SEENEWS – news report of 30.05.2008

News report of 30.05.2008

* Albania *

Telekom Slovenije Buys Albania’s H-Communications May 30, 2008, 16:23 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Telekom Slovenije said on Friday it has bought 100% of Albanian telecoms operator H-Communications for an undisclosed sum in line with plans to expand on the Albanian market. link

* Bosnia *

Bosnian Bourse Indices Fall in Dull Trading May 30, 2008, 15:52 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) – Bosnian stock exchange indices dropped in a dull week of trading, as turnover remained thin, a broker said on Friday. link

Insurer Croatia Osiguranje Plans Acquisitions in Bosnia’s Serb Republic May 30, 2008, 13:07 CET | Story | SeeNews BANJA LUKA (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) – Croatia’s top insurer by premium income, Croatia Osiguranje, plans acquisitions in Bosnia’s Serb Republic, the Republic’s government said. link

Bosnia’s Federation To Award 23 Mln Euro Road Construction Contract to Croatian JV May 30, 2008, 12:51 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) – The government of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation said on Friday it will award a 23 million euro ($35.6 million) contract to a Croatian joint venture to build a section of the beltway around the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. link

World Bank Grants $11.4 Mln for Environmental Projects in Bosnia, Croatia May 30, 2008, 10:30 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) - The World Bank has approved three grants worth a total of $11.4 million (7.4 million euro) for two environmental projects in Balkan neighbours Bosnia and Croatia, it said late on Thursday. link

Bosnia Schedule of Events - May 30 - Oct 29 May 30, 2008, 09:50 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (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 *

Bulgaria’s Sopharma Q1 Cons Net Profit Falls 14%, Cuts 2008 Profit Forecast May 30, 2008, 17:56 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian blue-chip drug maker Sopharma on Friday said its first-quarter consolidated net profit fell 14% on the year to 7.48 million levs ($5.9 million/3.8 million euro) as operating costs rose faster than sales revenue. link

BULGARIAN DRUG MAKER SOPHARMA’S Q1 CONS NET PROFIT FALLS 14% TO 3.8 MLN EURO May 30, 2008, 17:22 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

BULGARIAN DRUG MAKER SOPHARMA CUTS 2008 PRE-TAX PROFIT GROWTH FORECAST TO 15% FROM 20-25% May 30, 2008, 17:20 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Last Minute Buying Lifts Bulgarian Share Prices May 30, 2008, 17:00 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) – Last minute buying lifted most Bulgarian stock indices on Friday, brokers said. link

Bulgaria’s Holding Varna Q1 Cons Net Profit Rises Eight Times Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 16:18 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian investment company Holding Varna on Friday said its consolidated net profit rose to 2.2 million levs ($1.77 million/1.14 million euro) in the first quarter of 2008, from 271,000 levs reported for the year ago period. link

Greece’s Cosmote Bulgarian Unit Changes CEO May 30, 2008, 16:13 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Haris Kotsibos would replace Thanasis Katsiroubas as CEO of GloBul, the Bulgarian unit of Greek mobile phone operator Cosmote, as of Friday, GloBul said. link

Bulgaria’s Severcoop Gamza Holding Widens Q1 Loss - Table May 30, 2008, 14:56 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian diversified holding company Severcoop Gamza on Friday posted 361,000 levs ($291,000/187,800 euro) in consolidated net loss for the first quarter of 2008, up from consolidated net loss of 21,000 levs a year earlier, as sales fell. link

Turkcell, Liechtenstein-based TelCo, 10 Bulgarian Companies Vie for Bulgarian Wireless Licence May 30, 2008, 14:29 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Turkey’s largest wireless operator Turkcell, Liechtenstein-registered TelCo and 10 Bulgarian telecoms companies have expressed interest in obtaining a licence to set up the fourth mobile operator in Bulgaria, the telecoms regulator in Sofia said on Friday. link

Bulgarian TK Hold Q1 Net Profit Surges 71% Y/Y- Table May 30, 2008, 13:12 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian holding company TK Hold on Friday said its first-quarter net profit surged by 71% on the year to 390,000 levs ($309,100/199,400 euro), as core operating income rose while core operating costs fell. link

