Centro Studi Europa dell’Est – news report of 17.03.2008 – powered by www.seenews.com

News of 17.03.2008

* ALBANIA *

Eight Firms Place Offers in Albania’s 727 GWh Power Supplies Tender Mar 17, 2008, 15:17 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Eight companies have offered to supply a combined 727 gigawatthours (GWh) of electricity to help Albania meet its energy demand in the second quarter of the year, state-owned Albanian power utility KESH said on Monday. link

Albanian Banks’ End-January Credit Portfolio Rises 0.6% M/M, Up 48.8% Y/Y - Table Mar 17, 2008, 15:32 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - The credit portfolio of commercial banks in Albania totalled 289.3 billion leks ($3.64 billion/2.31 billion euro) at the end of January, up by 0.6% on the month and 48.8% higher on the year, the country’s central bank said on Monday. link

Albanian Banks’ End-Jan Deposit Portfolio Rises 1.2% M/M, 10.0% Y/Y to 352 Bln Leks (2.8 Bln Euro) Mar 17, 2008, 17:22 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - The deposit portfolio of commercial banks operating in Albania totalled 352 billion Albanian leks ($4.42 billion/2.8 billion euro) at the end of January, up 1.22% on the month and 10.0% higher than a year earlier, the central bank said on Monday. link

Eleven Dead, Eight Missing After Saturday’s Blast at Ammunition Dump in Albania – Media Mar 17, 2008, 11:59 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - The death toll from Saturday’s blast at an ammunition dump in Albania rose to 11 on Monday and eight people are still missing, Albanian TV channel ALSAT reported. link

Albania Sells 3.0 Bln Leks (24 Mln Euro) in 2-yr T-notes, Yields Rise Mar 17, 2008, 17:26 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Albania sold 3.0 billion leks ($38 million/24.1 million euro) in two-year Treasury notes, as yields rose, the country’s Finance Ministry said on Monday. link

Albania’s End-Jan M3 Money Supply Grew 6.5% M/M, 12.6% Y/Y - Table Mar 17, 2008, 17:45 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Albania’s broad M3 money supply totalled 762.7 billion leks ($9.5 billion/6.1 billion euro) at the end of January, up 6.5% from a month earlier and 12.6% higher on the year, central bank statistics showed on Monday. link

Albania Schedule of Events – March 17 - May 21 Mar 17, 2008, 09:23 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Albania through May 15. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

ALBANIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER FATMIR MEDIU SAYS RESIGNS OVER DEADLY AMMUNITION BLAST Mar 17, 2008, 15:57 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Albania’s Defence Minister Mediu Says Resigns over Deadly Blast at Ammunition Dump Mar 17, 2008, 17:02 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Albania’s Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu on Monday said he has resigned after a series of blasts at an army ammunition dump near Tirana killed people and caused widespread damage on Saturday. link

* BOSNIA *

Bosnia Federation Invites Expressions of Interest for Leather Producer KTK Visoko Mar 17, 2008, 10:14 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation on Monday invited investors to express interest in taking part in the privatisation of leather producer KTK Visoko. link

Bosnia Federation Insurers Prelim 2007 Premium Income Rises 12% to 148 Mln Euro Mar 17, 2008, 11:54 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), March 17 (SeeNews) – The preliminary combined premium income of insurance companies in Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation rose by 12% to 297.2 million marka ($233.5 million/148.0 million euro) last year, figures showed on Monday. link

Bosnia’s Biggest Baker Klas Raises Stake in Local Peer Pekar Mar 17, 2008, 13:40 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bosnia’s biggest baking company, Klas, has raised its stake in local peer Pekar to 65.17% from 51.46% in a bourse operation on the Sarajevo Stock Exchange (SASE) held earlier this month, it said. link

Bosnia Schedule of Events - March 17 – Nov 2 Mar 17, 2008, 10:00 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Bosnia and Herzegovina through November 2. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* BULGARIA *

ANALYST COMMENTS - Bulgaria’s GDP Growth Slows to 6.2% in 2007 but Beats Analyst Forecasts Mar 17, 2008, 16:47 CET | Analysis | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a real 6.2% in 2007, slightly slower than a revised 6.3% increase recorded a year earlier but beating forecasts by economic analysts, National Statistics Office (NSI) figures showed on Monday. link

