SLOVENIJA
Delo says Vasle has moral capital to reform Banka Slovenije
As Boštjan Vasle is taking over on Wednesday as the governor of Banka Slovenije, the newspaper Delo says in a commentary that he has the moral capital and opportunity to reform the central bank and put it on new foundations.
Source: STA
Vasle takes over as new C-bank governor
Boštjan Vasle will start his six-year term as Slovenia's new central bank governor on Wednesday. The long-serving head of the macroeconomic forecaster IMAD was appointed the fifth governor of Banka Slovenije by the parliament in December and is succeeding Boštjan Jazbec, who took a job on the EU's Single Resolution Board in May.
Source: STA
Business sector moderately optimistic about 2019
Despite looming risks, Slovenian businesses are moderately optimistic about 2019. At a debate hosted by the Institute of Strategic Solutions (ISS) on Tuesday, several said companies and banks were in much better shape than a decade ago and prepared for the potential headwinds.
Source: STA
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Dow climbs more than 200 points to notch its first 3-day winning streak since November; European stocks close higher amid US-China trade talks; Carrefour rises 2.7%
Stocks rose on Tuesday as large tech companies like Apple and Amazon outperformed while investors remained cautiously optimistic Washington and Beijing could move forward on a trade deal. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 256.10 points to close at 23,787.45, posting its first three-day winning streak since late November. The S&P 500 rose 0.97%, while Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.1 percent to 6,897. Apple shares rose 1.9 percent after CEO Tim Cook tried to assuage some of the concerns plaguing the tech giant. In an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Cook said Apple’s “ecosystem has never been stronger.” Apple took a beating last week after slashing its quarterly revenue forecast, citing a slowdown in China. Cook also said he feels good about the “real-time ” information he receives regarding the U.S.-China trade talks. Nvidia and Applied Materials fell 2.5 percent and 4.05 percent, respectively. Lam Research also slipped. The decline in chip stocks came after Samsung slashed its fourth-quarter earnings guidance due to lackluster demand for memory chips. Europe closed higher on Tuesday, hitting a three-week high on the back of hopes for a trade deal between the U.S. and China. The pan-European Stoxx 600 rose by more than 1 percent, with all major bourses and every sector except telecoms finishing in positive territory. Industrial stocks were the top performing sector with gains of 2 percent. Looking across the European index, WM Morrison fell 3 percent to near the bottom of the list. The retailer missed its Christmas sales forecasts. On the other hand, Carrefour rose almost 3 percent after Bank of America upgraded the stock. Chemicals firm Sika dropped 4 percent following news that it will buy its French rival Parex for $2.55 billion, according to Reuters. In other corporate news, Nissan’s ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn appeared before a court on Tuesday to argue against allegations of financial misconduct.
Source: CNBC
SERBIA
AERO: Sasa Vlaisavljevic to control concession of Belgrade Airport
The Government of Serbia should soon form a state team for the control of the concession given to the French company Vinci, headed by the director of the airport, Sasa Vlaisavljevic, who will at the same time remain at the head of AD Nikola Tesla, Blic writes. The reason for the formation of the government’s body is the fact that the state remains the owner of the Nikola Tesla Airport and therefore needs to have insight into the realization of the concession, the daily writes. As Blic reports, Vlaisavljevic has been given the task of setting the postulates of the activities of the state body for the control of the concession, after which he will withdraw and move on to another position.
Source: Ekapija
Telekom Srbija acquires two more cable operators
Telekom Srbija (Serbia) has bought two more cable operators - Radijus Vektor and AVcom - and is in talks to take over five more smaller ones. Telekom Srbija Group's Internet and Multimedia Coordinator and m:tel Director Vladimir Lucic said this in an interview with the daily Blic, adding that the company expect these acquisitions to be completed in the first quarter of this year. According to Lucic, the acquisitions are a condition for the realization of the ""Million Plus"" development strategy, which should enable the state owned telecommunications company to gain more than one million TV and internet subscribers.
Source: b92
Fuel prices keep dropping – Increase of excise taxes expected
In the first days of 2019, the prices of fuel in Serbia have continued dropping. This trend started in mid-December 2018. The price of 95-octane petrol dropped by a dinar to a dinar and a half and costs RSD 144.20 per liter at a large number of gas stations, whereas Euro-diesel is cheaper by a dinar and a half to two dinars and costs RSD 158.90 per liter. If there are no major changes in the global market, the prices of oil products might continue dropping, although the increase of excise taxes, that is, their harmonization with the growth of retail prices, is expected.
Source: Ekapija