Bulagria’s Holding Roads More than Doubles Q1 Group Net Loss to 1.5 Mln Euro May 30, 2008, 13:10 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian blue-chip construction company Holding Roads more than doubled its first-quarter group net loss to 2.9 million levs ($2.3 million/1.5 million euro). as costs rose by 26.6%, it said on Friday. link

Industrial Holding Bulgaria Raises Q1 Cons Net Profit by 42.5% Y/Y to 1.5 Mln Euro – Table May 30, 2008, 12:49 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) – Blue chip Industrial Holding Bulgaria said on Friday that it raised its first-quarter consolidated net profit by 42.5% on the year to 3.0 million levs ($2.4 million/1.5 million euro), while sales rose by 4.5%. link

INDUSTRIAL HOLDING BULGARIA RAISES Q1 CONS NET PROFIT BY 42.5% Y/Y TO 1.5 MLN EURO May 30, 2008, 12:44 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

BULGARIA’S HOLDING ROADS SAYS MORE THAN DOUBLES Q1 GROUP CONS NET LOSS TO 1.5 MLN EURO May 30, 2008, 11:34 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Bulgarian National Bank - Interest Rates Statistics - April, 2008 May 30, 2008, 11:31 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In April 2008 the Base Interest Rate was 4.85%. It rose by 1.17 percentage points compared to April 2007. link

Bulgaria’s Industrial Capital Holding Q1 Cons Net Profit Falls 80% Y/Y – Table May 30, 2008, 11:01 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian diversified company Industrial Capital Holding said on Friday that its first-quarter consolidated net profit fell by 80% to 719,000 levs ($570,000/368,000 euro), as costs almost quadrupled. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Expenditure on Acquisition of Tangible Fixed Assets - Q1 2008 May 30, 2008, 10:58 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its report on expenditure on acquisition of tangible fixed assets for the first quarter of 2008. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Foreign Direct Investment Flows in Non-Financial Enterprises by Economic Activity Groupings on Quarters - Q1 2008 May 30, 2008, 10:50 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its report on foreign direct investment flows in non-financial enterprises by economic activity groupings on quarters for the first quarter of 2008. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Punished Criminality and Persons Convicted - 2007 May 30, 2008, 10:34 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its report on punished criminality and persons convicted for 2007. link

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Television Programme Activity - 2007 May 30, 2008, 10:30 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) has published its report on television programme activity for 2007. link

Bulgaria’s April Producer Prices Rise 0.2% M/M, Up 13.3% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 10:11 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s April producer prices grew by 0.2% month-on-month after rising by a monthly 2.5% in March, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said on Friday. link

BULGARIA’S APRIL PRODUCER PRICES RISE 0.2% M/M, UP 13.3% Y/Y - STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 10:08 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

FFBH - Bulgaria Morning Update - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 10:07 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews MARKET WRAP-UP link

U.K.-based Bulgarian Property Developments Posts 757,329 Euro H2’07 Pre-tax Loss May 30, 2008, 09:58 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (SeeNews) - U.K.-based Bulgarian Property Developments (BPD) on Friday reported a preliminary pre-tax loss of 594,000 pounds ($1.173 million/757,329 euro) for the six months ended December 31, 2007 on revenue of 457,000 pounds, but expects a raise in the value of its shares. link

Bulgaria Schedule of Events - May 30 - Nov 25 May 30, 2008, 09:33 CET | Story | SeeNews SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 30 (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 - USA Stock Markets Daily Review - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:32 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Third straight gain for the US major indexes link

Bulbrokers - Daily FX Analysis - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:31 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Dollar Rose To Three-Month High Against The Yen link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Bulletin, Selected Announcements - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:05 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews BSE-Sofia has entered in its database the following changes in the management bodies of Alfa Credit SPV-Sofia /ALCR/:- A new Board of Directors with a 5-year mandate consisting of the following members: Iglika Dimitrova Logofetova (chair), Emiliya Marinova Panova (deputy chair and independent member), Rositsa Milkova Lisichkova (executive director)- The company shall be represented by its executive director, Rositsa Milkova Lisichkova. link

Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:54 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bulgarian Stock Exchange has published its report on turnover and prices for May 29, 2008. link

* Croatia *

Croatian Share Indices Firm on Media Reports, Liquidity Remains Low May 30, 2008, 17:46 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Croatian equity indices firmed on Friday supported by media speculation on two blue chips, oil and gas company INA and telecommunications company T-HT, analysts said. link

Croatian Port Operator Luka Rijeka Q1 Cons Unaudited Net Profit Up 20% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 16:21 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Croatia’s largest sea port operator, Luka Rijeka, on Friday reported a 20% yearly rise in its consolidated unaudited net profit for the first quarter, to 2.68 million kuna ($573,000/370,000 euro). link

Croatia March Net Salary Rises Real 0.4% M/M – Table May 30, 2008, 15:24 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) - The average net monthly salary in Croatia was 5,042 kuna ($1,078/696 euro) in March, up by a real 0.4% from the previous month, the State Statistics Bureau said on Friday. link

Croatia’s Jan-April Trade Gap Widens 22.6% Y/Y to 3.83 Bln Euro - Table May 30, 2008, 14:48 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Croatia’s trade gap widened to 3.83 billion euro ($5.93 billion) in the first four months of 2008 from 3.13 billion euro a year earlier, the State Statistics Bureau said on Friday. link

CROATIA’S JAN-APRIL TRADE GAP WIDENS TO 3.8 BLN EURO FROM 3.1 BLN EURO YR-AGO - STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 14:40 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Hungary’s MOL in Talks with Croatia over Change in INA’s Ownership Structure May 30, 2008, 14:08 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) – Hungarian oil and gas company MOL is in talks with Croatia over a change in the ownership structure of Croatian oil and gas company INA that can include a share swap, MOL said on Friday. link

Insurer Croatia Osiguranje Plans Acquisitions in Bosnia’s Serb Republic May 30, 2008, 13:07 CET | Story | SeeNews BANJA LUKA (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) – Croatia’s top insurer by premium income, Croatia Osiguranje, plans acquisitions in Bosnia’s Serb Republic, the Republic’s government said. link

