SEENEWS – news report of 29.08.2008

News report of 29.08.2008

* Albania *

Albania To Auction 4.6 Bln Leks (38 Mln Euro) in 3-Mo T-bills on Tuesday Aug 29, 2008, 13:11 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Albania’s central bank will auction 4.6 billion leks ($55.7 million/37.8 million euro) in three-month Treasury bills on Tuesday, the bank said on Friday. link

Italy’s Caraglio Wants To Build 23 Hydro Power Plants In Albania Aug 29, 2008, 12:31 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Italian electrical systems provider Caraglio has shown interest in building 23 small hydro power plants in Albania, the government in Tirana said on Friday. link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

Raiffeisen Albania Lends 40 Mln Euro To Power Utility KESH for Electricity Imports Aug 29, 2008, 10:04 CET | Story | SeeNews TIRANA (Albania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Raiffeisen Albania has lent 40 million euro ($59 million) to help the country’s power utility KESH import electricity for the rest of the year, the bank said on Friday. link

* Bosnia *

Bosnian Bourse Indices Post Further Losses Aug 29, 2008, 15:52 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), August 29 (SeeNews) - The main indices on Bosnia’s two stock exchanges continued their fall in the last week of August, completing a month-long run on the downside, a broker said on Friday. link

Turkish Airlines Says Will Bid for Bosnia’s BH Airlines Aug 29, 2008, 11:55 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), August 29 (SeeNews) - Turkish Airlines said on Friday it has decided to bid for a 49% stake in the air carrier of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation, BH Airlines. link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

Bosnia Invites Bids for Rail Track Overhauls Aug 29, 2008, 11:25 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), August 29 (SeeNews) – Bosnia has invited bids for procurement of rail track overhauls and signalling equipment which it will partly finance with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the EBRD said. link

Bosnia Schedule of Events – Aug 29-Nov 20 Aug 29, 2008, 09:55 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), August 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Bosnia and Herzegovina through November 20. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Bulgaria *

S&P Withdraws Bulgarian City of Karlovo ’BB-’ Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating Aug 29, 2008, 18:34 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Global rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Friday said it withdrew its ’BB-’ long-term issuer credit rating on the Bulgarian City of Karlovo due to insufficient information to assess the city’s credit quality. link

Bulgaria’s Holding Varna H1 Cons Net Profit Jumps Nearly Four Times Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 17:49 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian investment company Holding Varna on Friday said its first-half consolidated net profit jumped nearly four times to 2.4 million levs ($1.8 million/1.2 million euro) as revenue more than doubled. link

Bulgaria’s Industrial Capital Holding Raises H1 Cons Net Profit Almost Six Times Y/Y – Table Aug 29, 2008, 17:32 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian diversified company Industrial Capital Holding said on Friday that its consolidated net profit for the first half of 2008 rose almost six times on the year to 1.542 million levs ($1.16 million/788,400 euro), as sales surged over 45 times. link

Eurohold Bulgaria H1 Cons Net Profit Surges Seven Times Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 17:26 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Financial and industrial group Eurohold Bulgaria on Friday said its first-half consolidated net profit surged almost seven times on the year to 41.3 million levs ($31.1 million/21.1 million euro) as sales jumped by 80%. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Expenditure on Acquisition of Tangible Fixed Assets by Quarter - Q2 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 16:24 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its quarterly report on expenditure on acquisition of tangible fixed assets by quarter for the second quarter of 2008. link

Turkey’s CCG May Consider Stake Sale in Bulgarian Hydropower Project After Court Ruling - Official Aug 29, 2008, 16:24 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Turkey’s Construction Contracting Group (CCG), the successor to Ceylan Holding in a long-delayed Bulgarian hydropower project, has received offers to sell its stake, but is awaiting a court ruling before deciding, a senior company official said. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Foreign Direct Iinvestment Flows in Non-financial Enterprises by Economic Activity Groupings - Q2 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 16:23 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its quarterly report on foreign direct investment flows in non-financial enterprises by economic activity groupings on quarters for the second quarter of 2008. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Producer Price Indexes in 2008 - July 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 16:22 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its quarterly report on producer price indices in 2008 for July 2008. link