Interest in Industrial Space in CEE To Keep Rising in 2008 - Cushman & Wakefield Report Mar 17, 2008, 17:42 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (Bulgaria) – Interest in industrial space in central and eastern Europe (CEE) is expected to keep rising in 2008, after both manufacturers and warehouse operators have already taken advantage of using cheaper locations in the region, U.S.-based global real estate company Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said in a report. link

Steel Tycoon Lakshmi Mittal Interested in Bulgaria’s Kremikovtzi - Media Mar 17, 2008, 12:18 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - The chief executive of the world’s leading steel maker ArcelorMittal, Lakshmi Mittal, has shown interest in buying Bulgaria’s debt-ridden steel mill Kremikovtzi, local media reported on Monday. link

ING Real Estate Plans To Invest 400 Mln Euro in Three Projects in Romania; Eyes Bulgaria, Turkey Mar 17, 2008, 12:53 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - ING Real Estate plans to develop three residential and retail projects in Romania worth a combined 400 million euro ($632.1 million), and will also investigate developing opportunities in Bulgaria and Turkey, it said on Monday. link

Bulgaria’s 2007 Lodging Revenue Up 18% - Table Mar 17, 2008, 13:21 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria collected 683.8 million levs ($552.7 million/349.8 million euro) in lodging revenue in 2007, 18% more than a year earlier, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said. link

Norddeutsche Affinerie Says To Complete by mid-April Takeover of Cumerio, Owner of Copper Smelter in Bulgaria Mar 17, 2008, 14:03 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - German copper producer Norddeutsche Affinerie (NA) expects to complete the takeover of Brussels-based metals group Cumerio by the middle of April, the company said. link

Bulgaria Moves To Cut Red Tape, Improve Investment Climate - PM Mar 17, 2008, 14:27 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s government has drafted a programme for significantly reducing bureaucratic obstacles for doing businesses in the country by cutting the number of required permits and licences in the next two years, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said on Monday. link

U.S.-based Emmis International Launches Radio Station in Bulgaria Mar 17, 2008, 14:34 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - U.S.-based Emmis International, a subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed media company Emmis Communications, on Monday launched a new radio station in Bulgaria, where it already operates. link

BSE - Daily Bulletin, Selected Announcements - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:10 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews On the grounds of Art. 4 (1) of Annex 7 to the BSE Rules and Regulations, BSE-Sofia informs all its members that the auction pursuant to Art. 112b (7) of the POSA for sale of rights of the capital increase of Energetics & Energy Savings Fund SPV-Sofia, BSE code - R3FEEI, shall be performed on 19.03.2008 /Wednesday/. The amount of 152,737 rights, to which no shares have been subscribed, shall be offered at the auction. link

Germany’s Rehau Bulgarian Unit Sees 15% Rise in Turnover in 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:22 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - The Bulgarian unit of German polymer products manufacturer Rehau said on Monday it expects to increase its 2008 turnover by 15% to 20 million euro ($31.5 million). link

Carrefour Bulgaria Sells Part of Sofia-based Project to Greece’s Assos Capital Mar 17, 2008, 17:16 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Carrefour Bulgaria, a joint venture company of French retailer Carrefour and Greek industrial, retail and commercial group Marinopoulos, has sold part of a multi-purpose centre project in Sofia to Greek-based private equity real estate group Assos Capital Limited for an undisclosed sum, Carrefour said. link

Bulgaria’s Alfa Finance Holding Plans Buying 75% of Landmark Property Bulgaria’s Portfolio Mar 17, 2008, 18:09 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) – Alfa Developments, the real estate arm of Bulgarian industrial and financial group Alfa Finance Holding, said on Monday it plans to buy 75% of the portfolio of real estate group Landmark Property Bulgaria for an undisclosed sum. link

BULGARIA’S 2007 GDP GROWTH SLOWS TO REAL 6.2% FROM REVISED 6.3% IN 2006 - STATS OFFICE Mar 17, 2008, 10:26 CET | Alert | SeeNews

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Bulgaria’s GDP Growth Slows to 6.2% in 2007 from Revised 6.3% in 2006 Mar 17, 2008, 10:28 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a real 6.2% in 2007, slower than the revised 6.3% rise recorded a year earlier, the National Statistics Office (NSI) said on Monday. link