Bosnia’s Federation To Award 23 Mln Euro Road Construction Contract to Croatian JV May 30, 2008, 12:51 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) – The government of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat Federation said on Friday it will award a 23 million euro ($35.6 million) contract to a Croatian joint venture to build a section of the beltway around the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Doctors of Science - 2007 May 30, 2008, 12:03 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Out of the total of 466 graduated doctors of science in 2007, 78.3% of them obtained their degree at the University of Zagreb, 7.3%, at the University of Rijeka, 6.7% at the University of Osijek, 4.7% at the University of Split, 2.8% at the University of Zadar and 0.2% at the University of Pula. The share of female doctors of science was 52.1%. The largest number of doctoral dissertations in 2007 was defended in the fields of life sciences and of biomedicine and health, 22.5%, followed by engineering and social sciences, 17.2% each, and humanities, 13.7%, while the smallest number was defended in the field of biotechnical sciences, 6.9%. The average age of graduated doctors of science was 38.4 years, while the modal group (with the highest frequency) consisted of persons aged 30 to 34. On the average, women were somewhat younger (38.1) than men (38.7). There were 70.4% of doctors of science that have already obtained a master’s degree. In 70.7% cases, themes of doctoral dissertations covered the same field as master’s theses. The largest number of graduated doctors of science was employed in the following activities: education, 52.8%; health and social welfare, 17.6%; and research and development, 15.9%. Costs of the post-graduate university studies leading to a doctoral degree and proceedings of obtaining the doctoral degree was paid by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports for 36.2% of doctors of science, by an employer for 35.2%; then, 27.3% doctors of science paid on their own and 1.3% belonged to the category Other. link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Industrial Production Volume Indices, Seasonally Adjusted - Apr 2008 May 30, 2008, 12:02 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In April 2008, the industrial production in the Republic of Croatia was by 0.4% higher than in March 2008. The monthly industrial production in the Republic of Croatia in April 2008, as compared to April 2007, increased by 3.7%. The total industrial production increased by 4.7% in the period from May 2007 to April 2008, as compared to the industrial production in the period from May 2006 to April 2007. link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Stock Indices of Industrial Final Products - April 2008 May 30, 2008, 12:01 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews At the end of April 2008, the producers’ stocks of industrial finished products in the total industry were by 0.4% higher than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of March 2008, by 2.0% higher than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of April 2007 and by 5.9% higher than the average producers’ stocks of industrial finished products in 2007. According to the MIGs 2001 aggregation, producers’ stocks of finished industrial Intermediate goods at the end of April 2008 decreased by 0.4% and those of Energy by 18.6%, while those of Capital goods increased by 1.1%, those of Durable consumer goods by 5.0% and those of Non-durable consumer goods by 4.0%, all compared to producers’ stocks of industrial finished products at the end of March 2008. Comparing the MIGs 2001 aggregates at the end of April 2008 with those in the same month of the previous year; stocks of finished Intermediate goods were by 0.6% lower, stocks of Energy were by 11.6% lower, stocks of Capital goods were by 16.5% higher, stocks of Durable consumer goods were by 24.2% higher and stocks of Non-durable consumer goods were by 3.7% higher, all compared to producers’ stocks of industrial finished products at the end of April 2007. According to the NKD 2002. sections, at the end of April 2008, the producers’ stocks of industrial finished products in section C Mining and quarrying were by 0.9% lower than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of March 2008, by 7.7% higher than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of April 2007 and by 8.2% higher than the average producers’ stocks of industrial finished products in 2007. At the end of April 2008, in section D Manufacturing, the producers’ stocks of industrial finished products were by 0.5% higher than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of March 2008, by 1.7% higher than stocks of industrial finished products at the end of April 2007 and by 5.8% higher than the average producers’ stocks of industrial finished products in 2007. link

Croatian Bureau of Statistics - Radio and Television Broadcasting - 2007 May 30, 2008, 11:30 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews RADIO BROADCASTING In 2007, there were 144 radio stations in operation, so there were 2 stations more than in 2006. There were 4 stations that broadcasted throughout the whole territory of the Republic of Croatia: Hrvatski radio, Hrvatski katolički radio, Radio Croatia and Otvoreni radio, while others were either regional or local ones. According to their status, 21 stations were considered public and 123 independent institutions. As compared to 2006, the total broadcast of own programme expressed in hours increased by 2.6%, out of which the broadcast of state-owned and regional radio stations did not change and the local ones increased their programmes by 3.2%. The average share of news and information programme in own programmes of all radio stations was 15.7%, out of which the programme in the state-owned radio stations reached 14.1%, in regional ones 18.8% and in local ones 15.3%. The share of advertising spots in all radio stations was 8.0% on the average, out of whi ch this kind of programme in the state-owned radio stations reached 4.9%, in the regional ones 9.1% and in the local ones 8.0% As compared to 2006, the total number of persons in employment as well as those directly engaged in the production of radio programmes (70%) in all radio stations remained the same. The share of women in the total number of persons in employment was 45.0%, which means that it did not change as compared to the year 2006. link

World Bank Grants $11.4 Mln for Environmental Projects in Bosnia, Croatia May 30, 2008, 10:30 CET | Story | SeeNews SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), May 30 (SeeNews) - The World Bank has approved three grants worth a total of $11.4 million (7.4 million euro) for two environmental projects in Balkan neighbours Bosnia and Croatia, it said late on Thursday. link

Erste Securities - Croatian Equity Daily - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:52 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Highlights: link

FIMA Stock Monitor - Daily - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:30 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Daily comment: link

Croatia Schedule of Events – May 30 - Sept 16 May 30, 2008, 09:10 CET | Story | SeeNews ZAGREB (Croatia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Croatia through September 16. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

* Macedonia *

Macedonian Stock Exchange Seesaws Ahead of Sunday’s Election – Table May 30, 2008, 16:49 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), May 30 (SeeNews) – Trading on the Macedonian Stock Exchange this week was marked by small liquidity and fluctuations of indices ahead of Sunday’s early elections, brokers said on Friday. link