Bulgarian Tobacco Group Bulgartabac Turns to H1 Cons Net Loss - Table Aug 29, 2008, 16:11 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian tobacco holding group Bulgartabac, slated for privatisation, said on Friday it has turned to a 25.4 million levs ($19.1 million/13 million euro) consolidated net loss for the first half of 2008 from a net profit of 3.513 million levs a year earlier, as sales fell by 31.4%. link

Bulgaria’s Sopharma H1 Cons Net Profit Slumps 43% Y/Y, Cuts Again 2008 Profit Forecast Aug 29, 2008, 15:44 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian blue-chip drug maker Sopharma on Friday said its first-half consolidated net profit slumped by 43% on the year to 11.5 million levs ($8.7 million/5.9 million euro) as costs rose faster than revenue. link

Bulgaria’s NEK To Call Tenders Worth 35.5 Mln Euro for Upgrade of Substations Aug 29, 2008, 15:24 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s electricity company NEK said on Friday it will call by August 29, 2009 tenders for the rehabilitation of 10 substations across the country under a 35.5 million euro ($52.3 million) project co-financed by EBRD. link

BULGARIAN DRUG MAKER SOPHARMA SAYS H1 CONS NET PROFIT FALLS 43% Y/Y TO 5.9 MLN EURO, CUTS AGAIN ’08 PROFIT FORECAST Aug 29, 2008, 15:01 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Most Bulgarian Stocks Rise, Blue-Chip Index Ends Lower Aug 29, 2008, 14:21 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian stocks ended mostly up on Friday with a decline in the price of Bulgarian-American Credit Bank (BACB) sending the blue-chip SOFIX index lower, brokers said. link

Industrial Holding Bulgaria H1 Cons Net Profit Rises 25% Y/Y to 3.8 Mln Euro - Table Aug 29, 2008, 14:00 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Blue chip Industrial Holding Bulgaria said on Friday its consolidated net profit for the first half of 2008 rose by 25% on the year to 7.5 million levs ($5.6 million/3.8 million euro), even though sales fell by 20%. link

INDUSTRIAL HOLDING BULGARIA SAYS H1 CONS NET PROFIT RISES 25% Y/Y TO 3.8 MLN EURO Aug 29, 2008, 13:48 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Heineken’s Bulgarian Unit Posts H1 Pre-Tax Profit 40% Above Plan Aug 29, 2008, 12:19 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s Zagorka, part of Dutch brewing group Heineken, on Friday posted a half-year profit before interest and taxes 40% above plan at 3.3 million euro ($4.86 million), thanks to higher sales. link

Allied Irish Banks Wraps up Buy of 49.99% of Bulgarian-American Credit Bank Aug 29, 2008, 12:09 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Allied Irish Banks (AIB) has wrapped up its 422.8 million levs ($318.5 million/216.2 million) acquisition of 49.99% of blue-chip Bulgarian-American Credit Bank (BACB), BACB said on Friday. link

Bulgaria Signs 230 Mln Euro Loan Deal for Two Black Sea Container Terminals with JBIC Aug 29, 2008, 12:03 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria and Japan on Friday signed a 230 million euro ($339.2 million) loan deal for the construction of two container terminals at the Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas. link

UBB - Bulgaria: Economic & Market Analyses - June 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:51 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews In the period January – May 2008, the Current and Capital account deficit was EUR 2,859 million (8.7% of GDP)Foreign direct investment in Bulgaria was EUR 1,705.3 million (5.2% of GDP) As of end-May 2008 gross external debt was EUR 30,987.1 million (94.4% of GDP and increased by EUR 2,863.4 million (10.2%) The consumer price inflation continued to increase to 15.3% y/y in June from 15% y/y in May and 14.6% y/y in AprilThe industrial sales slowed down the temp of their growth to 3.8%Retail sales growth accelerated to 6.1%y/y in May link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