UPDATE 1 - Bulgaria’s GDP Growth Slows to 6.2% in 2007 from Revised 6.3% in 2006 - Table Mar 17, 2008, 12:46 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds table, details) link

Bulgarian NSI - Gross Domestic Product - Fourth Quarter of 2007 and 2007, Mar 2008, Preliminary Mar 17, 2008, 13:54 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on gross domestic product for fourth quarter of 2007 and 2007. link

Bulgarian National Bank - Macroeconomic Indicators - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 15:22 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has published a statistical report on the country’s main macroeconomic indicators as of March 14, 2008. link

Bulgarian NSI - Arrivals of Visitors from Abroad to Bulgaria by Purpose of Visit and by Country of Origin, 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 12:04 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria by purpose of visit and by country for 2007. link

Bulgarian C-Bank Revises 2007 FDI to 6.1 Bln Euro from 5.7 Bln Euro Mar 17, 2008, 12:49 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) – Foreign direct investments (FDI) in Bulgaria totaled 6.1 billion euro ($9.6 billion) last year, the central bank said, raising a previous 5.7 billion euro figure. link

Bulgarian NSI - Arrivals of Vistors to Bulgaria from Abroad in 2007, Jan - Dec 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 13:24 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on arrivals of visitors to Bulgaria from abroad in 2007 by country of origin and months. link

Bulgarian NSI - Activity of Accomodation Establishments in 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 13:34 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on activity of accomodation establishments in 2007. link

Bulgarian NSI - Foreign Trade Turnover, Jan 2007 - Jan 2008, Preliminary Mar 17, 2008, 13:53 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on exports and imports with main non EU partner countries for January 2007 and January 2008. link

Bulgarian NSI - Household Income, Spending and Consumption - Jan 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 13:55 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on household income, spending and consumption for January 2008. link

Bulgarian NSI - Trips of Bulgarian Residents Abroad by Months in 2007, Jan - Dec 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 13:57 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on trips of Bulgarian residents abroad by months in 2007. link

Bulgarian NSI - Trips of Bulgarian Residents Abroad by Purpose of Visit and by Country of Destination in 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 13:58 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Statistics Institute (NSI) has published its report on trips of bulgarian residents abroad by purpose of visit and by country of destination in 2007. link

Bulgaria C-bank FX Reserves Rise 3.0% in Week Ending March 14 - Table Mar 17, 2008, 16:24 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - The foreign exchange assets of the Bulgarian central bank’s (BNB) issue department totalled 23.769 billion levs ($19.157 billion/12.154 billion euro) on Friday, up 3.0% from a week earlier, BNB data showed on Monday. link

Karoll - Bulgarian Stock Market Overview - Mar 10 - 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 09:21 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Commentary link

Elana - Bulgaria Daily Report - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 09:54 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET HIGHLIGHTS link

FFBH - Bulgaria Morning Update - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 10:22 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UPThe market made a small positive move on Friday. All the indices closed in the green zone supported by small but numerous gains. SOFIX followed the up moves in Sparky Eltos (ELTOS, BGN 11.40, +2.69%) and Toplivo (TOPL, BGN 21.28, +2.01%) and closed at 1344.23 bps (+0.18%). The price weighted BG40 reached 383.20 bps (+0.74%) after the support from the recently added Moststroy (MOSTS, BGN 149.00, +5.67) with a total of 529 shares traded. The others to support the index were Orgachim (ORGH, BGN 454.00, +0.89%) and Lead and Zink Complex (OTZK, BGN 68.47, +1.89%). The significant jump in Polimeri (POLIM, BGN 4.18, +4.50%) after only 1350 shares traded moved BGTR30 0.15% up to 861.55. Quite a volume was registered in Petrol (PET) where more than 317k changed hands under heavy sell pressure and the price declined 1.36% to BGN 4.35. On the positive side, with broad support from buyers, remained Bilboard (BOARD, BGN 9.40, +1.08%) with more than 43k traded. link

Elana - BSE-Sofia Weekly Overview - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 14:27 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Market Trend link

FFBH - Bulgaria Weekly Update - Mar 10 - 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 14:30 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UP link