INTERVIEW - Anti-Elitist Sentiment Gives Macedonia’s Ruling Conservatives Lead Ahead of Sunday Poll, Analyst May 30, 2008, 15:15 CET | Interview | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), May 30 (SeeNews) – The big lead in ratings enjoyed by Macedonia’s governing conservatives over the opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) ahead of Sunday’s snap poll is because voters identify the SDSM with the country’s intellectual and business elite who many people believe spent years ignoring their needs, Skopje-based international political and economic analyst Sam Vaknin said. link

POLL - Macedonians Vote To Avoid Political, Economic Crisis May 30, 2008, 11:09 CET | Analysis | SeeNews By Kiril Kirilov link

Macedonia’s MEPSO Sells 560 MWh Night-time Electricity Surplus to Cement Plant Usje May 30, 2008, 10:24 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Macedonian state-owned power transmission operator MEPSO said it has sold 560 megawatts of night-time electricity surpluses to local cement plant Usje for 18,000 euro ($27,974). link

Macedonia Schedule of Events - May 30-Nov 28 May 30, 2008, 09:13 CET | Story | SeeNews SKOPJE (Macedonia), May 30 (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

Macedonian Stock Exchange - Daily Report - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:55 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Macedonian Stock Exchange has published its report on turnover and prices for May 29, 2008. link

* Moldova *

Moldova’s FX Reserves Rise to $1.451 Bln in Week Ended May 23 May 30, 2008, 11:57 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), May 30 (SeeNews) - Moldova’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $1.451 billion (936 million euro) in the week ended May 23 from $1.435 billion a week earlier, the country’s central bank, BNM, said on Friday. link

UPDATE 1 - Moldova C-bank Raises Key Repo Rate to 18.5% from 17.0% over Inflation Concerns May 30, 2008, 11:42 CET | Story | SeeNews (adds central bank comments, background) link

Moldova C-bank Raises Key Repo Rate to 18.5% from 17.0% May 30, 2008, 11:14 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), May 30 (SeeNews) - Moldova’s central bank, BNM, on Friday said it raised the key interest rate it uses in repo deals with commercial banks to 18.5% from 17.0%. link

MOLDOVA’S C-BANK RAISES KEY INTEREST RATE TO 18.5% FROM 17.0% May 30, 2008, 10:44 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Moldova Schedule of Events - May 30 - June 30 May 30, 2008, 10:19 CET | Story | SeeNews CHISINAU (Moldova), May 30 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Moldova through June 30 New or amended entries are marked (*) link

* Montenegro *

Montenegro’s Q1 GDP Up Real 8.1% Y/Y, Q1 C/A Gap Widens 80.3% May 30, 2008, 12:44 CET | Story | SeeNews PODGORICA (Montenegro), May 30 (SeeNews) – Montenegro’s economy grew by a real 8.1% on the year in the first quarter of 2008, while its current account deficit for the same period expanded by an annual 80.1% to 390.9 million euro ($605.8 million), central bank figures showed on Friday. link

MONTENEGRO’S Q1 C/A GAP WIDENS 80.3% Y/Y TO 390.9 MLN EURO – C-BANK May 30, 2008, 11:34 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

MONTENEGRO’S Q1 GDP RISES BY REAL 8.1% Y/Y – C-BANK May 30, 2008, 11:33 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

New Securities Exchange of Montenegro - Daily Report - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:56 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews New Securities Exchange of Montenegro (NEX) has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for May 29, 2008. link

* Romania *

Romanian CHIR Hotel Operator Turns to Q1 Net Loss - Table May 30, 2008, 17:08 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Romanian hotel operator Compania Hoteliera Intercontinental Romania (CHIR), said on Friday it swung to a first-quarter net loss of some 2.32 million lei ($992,600/640,400 euro) from a net profit of almost 1.6 million lei a year earlier. link

Romanian Leu Firms vs Euro as the Single Currency Slides Against U.S. Dollar May 30, 2008, 16:32 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Romania’s leu on Friday closed firmer at 3.6220/6260 per euro, as the single currency lost ground for a second consecutive day against the U.S. dollar, dealers said. link

