SLOVENIA
SBITOP Index gains 0.57 percent on Thursday
SBITOP Index closed at 836.42 points on Thursday and gained 0.57 percent. Stocks gaining the most during the trading day were KD Group (+10.27%), Pozavarovalnica SavaRe (+5.42%) and Union hoteli (+4.38%). Terme Čatež lost the most (-5.61%), Mercator lost 2.76%, while blue-chip Intereuropa lost 1.94%.
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Mixed earnings in Europe
Royal Dutch Shell more than doubled its profit last year mainly due to rising oil and gas prices. Exploration and production lifted profit, while refining and trading fell short of analyst expectations. BBVA, Spanish second-largest bank, reported a 90 percent fall in its profit for the last quarter of 2017 compared to the year before. The bank took a hit of around 1.1 billion euros because of the writedown on its Telefonica stake.
Bank of England could raise rates in May according to UBS
According to UBS, the Bank of England could raise interest rates already in May, sooner than most analysts expected. However, rate hike could happen only if the UK strikes a deal with the EU over the transition period after March 2019. UBS expects interest rate to rise by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent. BoE first raised interest rates last November and said that further very gradual increases are linked to the success of Brexit negotiations. UBS upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth following better-than-expected quarter growth.
SERBIA
Foreign trade of Serbia amounts to EUR 34.4bn in 2017 – Deficit higher by 20.2% compared to previous year
The total foreign trade of Serbia from January till December 2017 jumped by 13% compared to the previous year to EUR 34.4bn, with exports higher by 12% and imports by 13.8%, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia reported. In the said period, goods worth EUR 15.0bn were exported, whereas the imports amounted to EUR 19.4bn, bringing the deficit up to EUR 4.3bn, up 20.2% compared to 2016. The export-import coverage ratio dropped from 78.8% in 2016 to 77.4%.
Source: Ekapija
Serbia and Slovenia sign four new agreements – Joint session of two governments held
Representatives of the governments of Serbia and Slovenia signed four agreements on cooperation today, following the 4th joint session of the two countries' governments, headed by prime ministers Ana Brnabic and Miro Cerar, held in the Brdo Castle near Kranj, the website of the Government of Serbia announces. Serbian Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Zoran Djordjevic and Slovenian Minister of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Anja Kopac Mrak signed the Agreement on Employment of Serbian Citizens in Slovenia and the Memorandum on Cooperation in Workplace Safety and Protection.
Source: Ekapija
Number of tourists in Serbia increases by 12% in 2017
In 2017, a total of 3.08 million tourists visited Serbia, an increase by 12% compared to the January-December period of 2016, as shown by the data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. As announced by the Tourism Organization of Serbia, there were 1.59 million local tourists (+8%), amounting to 51% of the total number of guests, and 1.49 million (+17%) foreign ones, amounting to 49%. As added, there were 8.3 million overnight stays in 2017 (an increase by 11% compared to 2016), with local tourists making 5.1 million overnight stays (+7%), comprising 62% of the total number of overnight stays, whereas foreign tourists made 3.2 million overnight stays (+16%), or 38% of the total number.
Source: Ekapija
