 2008, 13:46 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (Bulgaria) – Bulgarian investment company Albena Invest Holding on Tuesday proposed to pay no dividend for 2007. link

Bulgaria’s Investbank Q1 Net Profit Nearly Doubles to 2.6 Mln Euro Y/Y Apr 29, 2008, 16:51 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian commercial bank Investbank on Tuesday said it almost doubled its first-quarter net profit to 4.99 million levs ($3.97 million/2.6 million euro) from 2.7 million a year earlier. link

Greece’s Eurobank EFG Bulgarian Unit More Than Doubles Q1 Net Profit Apr 29, 2008, 17:58 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - EFG Eurobank Bulgaria, majority-owned by Greece’s Eurobank EFG group, said on Tuesday its first-quarter net profit more than doubled on the year to 26.4 million levs ($21 million/13.5 million euro) as volume of loans and receivables rose 57.5%. link

Bulgaria’s Encouragement Bank 2007 Pre-tax Profit Rises 40% Apr 29, 2008, 18:22 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s Encouragement Bank, which is to be transformed into an export-promoting development bank, on Tuesday reported a 40% rise in 2007 pre-tax profit to 5.0 million levs ($4.0 million/2.6 million euro). link

Bulgarian NSI - Business Climate in Bulgaria - April 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:53 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews BUSINESS CONJUNCTURE link

BULGARIA’S MARCH PRODUCER PRICES RISE 2.5% M/M, UP 15.3% Y/Y – STATS OFFICE Apr 29, 2008, 14:07 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Bulgaria’s March Producer Prices Rise 2.5% M/M, Up 15.3% Y/Y – Table Apr 29, 2008, 14:27 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s March producer prices grew 2.5% month-on-month after rising by a monthly 1.0% in February, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said on Tuesday. link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - April 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:15 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian Stock Exchange has published its report on turnover and prices for April 25, 2008. link

Karoll - Bulgarian Stock Market Overview - April 21 - 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:22 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Commentary link

Bulbrokers - USA Stock Markets Daily Review - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:28 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews US market trade in range ahead of FOMC decision. link

FFBH - Bulgaria Morning Update - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 10:30 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UP link

Bulgarian Stocks Rise in Holiday Mood Apr 29, 2008, 16:12 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian stocks rose slightly in low volumes amid a holiday mood on Tuesday, brokers said. link

FFBH - Bulgaria Weekly Update - April 21 - 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 16:28 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UP link

Bulgaria Schedule of Events - April 29 - Nov 25 Apr 29, 2008, 09:05 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Bulgaria through November 25. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Bulbrokers - Daily FX Analysis - April 28, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:24 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews US dollars rose against the majors link

Bulbrokers - Daily FX Analysis - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:29 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews The dollar interrupted its 3 day rally link

* Croatia *

STOCKWATCH - Raiffeisen Keeps Croatian Podravka at "Hold" Apr 29, 2008, 13:38 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Raiffeisenbank Austria Zagreb (RBA), a Croatian unit of the Austrian banking group Raiffeisen, said on Tuesday that it maintained its "hold " recommendation on Croatian food and drug maker Podravka. link

Erste Securities - Flash note - Ericsson Nikola Tesla - Financial Results, Q1 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 14:20 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Croatian ICT company announced 1Q07 results and reported 31%y/y growth in sales to HRK 399mn. This strong y/y growth is mostly a result of very low base in 1Q07 (the weakest quarter in the last few years). Despite strong y/y growth in sales, net profit dropped by 35% y/y due to two factors: firstly, 52% y/y increase in COGS and secondly, a total of HRK 21.5mn in forex losses (around 5.6% in sales). Decline in profit items brought further sliding of both net profit margin and EBIT margin, while EDITDA margin remained almost unchanged at 13.7%. Dollar depreciation still remains heavy burden to the bottom line, which deflated the net profit by HRK 21.5mn. The company performed well in majority of markets, posting almost 50% y/y growth in the CIS market, 22% y/y growth on the domestic market and 6.2% y/y growth on the internal market. Nevertheless, one should bare in mind low base in 1Q07. Regional market growth is still mostly driven by Kosovo, which accounts for 56% of regional sales, while downturn in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro is expected to reverse in the second half of the year. We find this result mostly in line with our expectations although we did not expect to see such large forex loses. Positive surprise is sales growth in CIS markets although q/q sales change and comparison with average quarterly sales deteriorates the overall picture. link