FFBH - Bulgaria Morning Update - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:47 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UPThe indices moved in opposite directions on Thursday as the volumes stayed quite low. Despite the low liquidity SOFIX reached 1030.88 bps (+1.04%), BGTR30 also closed positive at 662.79 bps (+0.25%), while BG40 remained unchanged at 250.69 bps. The day gainer was Monbat (5MB, BGN 12.177, +3.28%), followed by Industrial Holding Bulgaria AD (4ID, BGN 6.17, +2.76%) and Lead and Zink Complex (5OTZ, BGN 28.68, +2.43%). Among the top losers of the session were Zaharni zavodi (3Z9, BGN 8.40, -6.46%) and Kaolin (6K1, BGN 7.20, -2.70%). Most of REIT companies closed unchanged but the drop of Fair Play Properties REIT (6F3, BGN 1.574, -2.84%) offset the positive move of Elana Agricultural Land Opportunity Fund (4EC, BGN 1.88, +1.46%) thus pushing BG REIT index down at 86.46 bps (-0.08%). link

National Bank of Greece Grows Much Faster in SEEurope Than at Home Aug 29, 2008, 10:45 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – The National Bank of Greece (NBG) said on Friday its group earnings from operations in Southeast Europe rose much faster than its profit from domestic operations in the first half of 2008. link

Bulgaria’s July Producer Prices Rise 2.3% M/M, Up 13.1% Y/Y – Table Aug 29, 2008, 10:16 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s July producer prices rose by 2.3% month-on-month after rising by a monthly 1.3% in June, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said on Friday. link

BULGARIA’S JULY PRODUCER PRICES RISE 2.3% M/M, UP 13.1% Y/Y - STATS OFFICE Aug 29, 2008, 10:09 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Bulbrokers - Daily FX Analysis - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:05 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews A Surprising RiseOf US GDP Supported The Dollar link

Bulbrokers - USA Stock Markets Daily Review - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:03 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Stocks on Wall Street rose on better than expected GDP dataU.S. stocks climbed for a third day, led by manufacturers and financial companies, after growth in exports helped the economy expand faster than estimated in the second quarter. Second quarter real GDP growth was revised upward to 3.3% from a previously reported 1.9%. Exports played a key role, as did personal consumption. The revised GDP number shows the economy is faring far better than many pessimists believed. Moreover, trends in the data suggest third quarter GDP will expand at a similar rate.Initial claims for the week ending Aug. 23 fell 10,000 to 425,000. The four-week moving average, meanwhile, dipped to 440,250 from 446,250. The numbers reflect soft labor conditions and portend another modest decline in August nonfarm payrolls.Crude oil had been up as much as 2% in the early session, but it retreated to a loss of 2.5% to trade just above $115 per barrel. Crude prices have climbed during recent sessions as tr aders act on fear that Hurricane Gustav will force a production halt, causing an imbalance between supply and demand.On corporate level shares of Citigroup Inc.rose 5.2% to $19.05, while Bank of America Corp. gained 5.6% to $31.30 per share. Several retailers reported results on Thursday.Tiffany shares rose 11%to $43.95, after it said its profit nearly doubled and upped its earnings view for the year.Williams-Sonoma Inc. shares fell 10% to $16.80 after the company slashed its earningsper- share outlook by as much as 35% for the year.The major indexes rose for third straight day, as the biggest gains was marked by Dow Jones adding 1.9% to 11 715. Standard & Poor’s 500 rose with 1.5% to 1300, while Nasdaq Composite finished the session with 1.2% gain at 2411.Trading volume on NYSE was 616 million shares, with ratio advancers/decliners round 3 to 1, and volume on Nasdaq was 1.2 billion shares, with a ratio advancers/decliners 5 to 2. link

Elana - Bulgaria Daily Report - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:40 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Market Highlights link

UBB - Bulgaria: Economic & Market Analyses - May 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:29 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Current account gap widened to 7.4% of GDP in January-April 2008 link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Bulletin, Selected Announcements - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:25 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Sopharma AD-Sofia /3JR/ has submitted to X3 News the following information:The participation of Sopharma AD in the capital of the Ukrainian company Vitamini AD has increased to 99.07%.The entire notification is available on link link

Bulgaria Schedule of Events - Aug 29-Nov 25 Aug 29, 2008, 09:15 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 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

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 08:34 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bulgarian Stock Еxchange has published its report on turnover and prices for August 28, 2008. link

* Croatia *

Croatian Jupiter Adria To Invest More Than 15 Mln Euro in Luxury Hotel on Adriatic Island Aug 29, 2008, 18:07 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) – Croatian tourism company Jupiter Adria will invest more than 15 million euro ($22 million) to completely re-build hotel Preko on the Adriatic island of Ugljan, it said on Friday. link