Romanian Bourse Ends Mostly Up, Chemical Stocks Extend Gains in Bullish Trading May 30, 2008, 16:08 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Romanian bourse indices ended mostly up on Friday in more than double turnover, as chemical stocks extended their strong gains in lively trading, brokers said. link

Romania Lacks Professional Developers To Meet Soaring Demand for Homes - Copper Beech May 30, 2008, 15:44 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Romania lacks professional real estate developers to meet soaring demand for homes, fuelled by rising incomes and easier access to bank credits, international property developer Copper Beech said. link

Investments in Romania’s Real Estate Seen at 800 Mln Euro in H1’08, Down 13% Y/Y May 30, 2008, 14:31 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Investments in Romania’s real estate market may reach up to 800 million euro ($1.24 billion) in the first half of the year, down from 921 million euro in the same period of 2007, real estate consultant Atisreal said on Thursday. link

ANALYST FORECAST - Romania’s Q1 GDP Growth Seen Speeding Y/Y May 30, 2008, 14:06 CET | Analysis | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Romania’s gross domestic product (GDP) is seen growing by at least 6.5% on the year in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 6.1% rise in real terms in the same period of 2007, analysts said. link

Swedish Enea Wraps up 3.2 Mln Euro Acquisition of Romania’s IP Devel May 30, 2008, 13:50 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Sweden-based IT&C company Enea said on Friday it finalised the acquisition of Romanian IT solutions provider IP Devel for an initial 3.2 million euro ($4.96 million) from Swiss human resources company Adecco. link

Romanian Labour Ministry - Labour Migration- Q1 2008 May 30, 2008, 13:26 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Romania’s Ministry of Labor, Social Solidarity and Family has released its quarterly report on labour migration for the first quarter of 2008. The analyses and the charts in the report are published only in Romanian language. Only the tables are available in English. link

Israel’s Bank Leumi Romanian Unit Turns to Q1 Net Profit May 30, 2008, 12:53 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - The Romanian unit of Israel’s Bank Leumi said on Friday it turned to a first-quarter net profit of $1.0 million (645,300 euro), from a net loss of $200,000 a year earlier. link

Romanian Labour Ministry - Employment, Unemployment and Unemployed Social Protection - Q1 2008 May 30, 2008, 12:08 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews Romania’s Ministry of Labor, Social Solidarity and Family has released its quarterly report on employment, unemployment and unemployed social protection for the first quarter of 2008. The analyses and the charts in the report are published only in Romanian language. Only the tables are available in English. link

Romanian Bourse Delays Extension of Trading Hours May 30, 2008, 11:06 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) would delay for the time being the extension of its daily trading sessions by two hours until 4:30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT), it said on Friday. link

Raiffeisen Capital & Investment - Investment Daily Romania - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:51 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews In the newsExtension of trading session postponedThe extension of the trading session of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) which was supposed to come into force on June 2, 2008, will be postponed according to BVB officials, as the National Securities Commission (CNVM) and the National Bank of Romania have not yet approved the necessary changes in the Central Depository Code. The trading session should be extended to six hours and a half (10:00 - 16:30), two hours more than currently. The Stock Exchange Council approved the prolongation of the trading session on April 22. The date when the extension of the trading program will become effective will be made public consequently. As a separate issue, BVB will reduce the trading commissions by 10% starting on June 2. Fondul Proprietatea postponed finalization of 2007 financial statementsFondul Proprietatea representatives declared that they have delayed delivering the financial statements to the fiscal authorities due to the losses incurred in 2007 from new provisions being set up. The listing on the stock exchange requires two historic years with reported profits, thus the decision of the fund officials to postpone the finalization of the financial statements.The losses were generated by provisions set up to account for the reduction of its stakes in the state companies Nuclearelectrica and Hidroelectrica. In the case of Nuclearelectrica, its participation has decreased to 9%, from 20%, as two share capital increases have taken place and the new shares were issued only for the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The fund has agreed yesterday with the state to receive an additional participation of 7.3% in Nuclearelectrica, to compensate for the decrease in its stake, which will reduce the total provision of RON 380 mn with 70% and help the fund turn in black the 2007 result. Another participation that triggered losses was Hidroelectrica, which revalued its fixed assets and had to reduce its share capital by some RON 1.5 bn. The fund hopes to finalize the 2007 financial statements by the end of June. Romcarbon begins trading on the main market todayThe rubber and plastics producer Romcarbon Buzau (ROCE) will start trading today on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) main market, Tier II. link