Croatian Erste Bank Gets Nod for 5.4% Capital Increase Apr 28, 2008, 18:53 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 28 (SeeNews) – Croatian financial watchdog Hanfa said on Monday it has approved a 5.4% capital increase by commercial bank Erste & Steiermaerkische Bank (ESB) to 1.698 billion kuna ($365 million/234 million euro) from 1.611 billion kuna. link

CROATIA’S ERICSSON NIKOLA TESLA Q1 NET PROFIT DOWN 35.2% Y/Y TO 22.8 MLN KUNA (3.1 MLN EURO) Apr 29, 2008, 11:11 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Congresses and Other Business Meetings, Feb 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 11:20 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In February 2008, the number of business meetings held in the Republic of Croatia was 510. There were 214 (42%) meetings with overnight stays and 296 (58%) without them. The total number of days at business meetings was 927. Each meeting was held 2 days on the average. The number of participants at all meetings was 32 279; the number of domestic participants was 29 989 (93%), while the number of foreign ones was 2 290 (7%). According to professional organisers, the most meetings, 308 of them (60%), were organised by enterprises. In February 2008, the turnover of 13 199 430 kuna was generated from business meetings. Out of the total turnover, 9 619 064 kuna (73%) was generated from meetings with overnight stays and 3 580 366 kuna (27%) from meetings without overnight stays. In the period from January to February 2008, there were 814 business meetings held in the Republic of Croatia. Out of this number, there were 345 (42%) meetings with overnight stays and 469 (58%) witho ut them. The total number of days at business meetings was 1 449. Business meetings were attended by 50 767 participants: 47 119 (93%) domestic and 3 648 (7%) foreign ones. In the period from January to February 2008, the total turnover generated from all business meetings held in the Republic of Croatia was 19 186 953 kuna. Out of this sum, 13 553 000 kuna (71%) was generated from meetings with overnight stays and 5 633 953 kuna (29%) from meetings without overnight stays. link

Croatia’s Ericsson Nikola Tesla Q1 Net Profit Falls 35.2% Y/Y Apr 29, 2008, 11:24 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Croatian telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson Nikola Tesla said on Tuesday its first-quarter net profit fell by 35.2% on the year to 22.8 million kuna ($4.9 million/3.1 million euro). link

Croatian Construction Firm Viadukt Swings To Q1 Net Loss - Table Apr 29, 2008, 16:57 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Croatian construction company Viadukt reported on Tuesday it swung to a non-consolidated, unaudited first quarter net loss of 8.9 million kuna ($1.9 million/1.2 million euro) from a net profit of 47.09 million a year earlier. link

Croatia Feb Net Salary Falls Real 0.4% M/M - Table Apr 29, 2008, 09:40 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - The average net monthly salary in Croatia was 4,993 kuna ($1,072 /688 euro) in February, down by a real 0.4% from the previous month, the State Statistics Bureau said on Tueday. link

Croatia’s End-Jan Foreign Debt Rises 13.95% Y/Y - RBA Apr 29, 2008, 14:15 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) – Croatia’s foreign debt rose by 13.95% on the year to 33.94 billion euro ($52.9 billion) at the end of January, commercial bank Raiffeisenbank Austria Zagreb (RBA) said on Tuesday. link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - April 28, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:25 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Highlights: link

FIMA - Weekly Report - April 21 - 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:26 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews O V E R V I E W link

FIMA Stock Monitor - Daily - April 28, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:27 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Daily comment: link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:34 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Highlights: link

Profit-Taking Sends Croatian Indices Lower Apr 29, 2008, 17:57 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Croatian share indices lost almost three percent on Tuesday after substantial gains in the previous four trading sessions but turnover remained solid, brokers said. link

Croatia Schedule of Events - April 29 - June 4 Apr 29, 2008, 09:18 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Croatia through June 4. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Macedonia *