Croatia’s July M1 Money Supply Up 1.9% M/M, 2.4% Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 17:25 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Croatia’s M1 money supply rose to 55.453 billion kuna ($11.4 billion/7.8 billion euro) at the end of July from 54.401 billion kuna a month earlier and 54.142 billion kuna a year earlier, central bank figures indicated on Friday. link

Croatian C-bank’s July FX Reserves at 9.789 Bln Euro - Table Aug 29, 2008, 17:24 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) - The Croatian central bank’s foreign exchange reserves stood at a preliminary 9.789 billion euro ($14.4 billion) at the end of July, down from 9.941 billion euro a month earlier but up from 9.412 billion euro a year earlier, central bank data showed on Friday. link

Croatian Nexus Private Equity Partneri Gets Nod To Set Up Venture Capital Fund Aug 29, 2008, 17:09 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) – Croatia’s financial regulator HANFA has given the green light to fund manager Nexus Private Equity Partneri to set up its first venture capital fund, HANFA said on Friday. link

Croatian Businessman Buys Hotel from Roman Catholic Church for 1.45 Mln Euro –Media Aug 29, 2008, 15:23 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) – Croatian businessman Jako Andabak has bought hotel Salve Regina in the Marija Bistrica shrine from the Zagreb archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church for 1.45 million euro ($2.1 million), local media reported on Friday. link

Croatia’s Djuro Djakovic Holding To Sell Control of Assembly Services Unit Aug 29, 2008, 13:54 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) – Croatian holding company Djuro Djakovic said on Friday its shareholders have decided to sell a stake of 50% plus one share in its assembly services unit Djuro Djakovic Montaza in a public tender. link

INTERVIEW – Same Deutz-Fahr’s Croatian Unit Plans To Raise Farm Machines Sales in 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 13:45 CET | Interview | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) – The Croatian unit of Italian-based farm machines producer Same Deutz-Fahr plans to raise sales this year, as recent strong food prices and institutional support for farmers in Europe are boosting demand for its output, a senior company official said on Friday. link

Croatia’s Jan-July Trade Gap Widens to 6.8 Bln Euro from 5.7 Bln Euro Yr-Ago - Stats Office Aug 29, 2008, 11:06 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Croatia’s trade gap widened to 6.8 billion euro ($10.03 billion) in the first seven months of 2008 from 5.7 billion euro a year earlier, the State Statistics Bureau said on Friday. link

CROATIA’S JAN-JULY TRADE GAP WIDENS TO 6.8 BLN EURO FROM 5.7 BLN EURO YR-AGO - STATS OFFICE Aug 29, 2008, 10:41 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:36 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Highlights: link

FIMA Stock Monitor - Daily Report - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:43 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Daily comment: link

Croatia Schedule of Events - Aug 29-Oct 15 Aug 29, 2008, 09:17 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Croatia through October 15. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Macedonia *

Macedonian Stock Exchange Indices End Mixed In Low Turnovers Aug 29, 2008, 16:29 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), August 29 (SeeNews) - The Macedonian Stock Exchange’s key indices closed mixed on Friday in a holiday-thinned trading week, bourse data showed. link

National Bank of Greece Grows Much Faster in SEEurope Than at Home Aug 29, 2008, 10:45 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – The National Bank of Greece (NBG) said on Friday its group earnings from operations in Southeast Europe rose much faster than its profit from domestic operations in the first half of 2008. link

* Moldova *

Moldovan Banks’ End-July Assets Rise 33% Y/Y Aug 29, 2008, 16:14 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), August 29 (SeeNews) - Moldovan banks had 37.2 billion lei ($3.9 billion/2.6 billion euro) in assets at the end of July, up 33% from a year earlier, the country’s central bank, BNM, said on Friday. link

Moldova’s FX Reserves Rise to $1.76 Bln in Week Ended Aug 22 Aug 29, 2008, 14:38 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), August 29 (SeeNews) - Moldova’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $1.76 billion (1.2 billion euro) on August 22 from $1.75 billion a week earlier, the country’s central bank, BNM, said on Friday. link