Global Falls Batter Bulgarian Stocks Mar 17, 2008, 15:53 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (SeeNews) - Falls on global markets on Monday pushed Bulgarian stocks down with foreign-based sellers outnumbering domestic ones, brokers said. link

Bulgaria Schedule of Events - March 17 - Nov 25 Mar 17, 2008, 08:58 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (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

* CROATIA *

Interest in Industrial Space in CEE To Keep Rising in 2008 - Cushman & Wakefield Report Mar 17, 2008, 17:42 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (Bulgaria) – Interest in industrial space in central and eastern Europe (CEE) is expected to keep rising in 2008, after both manufacturers and warehouse operators have already taken advantage of using cheaper locations in the region, U.S.-based global real estate company Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said in a report. link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 10:12 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Highlights: link

FIMA Stock Monitor - Daily - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:52 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Daily comment:Investors on domestic capital market suffered another painful day with popular benchmark falling additional 5,2%, the biggest daily decline in last 4 years. Among millionaires only 2 stocks ended the day in positive territory, Atlantic Group (ATGR-R-A) Belišće (BLSC-R-A). Even though telecom solution provider Ericsson Nikola Tesla (ERNT-R-A) ended the day with a loss of 2,3%, it stayed in positive throughout the day and topped the liquidity board collecting HRK 22,6 million in turnover, as investors expect to see good annual results which will be reported tomorrow. Companies from Agrokor concern experienced significant decline with Jamnica (JMNC-R-A) falling 19,8%, Ledo (LEDO-R-A) 15,8%, Zvijezda (ZVZD-R-A) 14,2%, and Konzum (KNZM-R-A) by 11,1%. During the weekend, some newspapers reported that biggest Croatian private company withdrew from the acquisition of Romanian ice cream producer Kubo due to the high price and old equipment Kubo has. After Agrokor faile d to acquire Turkish supermarket chain Migros, the company announced that they will continue to look for potential acquisition targets. Construction sector also experienced significant losses with construction company and power trunk producer Dalekovod (DLKV-R-A) taking the lead with a fall of 11,4%. Health care and consumer goods producer and distributor Atlantic Group (ATGRR- A) together with Media Publicum formed a JV specialized for media-buying. Atlantic Group hopes to get better media-buying deals out this venture. Even though the shipping sector expects 2008 to be the record year, values of shipping companies eroded significantly today. Dubrovnik based Atlantska plovidba (ATPL-R-A) plunged by 12%, Pula based Uljanik plovidba (ULPL-R-A) by 11,6%, and Split based Jadroplov (JDPL-R-A) by 9%. link

Croatia Schedule of Events – March 17 – May 17 Mar 17, 2008, 09:11 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Croatia through May 17. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* MOLDOVA *

Moldova Receives 62 Mln Lei (3.7 Mln Euro) from Selling Stakes in 16 Companies Mar 17, 2008, 12:21 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), March 17 (SeeNews) - Moldova has received a combined 62 million lei ($5.8 million/3.7 million euro) from the sale of its stakes in 16 companies on the Moldovan Stock Exchange (BVM) from March 4 until March 17, the bourse said on Monday. link

Moldovan Insurer Moldasig Premium Income Rises 57% in 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 13:49 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), March 17 (SeeNews) – The premium income of one of Moldova’s largest insurance company Moldasig rose by 57% last year to 217 million lei ($20.5 million/13 million euro), the company said on Monday. link

Romania’s Impex-VSV, Moldova’s Prometrans-Prim To Launch Operations in Moldovan Free Economic Zone Mar 17, 2008, 16:04 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), March 17 (SeeNews) – Romanian company Impex-VSV and Moldovan company Prometrans-Prim will start operations in Moldova’s largest free economic zone Ungheni Business this year, following a combined 155,000 euro ($244,000) investment, Moldova’s Economy Ministry said on Monday. link

Moldova’s Breakaway Region of Transdniestria Sees 2008 GDP Growth Accelerating to 12%, Inflation Slowing to 12% Mar 17, 2008, 15:20 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), March 17 (SeeNews) – Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria on Monday projected that this year economic growth in the region will speed up to 12% and inflation will slow down to 12%. link