Macedonian Central Bank - Non Government Deposits With Deposit Money Banks - Mar 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 07:02 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia has published its monthly report on non government deposits with weposit money banks for March 2008. link

Macedonian Paper Mill Komuna Turns to Q1 Prelim Net Profit from Year Earlier Loss -Table Apr 29, 2008, 16:35 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), April 29 (SeeNews) – Macedonian paper and packaging mill Komuna on Tuesday reported a swing to a preliminary net profit of 6.9 million denars ($176,700/113,400 euro) in the first three months of the year from a loss of 531,000 denars a year earlier.Sales revenue for January-March 2008 increased to 178.1 million denars, up by 21.5% from the same period in 2007, Komuna said in a statement released on the Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE).Following are figures from Komuna’s income statement sent to the MSE, where its shares are listed (in thousands of denars): link

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK - European Commission cuts Macedonia’s 2008 GDP forecast to 4.8% Apr 29, 2008, 16:08 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia) April 29 (SeeNews) – The European Commission cut its forecast for Macedonian economic growth to a real 4.8% in 2008 from its previous projection in autumn 2007 of 5.25%, mainly due to the subsiding of positive effects of the global economy and a recent threat by Greece to veto the country’s EU accession process. link

Macedonia’s March Industrial Output Rises 2% M/M - Table Apr 29, 2008, 17:35 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Macedonia’s March industrial output increased by 2% month-on-month, the country’s Statistics Office said on Tuesday. link

Macedonia Schedule of Events April 29 –Nov 28 Apr 29, 2008, 09:09 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in, or related to Macedonia through November 28. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Moldova *

Spending by Moldovan Bank Card Holders Up 46% Y/Y in Q1 Apr 29, 2008, 14:41 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), April 29 (SeeNews) - Moldovan debit and credit card holders spent 2.42 billion lei ($234 million/150 million euro) using their cards in the first quarter of this year, up from 1.66 billion lei a year earlier, the country’s central bank (BNM) said on Tuesday. link

Moldovan FinComBank To Pay ’07 Dividend Apr 29, 2008, 15:11 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), April 29 (SeeNews) - Moldovan commercial bank FinComBank will pay a gross dividend of 30 lei ($2.9/1.9 euro) per share for 2007 after paying no dividend for the previous year, the company said on Tuesday. link

Moldovan Banks’ End-March Assets Rise 37% Y/Y Apr 29, 2008, 15:26 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), April 29 (SeeNews) - Moldovan banks had 34 billion lei ($3.3 billion/2.1 billion euro) in assets at the end of March, up 37% from a year earlier, the country’s central bank, BNM, said on Tuesday. link

Moldova Sells 45 Mln Lei (2.8 Mln Euro) in T-Bills, Yields Fall Apr 29, 2008, 15:29 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), April 29 (SeeNews) - The Moldovan central bank, BNM, on Tuesday sold 45 million lei ($4.3 million/2.8 million euro) in three Treasury bill issues, as yields fell. link

Moldova’s FX Reserves Unchanged in Week Ending April 18, at $1.43 Bln Apr 29, 2008, 13:44 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), April 29 (SeeNews) - Moldova’s foreign exchange reserves remained unchanged in the week ending April 18 at $1.43 billion (919 million euro), the country’s central bank BNM said on Tuesday. link

* Romania *

Romania’s Hotel Operator Casa de Bucovina Club de Munte To Pay No ‘07 Dividend, Sees ‘08 Gross Profit Up 19% Apr 29, 2008, 11:38 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian hotel operator Casa de Bucovina Club de Munte will pay no 2007 dividend and expects its gross profit to rise by 19% to 679,450 lei ($289,000/186,000 euro) this year, it said on Monday. link

Romanian Petrochemicals Maker Oltchim Plans to Turn to Profit in 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 13:20 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian majority state-owned petrochemicals maker Oltchim said on Tuesday it plans to turn to a net profit of 9.3 million lei ($4.0 million/2.5 million euro) this year from a net loss of 95.89 million lei in 2007. link