Moldova’s July Average Salary Rises 26.2% Y/Y to 2,705 Lei (190 Euro) - Table Aug 29, 2008, 09:57 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), August 29 (SeeNews) - The average monthly salary in Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest nations, rose by an annual 26.2% to 2,705 lei ($281/190 euro) in July, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Moldova Schedule of Events - Aug 29-Oct 10 Aug 29, 2008, 09:42 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), August 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Moldova through October 10. New or amended entries are marked (*) link

Moldova Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:14 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Moldova Stock Exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for August 28, 2008. link

* Montenegro *

New Securities Exchange of Montenegro - Daily Report - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:15 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The New Securities Exchange of Montenegro (NEX) has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for August 28, 2008. link

* Romania *

Canada’s Sterling Resources Spuds Offshore Gas Well in Romania Aug 29, 2008, 18:18 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Canada’s Sterling Resources said it started drilling the Ana-2 appraisal well in the Black Sea off Romania on Thursday. link

Romanian PM To Try For Second Term At November 30 Poll Aug 29, 2008, 17:42 CET | Story | SeeNews NEPTUN (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, 56, on Friday announced he will seek a second term in office at autumn parliamentary elections. link

INTERVIEW - Romania’s GDP Growth Seen Slowing in H2 but Recession Not Likely - World Bank Economist Aug 29, 2008, 17:08 CET | Interview | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romania’s economic growth will be gradually slowing in the second half of 2008 from the strong rise it posted so far this year, but a recession is not likely, a senior economist with the World Bank’s office in the country said. link

Romanian Armax Gaz H1 Net Profit Falls 20% - Table Aug 29, 2008, 16:57 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian oil and gas equipment manufacturer Armax Gaz on Friday said its net profit for the first half of this year fell to some 2.99 million lei ($1.246 mllilon/845,250 euro) from 3.734 million lei a year earlier. link

Romanian Stocks Fall Amid Global Market Seesaw Aug 29, 2008, 16:45 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - The Romanian stock market lost ground on Friday, failing to hold on to intraday gains amid global volatility, brokers said. link

Romania To Issue 1.5 Bln Lei (424 Mln Euro) of Debt in Sept - Fin Min Aug 29, 2008, 16:41 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romania’s Finance Ministry said on Friday it plans to issue 1.5 billion lei ($625 million/424 million euro) worth of government securities in September to finance and re-finance public debt. link

Romanian Leu Ends Stronger vs Euro on High O/N Rates, Regional Comments Aug 29, 2008, 16:38 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romania’s leu on Friday closed at 3.5320/5360 per euro, stronger than 3.5410/5460 on Thursday, backed by high overnight deposit rates and positive comments from abroad, analysts said. link

Hungary’s OTP Bank Wraps Up Sale of Romanian Insurance Unit to France’s Groupama Aug 29, 2008, 14:32 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Hungary’s OTP Bank said on Friday it has completed the sale of 100% of its Romanian insurance unit to French insurance group Groupama. link

Romanian Port Operator Comvex H1 Net Profit Rises 89% Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 12:36 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian port operator Comvex said its first-half net profit rose 89% on the year to 16.89 million lei ($7.0 million/4.8 million euro). Comvex shares were last traded 2.45% up at 50.2 lei at 0820 GMT on Friday on the over-the-counter market RASDAQ. link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

National Bank of Greece Grows Much Faster in SEEurope Than at Home Aug 29, 2008, 10:45 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – The National Bank of Greece (NBG) said on Friday its group earnings from operations in Southeast Europe rose much faster than its profit from domestic operations in the first half of 2008. link

Ieba Trust - Romanian Market Daily - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:41 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews BRD shares generated 64.26% of the Regular market daily turnover link

Raiffeisen Capital & Investment - Investment Daily Romania - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:03 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Trader’s Comment link

Romanian Brewer Bere Azuga Turns to H1 Net Loss Aug 29, 2008, 10:01 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Romanian brewer Bere Azuga said it turned to a net loss of 867,900 lei ($360,140/244,000 euro) in the first half of 2008 from a net profit of 129,500 lei in the year-ago period. link

Romania Schedule of Events - Aug 29 - Nov 11 Aug 29, 2008, 09:16 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), August 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Romania through November 11. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Regulated Market - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:13 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bucharest Stock exchange has published its report on trading volumes and prices on the regulated market for August 28, 2008. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - RASDAQ Market - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:13 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Bucharest Stock exchange has published its RASDAQ daily market report for August 28, 2008. link