Moldova Schedule of Events - March 17 - May 15 Mar 17, 2008, 10:28 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in, or related to Moldova through May 15. New or amended entries are marked (*) link

* MONTENEGRO *

Lukoil Montenegro Plans to Open 15 Filling Stations by 2010 Mar 17, 2008, 14:23 CET | Story | SeeNews PODGORICA (Montenegro), March 17 (SeeNews) - The Montenegrin unit of Russian oil major Lukoil plans to open 15 filling stations in Montenegro by 2010, the unit’s director general Robert Ferluga said on Monday. link

* ROMANIA *

Interest in Industrial Space in CEE To Keep Rising in 2008 - Cushman & Wakefield Report Mar 17, 2008, 17:42 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), March 17 (Bulgaria) – Interest in industrial space in central and eastern Europe (CEE) is expected to keep rising in 2008, after both manufacturers and warehouse operators have already taken advantage of using cheaper locations in the region, U.S.-based global real estate company Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said in a report. link

Romania’s Banca Transilvania Plans to Raise Capital by 448.62 Mln Lei (119.7 Mln Euro) Mar 17, 2008, 09:08 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Romanian bank Banca Transilvania plans to raise its capital by 448.62 million lei ($188.7 million/119.7 million euro) through a bonus issue and a 30.55 million lei rights issue, the bank said late on Friday. link

Construction of Third, Fourth Reactors at Romania’s Nuclear Plant To Start in H2 2009 Mar 17, 2008, 12:47 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Romania will start building a second pair of reactors at its sole nuclear power plant of Cernavoda in the second half of 2009, the plant operator’s CEO said on Monday. link

ING Real Estate Plans To Invest 400 Mln Euro in Three Projects in Romania; Eyes Bulgaria, Turkey Mar 17, 2008, 12:53 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - ING Real Estate plans to develop three residential and retail projects in Romania worth a combined 400 million euro ($632.1 million), and will also investigate developing opportunities in Bulgaria and Turkey, it said on Monday. link

Romania’s SIF 5 Oltenia Exits Building Materials Distributor Socom Mar 17, 2008, 15:05 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - SIF 5 Oltenia, one of Romania’s five regional investment funds, on Monday sold its 45.78% stake in building materials distributor Socom for 3.1 million lei ($1.3 million/827,000 euro). link

UPDATE 1 - Construction of Third, Fourth Reactors at Romania’s Nuclear Plant To Start in H2 2009 Mar 17, 2008, 15:58 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds CEO comments, details) Volksbank Romania Raises Capital by 36 Mln Lei (9.6 Mln Euro) Mar 17, 2008, 17:23 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Volksbank Romania on Monday said it has raised its share capital by 36 million lei ($15.2 million/9.6 million euro) to 377.1 million lei. [link->http://seenews.com/news/latestnews/volksbankromaniaraisescapitalby36mlnlei_9_6mlneuro_-163006" class="spip_out">link

Romanian National Bank - Business Climate Survey, Jan 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 14:02 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews January 2008: Mixed Developments in Industry, Grim Prospects in ConstructionIn January, the estimates of company managers polled by the National Bank of Romania point to diverging trends in key indicators in industry, whereas in construction the prospects are grim, due to unfavourable weather conditions. Industrial output is expected to remain on an upward path, as illustrated by the balance of answers* at 35 percent. Special mention deserves the fact that the upturn will most likely be clouded by the discontinued activity at the turn of the year. The volume of orders in industry is seen remaining broadly unchanged from December 2007, as shown by the balance of answers standing at almost nil. A decrease is envisaged for the output and the order portfolio in construction.January is about to see a renewed increase in stocks of finished goods in industry – this is suggested by the relatively high level of the balance of answers (14 percent). Stocks of raw materials are foresee n to range within normal limits, according to more than 93 percent of the respondents in the industrial sector. In the construction sector, stocks of finished goods are likely to diminish, with the balance of answers dropping to -24 percent, while the stocks of raw materials are set to remain below the normal levels, as the balance of answers was -30 percent in the month under review.The chief factors stymieing output growth in both sectors will be the subdued demand (revealed by 19 percent of respondents), inter-company arrears and the exchange rate movements. Respondents foresee staff numbers to keep declining in January in the two sectors under scrutiny. The balance of answers remained in negative territory in either case, i.e. -18 percent and -53 percent respectively. In industry, more than half of the managers polled say there are no job cuts in sight.For January, expectations hint at further hikes inproducer prices in both industry and construction, as shown by the bal ances of answers standing at 29 percent and 21 percent respectivel Although in the reviewed month price increases do not appear to be very high (steady developments in this indicator are indicated by more than half of total respondents in industry and 78 percent of those in construction), the fact that all producers in the oil processing, coal coking and nuclear fuel treatment sub-sector expect prices to go up could trigger further rises in prices economy-wide in the months ahead.Over the period, further investments are expected in industry, as illustrated by the balance of answers equalling 25 percent, whereas in construction the outlook is pessimistic (the balance of answers stands at -32 percent). Similar developments are foreseen for the profitability ratio, with the balances of answers coming in at +17 percent and -39 percent respectively.* Shows the trend of the concerned indicator and is calculated as the difference between the weight of positive and thatof negative answers in total answers link