Romanian Plastic Manufacturer Prodplast Sees 2008 Gross Profit Down 21% at 4.1 Mln Lei (1.1 Mln Euro) Apr 29, 2008, 13:37 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian plastic manufacturer Prodplast expects its gross profit to fall by 21% to 4.1 million lei ($1.7 million/1.1 million euro) this year, it said on Tuesday. link

Romania’s SIF 3 Transilvania Exits Tourism Firm Olimp Estival Apr 29, 2008, 14:32 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - SIF 3 Transilvania, one of Romania’s five regional investment funds, on Tuesday exited tourism firm Olimp Estival, selling its 39.62% stake for 23.1 million lei ($9.8 million/6.3 million euro). link

Romanian Valve Producer Armatura Plans to Turn to Slim Profit in 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 14:34 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian valve manufacturer Armatura said on Tuesday it plans to turn to a gross profit of 287,000 lei ($122,000/78,500 euro) this year from a loss of 4.13 million lei in 2007, as costs are seen falling. link

Romanian Abrasive Material Maker Carbochim Plans To Increase ’08 Gross Profit Over Seven Times Apr 29, 2008, 15:18 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian abrasive material producer Carbochim said on Tuesday it plans to increase its gross profit to 1.5 million lei ($633,600/407,200 euro) this year from 206,602 lei in 2007 as revenue is seen increasing. Allotment Rights of Romanian Building Materials Manufacturer Teraplast To Start Trading on May 5 Apr 29, 2008, 16:15 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - The allotment rights attached to the shares in the initial public offering (IPO) of Romanian construction materials manufacturer Teraplast will start trading on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) on May 5, the country’s stock market regulator CNVM said on Tuesday. [link->http://seenews.com/news/latestnews/allotmentrightsofromanianbuildingmaterialmakerteraplasttostarttradingon5-155850" class="spip_out">link

Romanian Bakery Firm Titan Sees 2008 Gross Profit at More Than Five Times 2007 Level Apr 29, 2008, 17:09 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian bakery company Titan on Tuesday said it expects its gross profit to rise to 69.03 million lei ($29.28 million/18.78 million euro) this year from 12.87 million in 2007. link

Romania’s Oltchim Turns to Q1 Net Loss - Table Apr 29, 2008, 17:28 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - State-owned Romanian petrochemical producer Oltchim on Tuesday reported a first-quarter net loss of 3.648 million lei ($1.549 million/992, 000 euro), compared with a 5.67 million lei net profit a year earlier. link

Romanian Unit of Greek Packaging Machines Maker M.J. Maillis Plans to Turn To Profit in 2008 - Table Apr 29, 2008, 17:44 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - The Romanian unit of Greek packaging materials and machines manufacturer M.J. Maillis said on Tuesday it expects a net profit of 1.77 million lei ($750,700 / 481,600 euro) this year, compared to a loss of 3.29 million lei in 2007. link

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK - European Commission Raises Romania’s 2008 Economic Growth Forecast to 6.2% Apr 29, 2008, 10:35 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - The European Commission raised its forecast for Romania’s economic growth this year to a real 6.2% from 5.9% projected in the autumn of 2007, due to expected favourable domestic demand dynamics. link

Romania’s March Residential Building Permits Number Rises 15% Y/Y Apr 29, 2008, 09:03 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romania issued 5,299 building permits for residential projects in March, up some 15% from a year earlier, the country’s statistics board, INS, said on Tuesday. link

Romania To Issue 1.0 Bln Lei (274 Mln Euro) of Debt in May - Fin Min Apr 29, 2008, 15:58 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romania’s Finance Ministry said on Tuesday it plans to issue 1.0 billion lei ($426 million/274 million euro) worth of government securities in May to finance and re-finance public debt. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Regulated Market - April 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:14 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bucharest Stock Exchange has published its report on trading volumes and prices on the regulated market for April 25, 2008. link

Ieba Trust - Romanian Market Daily - April 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:18 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews The financial banking sector accounted for 60.61% of the Regular market daily turnover link

Raiffeisen Capital & Investment - Investment Daily Romania - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 09:32 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews In the news link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - RASDAQ Market - April 25, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 10:13 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bucharest Stock Exchange has published its RASDAQ daily market report for April 25, 2008. link