* Serbia *

EBRD Mulls Investing Up To 280 Mln Euro In Serbia Annually - Bank Official Aug 29, 2008, 17:32 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) wants to invest between 250 and 280 million euro ($368-$412 million) into Serbia’s economy annually, the organisation’s president, Thomas Mirow, told local news agency Tanjug on Friday. link

Slovenian Poultry Producer Perutnina Ptuj To Invest 20 Mln Euro in Its Serbian Arm - Media Aug 29, 2008, 16:39 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) – Slovenian leading poultry producer, Perutnina Ptuj, will invest 20 million euro ($30 million) in its Serbian factory Topiko this year, Serbian news agency Beta reported on Friday. link

Serbia’s Jan-July Tourist Numbers Drop 1.0% Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 16:03 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - The number of tourists in Serbia through July edged down 1.0% year-on-year to 1,302,888, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Belgrade Indices Close Week Lower, Block Trading Lifts Turnover Aug 29, 2008, 15:28 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Belgrade Stock Exchange (BELEX) indices dropped further on Friday as a block trading in insurer Takovo Osiguranje lifted the total turnover, brokers said. link

Serbia’s Q3 Industry Sentiment Rises Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 14:43 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s quarterly-adjusted industry sentiment index for the third quarter of the year edged up to 3.49 points from 3.44 points in the third quarter of 2007, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s August Cost of Living Index Rises 0.1% M/M - Table Aug 29, 2008, 14:37 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s August cost of living index rose by 0.1% from July and was 11.6% higher than a year earlier, the statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s August Retail Prices Rise 0.2% M/M, Up 10.5% Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 12:52 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s retail prices rose by 0.2% month-on-month in August after rising by a monthly 0.1% in July, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s July Industrial Output Rises 5.4% Y/Y - Table Aug 29, 2008, 11:57 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s July industrial output rose by 5.4% on the year after increasing by an annual 1.8% in June, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

SERBIA’S JULY INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT RISES 5.4% Y/Y VS 1.8% Y/Y RISE IN JUNE - STATS OFFICE Aug 29, 2008, 11:26 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Kosovo Govt Nominates Its First 11 Charge d’affaires Aug 29, 2008, 11:19 CET | Story | SeeNews PRISTINA, August 29 (SeeNews) - Kosovo government has nominated the first 11 charge d’affaires to represent the newly independent country abroad, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Friday. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market Wrap Up - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:17 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its daily trading report for August 28, 2008. The report contains an overview of the Serbian Financial market. link

National Bank of Greece Grows Much Faster in SEEurope Than at Home Aug 29, 2008, 10:45 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – The National Bank of Greece (NBG) said on Friday its group earnings from operations in Southeast Europe rose much faster than its profit from domestic operations in the first half of 2008. link

Vojvodjanska Banka - Daily Vobnews - Aug 29, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 10:31 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Vojvodjanska banka released its Daily Vobnews report for August 29, 2008 containing the following charts and tables: link

Serbia Schedule of Events - Aug 29-Dec 30 Aug 29, 2008, 09:40 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Serbia through December 30. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Belgrade Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Aug 28, 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 09:12 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews The Belgrade Stock exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for August 28, 2008 link