Romania Schedule of Events - May 30 - August 11 May 30, 2008, 09:37 CET | Story | SeeNews BUCHAREST (Romania), May 30 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Romania through August 11. New or amended entries are marked (*). link

Ieba Trust - Romanian Market Daily - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:28 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews The financial-banking sector generated 47.59% of the Regular market daily turnover link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - Regulated Market - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:53 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bucharest Stock Exchange has published its report on trading volumes and prices on the regulated market for May 29, 2008. link

Bucharest Stock Exchange - Daily Report - RASDAQ Market - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:53 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Bucharest Stock Exchange has published its RASDAQ daily market report for May 29, 2008. link

* Serbia *

Serbian Indices Close Higher, as Block Deal Lifts Daily Turnover Again May 30, 2008, 16:18 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - The indices of the Belgrade Stock Exchange (BELEX) ended slightly higher on Friday as a large block trade lifted daily turnover, as in previous sessions throughout the week, brokers said. link

Serbia’s Jan-April Trade Gap Widens 45.4% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 14:42 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s trade deficit for the first four months of 2008 rose by 45.4% year-on-year to $4.12 billion (2.66 billion euro), the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s May Cost of Living Index Rises 1.6% M/M - Table May 30, 2008, 14:41 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s May cost of living index rose by 1.6% from April and was 15.7% higher than a year earlier, the statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s May Retail Prices Rise 1.1% M/M, Up 11.6% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 14:18 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s retail prices rose by 1.1% month-on-month in May after rising at the same pace in April, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

Serbia’s April Industrial Output Rises 3.1% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 14:10 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Serbia’s April industrial output rose by 3.1% on the year after increasing by an annual 2.6% in March, the country’s statistics office said on Friday. link

SERBIA’S JAN-APRIL TRADE GAP WIDENS 45.4% Y/Y TO $4.12 BLN - STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 14:04 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

SERBIA’S MAY RETAIL PRICES RISE 1.1% M/M, UP 11.6% Y/Y - STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 13:52 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

SERBIA’S APRIL INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT UP 3.1% Y/Y AFTER 2.6% RISE IN MARCH - STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 13:52 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Serbia Extends Bidding Deadline in Sale of Mineral Water Bottling Company Heba May 30, 2008, 10:52 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) – Serbia said on Friday it has extended the deadline for placing binding bids for a 70% stake in mineral water bottling company Heba from June 30 to July 11. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market Wrap Up - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 10:14 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its Daily Market Wrap Up for May 29, 2008, containing an overview of the Serbian Financial Market. link

Sinteza Investment Group - Daily Market Wrap Up - May 28, 2008 May 30, 2008, 10:12 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Sinteza Investment Group has released its Daily Market Wrap Up for May 28, 2008, containing an overview of the Serbian Financial Market. link

Vojvodjanska Banka - Daily Vobnews - May 30, 2008 May 30, 2008, 09:57 CET | Broker’s Report | SeeNews Vojvodjanska banka released its Daily Vobnews Report for May 30, 2008 containing the following charts and tables: Serbia Schedule of Events - May 30-June 27 May 30, 2008, 09:15 CET | Story | SeeNews BELGRADE (Serbia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Following is a schedule of corporate, economic and political events taking place in or related to Serbia through June 27. New or amended entries are marked (*). [link->http://seenews.com/news/latestnews/serbiascheduleofevents-may30-june27-090923" class="spip_out">link

Belgrade Stock Exchange - Daily Report - May 29, 2008 May 30, 2008, 08:52 CET | Specialists Reports | SeeNews Belgrade Stock Exchange has published its daily report on trading volumes and prices for May 29, 2008 link