Romanian National Bank - Monetary Indicators, Jan 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 14:55 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Romanian National Bank has released its monthly report on monetary indicators for January 2008. link

Romanian National Trade Register Office - Companies with Foreign Capital, Dec 2007 Mar 17, 2008, 15:53 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The Romanian National Trade Register Office has released its December 2007 statistics on companies with foreign capital by structure of the capital, country of origin of the investors and value of the subscribed capital. link

Romanian National Bank - Balance of Payments, Jan 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 14:16 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Romanian National Bank has released its monthly report on balance of payments for January 2008. link

Romanian National Bank - International Reserves of Romania C-Bank, Feb 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 14:23 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews NBR’s International Reserves link

Romanian INS - Monthly Report - Jan 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:43 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Romanian National Institute of Statistics has released its monthly statistical bulletin for January 2008. link

Ieba Trust - Romanian Market Daily - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 09:18 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Inverse evolution of BET and BET-FI on the last trading day of the week link

Raiffeisen Capital & Investment - Investment Daily Romania - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 09:58 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Trader’s Comment link

KD Capital Management - Bucharest Stock Exchange - Weekly Report - Mar 10 - 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 11:00 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews 1. STOCK EXCHANGE OVERVIEW link

Confident Invest - Weekly Update - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 11:21 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Abstract link

Romanian National Bank - Developments on Romanian Financial Markets, Mar 10 - 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:06 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The National Bank of Romania BNR has released its weekly report on the developments on the local financial markets for the week March 10 - 14, 2008. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Monthly Bulletin, Feb 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:25 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) has released it’s monthly bulletin for February 2008. link

Romanian Bourse Falls in Nearly Double Turnover, Follows Losses on World Markets Mar 17, 2008, 16:56 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - The Romanian bourse indices followed falls on the international markets on Monday and three of its indices lost more than three percent in nearly double turnover, brokers said. link

Romania Schedule of Events - March 17 - May 15 Mar 17, 2008, 08:56 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Romania through May 15. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Romanian Leu Weakens Further vs Euro due to Weak U.S. Dollar Mar 17, 2008, 17:17 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), March 17 (SeeNews) - Romania’s leu weakened further on Monday to 3.7400/7450 per euro from closing levels of 3.7245/7285 on Friday and 3.7000/7240 on Thursday, influenced by a fall in the U.S. dollar on international markets, dealers said. link

* SERBIA *

Serbia Fails To Sell River Shipping Company JRB to Malta-based Consortium Mar 17, 2008, 18:33 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), March 17 (SeeNews) – The sale of Serbia’s river shipping company Jugoslovensko Recno Brodarstvo (JRB) fell through on Monday after the would-be buyer failed to turn up to sign the deal, the government’s Privatisation Agency said. link

SERBIA’S JAN TRADE GAP WIDENS 39.5% Y/Y TO $809 MLN - STATS OFFICE Mar 17, 2008, 10:36 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Serbia’s Jan Trade Gap Widens by 39.5% Y/Y - Table Mar 17, 2008, 10:39 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s January trade deficit rose by 39.5% year-on-year to $809 million (513 million euro), data from Serbia’s statistics office showed on Monday. link