* Slovenia *

Slovenian Stocks Gain Ground, Follow Global Trend Aug 29, 2008, 17:43 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Slovenian stock indices rose for a second day running in thin volumes on Friday tracking gains on global markets, brokers said. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Labour Force Survey - Q2 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 12:34 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In the second quarter of 2008 the unemployment rate was 4.2% (3.5% for men and 4.9% for women). In the previous quarter the unemployment rate was 5.1% (4.7% for men and 5.5% for women). link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Retail Trade, Wholesale and Commission Trade - 2007 Aug 29, 2008, 12:32 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In 2007 enterprises in Slovenia performing trade activities achived EUR 11,303 million of turnover in retail trade and EUR 11,367 million of turnover in wholesale.In 2007 the retail trade turnover was up by 9.9 %In 2007, enterprises performing trade activities achived inretail trade EUR 11,303 million of turnover without value added tax (VAT) at current prices. Compared to 2006, in 2007 the retail trade turnover without VAT was up by 9.9 %. The turnover without VAT was also up by activities: in retail trade with food, beverages and tobacco by 8.6 %, in retail trade with non-food by 12.7 % and in retail trade with motor vehicles and fuels by 8.2 %.The wholesale turnover in 2007 was up by 6.6 %In 2007, enterprises performing wholesale trade achived on the domestic market EUR 11,367 million of turnover without value added tax (VAT) at current prices. Compared to the previous year, the wholesale turnover without VAT was up by 6.6%. The wholesale turnover without VAT in wholesale with non-food was up by 7.1 %, in wholesale with motor vehicles and fuels it was up by 10.4%, while in wholesale with food, beverages and tobacco it was down by 0.9 %.Commission tradeThe commission trade turnover without VAT (at current prices) was in 2007 EUR 129 million. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Consumer Pprice Indices - Aug 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 12:23 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In August 2008 prices went down by 0.6%; annual inflation at 6%. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Early Estimates for Crop Products - Aug 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 12:21 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews The data on early estimates of crop production, collected on 15 August 2008, show that this year the harvest of the nine observed crops will be worse by a tenth than estimated in July. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Turnover in Service Activities - Provisional Data - June 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 12:08 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Compared to May 2008, in June 2008 turnover from the sale of services in computer and related activities was up by 10.8%. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Basic Interest Rate - Sept 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:58 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In September 2008 the monthly basic interest rate fell to 0.5%, while the yearly rate fell to 6.27%. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Import Price Indices - July 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:57 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Import prices in July 2008 were higher (by 0.8%) again. Higher prices were registered for products supplied from the euro area (by 0.1%) as well as for products imported from the non-euro area (by 1.7%). link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Labour Force - May 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:54 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews
 In May 2008 the labour force in Slovenia numbered 940,780 persons, which is 0.2% more than in April and 1.9% more than in May 2007. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Turnover in Distributive Trade - Provisional Data - June 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:53 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In June 2008 volume turnover in retail trade up compared to both May 2008 and June 2007. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Place Names - 2008 Aug 29, 2008, 11:52 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews On 1 January 2008 there were 6,023 settlements and 10,027 streets registered in Slovenia. The database covers all settlements and streets which existed on that date. This time we have updated data on the area of settlements and besides the 2002 Census population data we have added registered population data as of 31 December 2007. link

Austria’s UNIQA Sees H1 Premium Income from Eastern European Operations Rising Most Aug 29, 2008, 11:48 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 29 (SeeNews) – Austrian insurance group UNIQA said on Friday its premium income from operations in Eastern and South Eastern Europe rose most in the first half of 2008 - by 60% year-on-year to 603 million euro ($889.3 million). link

UPDATE 1 - Telekom Slovenije Raises H1 Group Net Profit by 5.0% Y/Y Aug 29, 2008, 11:04 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds 2008 group forecasts, updates share price) link

Slovenia’s ILO Jobless Rate Falls to 4.2% in Q2 from 5.1% in Q1 - Table Aug 29, 2008, 11:01 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s jobless rate, calculated under the International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, was 4.2% in the second quarter of 2008, down from 5.1% in the first quarter, the Slovenian Statistics Office said on Friday. link

Slovenia’s August CPI Rises 6.0% Y/Y – Table Aug 29, 2008, 10:38 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s August consumer price index (CPI), calculated under the EU methodology, rose by 6.0% year-on-year and was down 0.7% from a month earlier, the country’s Statistics Office said on Friday. link

SLOVENIA’S AUGUST CPI FALLS 0.7% M/M, RISES 6.0% Y/Y VS. FLAT M/M, +6.9% Y/Y IN JULY – STATS OFFICE Aug 29, 2008, 10:36 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Telekom Slovenije Raises H1 Group Net Profit by 5.0% Y/Y Aug 29, 2008, 10:30 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), August 29 (SeeNews) - Blue chip Telekom Slovenije on Friday reported a 5.0% annual rise in group net profit to 48.5 million euro ($71.5 million) in the first half of the year. link

TELEKOM SLOVENIJE RAISES H1 GROUP NET PROFIT BY 5.0% Y/Y TO 48.5 MLN EURO Aug 29, 2008, 10:14 CET | Alert | SeeNews

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