Investment Funds Lead Gains on Romanian Bourse Apr 29, 2008, 15:55 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian stocks gained further ground on Tuesday in higher volumes as four of the five regional investment funds, the SIFs, resumed trading and led the rise, dominating trading, brokers said. link

Romania Schedule of Events - April 29 - June 5 Apr 29, 2008, 09:10 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Romania through June 5. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Romanian Leu Loses Steam Against Euro, In Line with Other Emerging Currencies Apr 29, 2008, 16:51 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), April 29 (SeeNews) - The Romanian leu on Tuesday weakened versus the euro to close at 3.6840/80 per euro, compared to Friday’s closing of 3.6320/70, moving in line with most currencies in regional emerging markets, dealers said. link

* Serbia *

Serbia Opens Tender for Sale of Mineral Water Bottling Company Heba Apr 29, 2008, 11:57 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), April 29 (SeeNews) – Serbia on Tuesday opened a tender for the sale of 70% of mineral water bottling company Heba, the country’s Privatisation Agency said. link

Serbia’s March Retail Sales Rise Real 13.8% M/M - Table Apr 29, 2008, 14:27 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s March retail sales rose by a real 13.8% on the month, after growing by 2.5% in February, the statistics office said on Tuesday. link

Serbia’s Jan-March Tourist Numbers Rise 1.0% Y/Y - Table Apr 29, 2008, 14:49 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), April 29 (SeeNews) - The number of tourists staying in Serbia through March edged up by 1.0% on the year to 430,716, the country’s statistics office said on Tuesday. link

EU FOREIGN MINISTERS TO SIGN SAA WITH SERBIA LATER ON TUE – EU PRESIDENT SLOVENIA Apr 29, 2008, 12:44 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

European Union To Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia on Tuesday Apr 29, 2008, 13:07 CET | Story | SeeNews LUXEMBOURG (Belgium), April 29 (SeeNews) – The European Union (EU) will invite Serbia to sign on Tuesday a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), the first step towards the country’s membership in the bloc, EU president Slovenia’s foreign minister said. link

CORRECTED - European Union To Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia on Tuesday Apr 29, 2008, 13:23 CET | Story | SeeNews In LUXEMBOURG story "European Union To Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia on Tuesday" please read the dateline "LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg)" instead of "LUXEMBOURG (Belgium)" (correcting country’s name). link

UPDATE 1 - European Union To Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia on Tuesday Apr 29, 2008, 14:26 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds background) link

SERBIA, EUROPEAN UNION SIGN STABILISATION AND ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT Apr 29, 2008, 16:30 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Serbia, European Union Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement Apr 29, 2008, 17:22 CET | Story | SeeNews LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg), April 29 (SeeNews) – Serbia and the European Union on Tuesday signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), a potential gateway to full membership of the bloc in the future. link

UPDATE 1 - Serbia, European Union Sign Stabilisation and Association Agreement Apr 29, 2008, 18:24 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds quotes) link

Sinteza Investment Group - Weekly Market WrapUp, April 21 - 24, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 10:30 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Pan-European Oil Pipeline CertainGazprom Calls for Fast Ratification of Energy Deal by SerbiaThe market showed signs of continuing last week’s trend this week as both indexes closed in the green. Namely BELEX15 closed at 1,571.71, an increase of 2,46% while the BELEXline index grew by 0,81% relative to last week’s performance. The number of transactions declined by over 39% while the single off-market exchange of Bambi (BSE: BMBI) was enough to double the turnover from last week.The most traded stock this week was AIK Bank (BSE: AIKB) with RSD 123 million of turnover while the shares of Vetfarm (BSE: VETF) also noted a high turnover.The banking retail sector in Serbia boasts a RSD 313 billion of credit towards the public. The governments of Serbia, Romania and Croatia signed an agreement of cooperation for the Pan-European oil pipeline and other countries are expected to join in soon. IMF predicts that Serbia will experience a growth of 4-6% annually over the next two years. Also EBRD approved a EUR 250 million loan for the development of SME businesses in Serbia.The total turnover this week for the bonds market was a little over EUR 700 thousand while most of the bonds experienced a price increase. The largest price drop was noted by A2016 which fell nearly half a percent this week. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market WrapUp - April 24, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 10:30 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its Daily Market WrapUp for April 24, 2008, containing an overview of the Serbian Financial Market. link