Vojvodjanska Banka - Daily Vobnews - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 10:13 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Vojvodjanska banka released its Daily Vobnews Report for March 17, 2008 containing the following charts and tables: link

Sinteza Investment Group - Weekly Market WrapUp, Mar 10 - 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 10:41 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Government DisbandedShares at Bargain PricesThis week the Belgrade Stock Exchange witnessed its worst performance in 2008 as the BELEX15 and BELEXline plummeted by double figures each. The 15 stocks of the BELEX15 suffered losses in price as the index itself lost -16.85% of its value. The BELEXline index also suffered, dropping a staggering -10.37% in value. Again this downward trend can only be explained by the instability of the government to reach consesus about the ongoing Kosovo issue and the pending pre-accession to the EU. With parliament officially disbanded, voters will speak out at the new elections scheduled for 11th May. However, sources claim that the EU is prepared to offer the signing of the SAA agreement at the end of April, which would cause an upswing. For the informed investor the market, at status quo, offers exceptional investment opportunities.This week’s most liquid stock was again AIK Bank (BSE: AIKB) which accumulated RSD 338.16 million of turnover bu t also lost -16.74% of its value. Despite the general decline in prices of the stocks, the shares of Alltech Fermin (BSE: ALTE) increased 23.60% as did 48 other companies.Privatization Agency announced that the sale of Zorka Holding company has failed. The National Bank increased the key interest rate to 14.5% which shall effect non euro lending. Standard&Poor’s rating of Serbia fell after the disbanding of the government. The current rating of "BB-" has a tendency to drop to "B+" which was the value in November 2004. Gosa FOM (BSE: GFOM) signed two deals, valued at EUR 6 million with Russian based "Severstalj". Alpine Mayreder, FCC and PORR announced the beginning of construction of the highway Horgos – Pozega for 1st April. The Finance Board accepted "Srbijagas" recommendation to increase gas prices by 20%The bonds market was witness to an increase of turnover this week as trade grew by 68% over the previous. The bond A2008 was the most traded, amassing EUR 422,676 of tr ade while the largest price increase was noted by A2015, which inc sed in price by. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market WrapUp - Mar 14, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 10:55 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its Daily Market WrapUp for March 14, 2008, containg an overview of the Serbian Financial Market. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market WrapUp - Mar 17, 2008 Mar 17, 2008, 16:46 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its Daily Market WrapUp for March 17, 2008, containg an overview of the Serbian Financial Market. link

Serbian Market Starts Week Higher in Positive Mood after Recent Record Falls Mar 17, 2008, 18:20 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), March 17 (SeeNews) – The Belgrade Stock Exchange (BELEX) indices closed higher on Monday in optimistic mood after a week of hefty losses prompted by Serbia’s political crisis, brokers said. link

Serbia Schedule of Events - March 17 - May 18 Mar 17, 2008, 10:01 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Serbia through May 18. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

UNMIK, KFOR Regain Control of U.N. Court in Serb-populated Northern Kosovo Mar 17, 2008, 13:12 CET | Story | SeeNews PRISTINA (Serbia), March 17 (SeeNews) - The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), backed by NATO troops, on Monday regained control of a U.N. courthouse, which has been occupied by Kosovo Serbs since last week, UNMIK said. link

* SLOVENIA *

Shareholders of Slovenia’s Top Insurer Triglav To Vote on Bourse Listing on April 18 Mar 17, 2008, 17:00 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Shareholders of Slovenia’s largest insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav will vote on a proposal to list the company stock on the Ljubljana bourse at their meeting on April 18, Zavarovalnica Triglav said on Monday. link

Slovenia’s Jan Avg Net Salary Falls by Nominal 0.7% M/M - Table Mar 17, 2008, 10:37 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s January average net monthly salary fell by a nominal 0.7% on the month to 864.43 euro ($1,364), the Slovenian Statistics Office said on Monday. link

Slovenian Stock Indices Lose Ground amid Low Demand Mar 17, 2008, 18:45 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenian stock indices lost ground in higher turnover on Monday amid low demand, shadowing negative mood on international markets, brokers said. link

Slovenia Schedule of Events - March 17 - May 15 Mar 17, 2008, 08:56 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), March 17 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Slovenia through May 15. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

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