* Slovenia *

Slovenian Stock Indices Edge Down May 30, 2008, 18:33 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenian stock indices fell slightly on Friday with investors still indifferent to trading, brokers said. link

Slovenian Food Maker Zito Proposes Higher 2007 Gross Dividend of 4.60 Euro/Share May 30, 2008, 17:16 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenian food producer Zito will propose a gross dividend of 4.60 euro ($7.1) per share for 2007, up from the 4.20 euro it paid for the previous year, it said on Friday. link

Slovenian Paint Producer Helios Proposes Flat 2007 Gross Dividend May 30, 2008, 17:09 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenian paints and coatings producer Helios will propose paying a gross dividend of 12.04 euro ($18.7) per share for 2007, unchanged from the previous year, it said on Friday. link

Slovenia’s NKBM Bank Raises Q1 Group Net Profit by 71.84% Y/Y May 30, 2008, 16:49 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s second largest bank by assets, Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor (NKBM), raised its group net profit by 71.84% year-on-year to 18.478 million euro (28.7 million) in the first quarter of 2008, it said on Friday. link

Telekom Slovenije Buys Albania’s H-Communications May 30, 2008, 16:23 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Telekom Slovenije said on Friday it has bought 100% of Albanian telecoms operator H-Communications for an undisclosed sum in line with plans to expand on the Albanian market. link

Slovenia’s Top Bank NLB Proposes To Pay Higher ’07 Gross Dividend of 5.33 Euro/Share May 30, 2008, 14:46 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s largest bank by assets, Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), will propose to pay a gross dividend of 5.33 euro ($8.3) per share for 2007, up from 4.11 euro it paid for the previous year, the bank said on Friday. link

ANALYSIS - Global Credit Crunch To Hit Slovenian Banks in 2008 May 30, 2008, 14:43 CET | Analysis | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - The recent turmoil on international financial markets has had a minimum impact on Slovenian banks so far but bankers say global credit crunch will hit their earnings later in the year. link

Slovenian Statistical Office - Labour Force Survey - Provisional Data - Q1 2008 May 30, 2008, 12:08 CET | State Agencies Reports | SeeNews In the first quarter of 2008 the unemployment rate was 5.1% (4.7% for men and 5.5% for women). In the previous quarter the unemployment rate was 4.7% (4.0% for men and 5.7% for women). link

Telekom Slovenije Raises Q1 Group Net Profit by 3.0% Y/Y May 30, 2008, 11:28 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Blue chip Telekom Slovenije on Friday reported a 3.0% annual rise in group net profit to 23.65 million euro ($36.7 million) in the first quarter of the year. link

TELEKOM SLOVENIJE SAYS RAISES Q1 GROUP NET PROFIT BY 3.0% Y/Y TO 23.65 MLN EURO May 30, 2008, 10:55 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Slovenia’s ILO Jobless Rate Rises to 5.1% in Q1’08 from 4.7% in Q4’07 - Table May 30, 2008, 10:50 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s jobless rate, calculated under the International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, was 5.1% in the first quarter of 2008, up from 4.7% in the fourth quarter of last year, the Slovenian Statistics Office said on Friday. link

Slovenia’s May CPI Rises 6.3% Y/Y - Table May 30, 2008, 10:38 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenia’s May consumer price index (CPI), calculated under the EU methodology, rose by 6.3% year-on-year, and was 1.2% higher than a month earlier, the country’s Statistics Office said on Friday. link

SLOVENIA’S MAY CPI +1.2% M/M, +6.3% Y/Y VS. +0.7% M/M, +6.2% Y/Y IN APRIL- STATS OFFICE May 30, 2008, 10:30 CET | Alert | SeeNews link

Slovenian Diversified Group ACH Raises Q1 Group Net Profit by 8.0% Y/Y May 30, 2008, 09:40 CET | Story | SeeNews LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), May 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenian diversified group ACH said it has raised its group net profit by 8.0% on the year to 10.8 million euro ($16.8 million) for the first quarter of 2008, as sales also increased. link

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