SLOVENIA
SBITOP up 0.11%
SBITOP index gained additional 0.2% yesterday, with Gorenje once again as the most traded name. The stock delivered EUR 8.5m in volume. Daily looser was Intereuropa as it lost 0.96%, while top gainer was Sava Re with 2.7% jump.
Source: LJSE, Ilirika
Petrol's net profit in Q1 up 11% to EUR 17.9m
Energy group Petrol's sales rose by 6% to EUR 1.2bn in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2017. The rise was mainly due to costlier oil. Net profit was up by 11% to EUR 17.9m, Petrol said in a press release on Friday, a day after the supervisory board got acquainted with the results.
Source: STA
Intereuropa reports EUR 1.3m net profit for Q1
The logistics group Intereuropa generated EUR 1.3m in net profit in the first quarter of the year, a 49% year-on-year increase. Sales revenue was up 10% to EUR 38.8m, Intereuropa said on Thursday.
Source: STA
Serbian bank acquires controlling interest in Gorenjska bank
The Serbian bank AIK Banka has increased its stake in the Slovenian bank Gorenjska Banka to 32.47%, which gives it a controlling proportion of the voting rights because the biggest owner Sava cannot exercise the voting rights from its 37.6% stake.
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Stocks close lower as Trump says China trade talks may not be successful; European markets close higher amid earnings; Ocado shares rally 44%; oil prices hit $80
Stocks fell on Thursday after President Donald Trump indicated trade talks between the U.S. and China may not be fruitful. Dow lost 0.22%, similar as Nasdaq which was down 0.21%, while S&P500 lost 0.09%.
Higher interest rates also helped push stocks lower. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield broke above 3.1 percent for the first time since 2011, while the two-year yield hovered around its highest levels in a decade.
Walmart on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, as its e-commerce business rebounded. The stock was up 1.9%.
European markets closed higher Thursday afternoon as commodities-related stocks rallied and shares of Ocado skyrocketed after the company signed a partnership deal. The pan-European Stoxx 600 rose during afternoon trade to close higher by 0.5 percent, with all major bourses and most sectors in positive territory.
Europe's retail sector was the strongest performer Thursday afternoon, rallying to close up nearly 2 percent. Ocado boosted the sector, closing up over 44 percent after the British online supermarket said it had signed an exclusive deal with U.S. grocer Kroger.
French waste and water group Suez reported stronger-than-anticipated first-quarter revenues due to an improvement in the volumes of waste treated in Europe.
Altice, the Dutch telecoms multinational, was near the top of the European benchmark. The firm closed 12.4 percent higher. This followed news that SFR, Altice's French division, had shown signs of recovery in the first three months of this year, adding broadband customers for the first time since 2014.
Source: CNBC, Ilirika
SERBIA
EU mulls massive funding for infrastructure works in W. Balkans
The president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, said on Thursday he plans to propose the delivery of a financial package of 10 billion euro ($11.8 billion) to improve the transport and digital infrastructure in the Western Balkans. Under the preliminary calculations, the projects have a combined value of 30 billion euro, Tajani said speaking through an interpreter during a news conference on the sidelines of the EU - Western Balkans summit in Sofia broadcast by Bulgarian TV channel Kanal 3.
Source: SeeNews
World Bank: Western Balkans loses 18% of GDP because of gender gap in labour market
The Western Balkan region loses up to 18 percent of gross domestic product due to the gender gap in the labour market, the World Bank warns. Girls and women in the region, although better educated than before, still do not participate equally in the labour market, and even when they do, they are more likely to be employed in poorly-paid low-skilled jobs, the report says.
Izvor: Serbiamonitor
World Bank: Western Balkans loses 18% of GDP because of gender gap in labour market
The Western Balkan region loses up to 18 percent of gross domestic product due to the gender gap in the labour market, the World Bank warns. Girls and women in the region, although better educated than before, still do not participate equally in the labour market, and even when they do, they are more likely to be employed in poorly-paid low-skilled jobs, the report says.
Izvor: Serbiamonitor