Vojvodjanska Banka - Daily Vobnews - April 29, 2008 Apr 29, 2008, 11:07 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Vojvodjanska banka released its Daily Vobnews Report for April 29, 2008 containing the following charts and tables: link

Belgrade Indices Up after EU Sends Positive Signal to Serbia Apr 29, 2008, 16:32 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), April 29 (SeeNews) - The blue-chip index of the Belgrade Stock Exchange (BELEX) rose on Tuesday after the European Union invited Serbia to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) later in the day, with brokers expecting this to provide a positive short-term stimulus on the market, which has been stricken by uncertainty ahead of May elections. link

* Slovenia *

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK – European Commission Cuts Slovenia’s 2008 Economic Growth Forecast to 4.2% Apr 28, 2008, 19:03 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), April 28 (SeeNews) - The European Commission on Monday cut its forecast for Slovenia’s economic growth this year to a real 4.2% from 4.6% projected in the autumn of 2007, mainly due to expected lower investments. The commission expects Slovenia’s economy to slow further to show real growth of 3.8% in 2009. The country reported economic growth of 6.1% in 2007. “This slowdown to slightly below the average of 4.3% recorded in 1998-2007 is linked mainly to a projected significant deceleration of gross fixed capital formation, which, after last year’s exceptional growth, is set to increase by around 6.5 % in 2008,” the commission said in its report with spring economic forecasts for 2008 and 2009. “With a projected GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate of slightly below 4.0%, the slowdown of GDP growth is expected to continue in 2009, mainly due to further deceleration of capital formation,” t he Commission added. It expects Slovenia’s harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) to rise by 5.4% in 2008, up from 3.7% projected earlier. “From a high of 6.5% in the first quarter, HICP inflation is projected to decelerate in the course of 2008, leading to an elevated average rate of about 5.4% for the year as a whole,” the report said. The inflation rate is projected to fall further to 3.3% in 2009. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Transport of Goods by Road - 2007 Apr 29, 2008, 09:43 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In 2007 road goods vehicles registered in Slovenia carried allmost 89 million tons of goods and made 13,734 million tonne-kilometres. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Turnover in Service Activities - Feb 2008, Provisional Apr 29, 2008, 09:45 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Compared to January 2008, in February 2008 turnover from the sale of services in computer and related activities was up by 6.7%. link

Slovenia’s Abanka Vipa Contracts 165 Mln Euro Syndicated Loan Apr 29, 2008, 17:09 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Abanka Vipa, Slovenia’s third-largest bank by assets, said on Tuesday it has signed a contract for a 165 million euro ($157 million) syndicated loan from a consortium of foreign banks. link

Slovenia’s Q1 Power Consumption Falls 2.3% Y/Y Apr 29, 2008, 17:15 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Electricity consumption in Slovenia was 3.301 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in the first quarter of 2008, down 2.3% from a year earlier, the state-owned power grid operator Eles said on Tuesday. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Turnover in Retail Trade - Mar 2008, Preliminary Apr 29, 2008, 09:38 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Compared to February 2008, in March 2008 turnover in retail trade was down, but it went up compared to March 2007. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Turnover in Distributive Trade - Feb 2008, Provisional Apr 29, 2008, 09:49 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In February 2008 volume turnover in retail trade up compared to both January 2008 and February 2007. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Persons in Paid Employment by Amount of Gross Earnings - Sep 2007 Apr 29, 2008, 09:52 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews
 For September 2007, 63.5% of persons in paid employment received lower and 36.5% received higher gross earnings than the average. link

Slovenian Stock Indices Rise Further in Holiday-Influenced Trading Apr 29, 2008, 17:36 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), April 29 (SeeNews) - Slovenian stock indices rose further on Tuesday in low turnover and with most investors on holiday, brokers said. link

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