SERBIA:

NIIS: NIS to report 1H18 numbers today
Integrated oil&gas company NIS (NIIS) announced that it will report it 1H 2018 numbers today. Results for 1Q18 were not so impressive given the fact that EBITDA was down 20% y/y, while net profit arrived at RSD 3.7bn, down 31%. In the first six months of 2017, the company delivered RSD 22.5m in EBITDA, while net profit was at RSD 12.4bn. Environment for NIS was improved in 2Q18 since an average price for Urals was at 72.7USD/bbl, up nearly 50% y/y, while RSD depreciated against USD by 5%.
Source: Belex, Kamatica, Ilirika

NBS: Results of Inflation Expectations Survey for June
According to the June survey, short-term and medium-term inflation expectations of the financial and corporate sectors continued to move within the target band (3±1.5%). Both one-year and two-year ahead inflation expectations of the financial sector are at the targeted 3.0%, while expectations of the corporate sector are unchanged from May equalling 2.7% in the short and 2.8% in the medium run. Anchored inflation expectations enhance the efficiency of monetary policy in maintaining low, stable and predictable inflation in the medium run, which is one of the necessary preconditions for sustainable economic growth.
Source: NBS

VTB Banka Beograd sold – New owner Serbian company owned by Russian Andrey Shlyakhovoy
VTB Banka a.d. Beograd has a new owner, and as they announced, following the successful takeover of 100% of the ownership of VTB Bank in Serbia, the owner is a Serbian company whose sole founder is the Russian investor and banker Andrey Shlyakhovoy. As pointed out in the press release, for this investor, the takeover of VTB Banka a.d. Beograd is the first step in the Serbian market, which he sees as a market with considerable growth potential, not just regarding the continuation and expansion of the bank's current business, but also regarding the development and the offer of new products based on innovative financial technologies (FinTech).
Source: Ekapija

REGION:

Hrvatski Telekom H1 cons net profit rises 9.1% y/y
Croatia's biggest telecoms operator, Hrvatski Telekom [ZSE:HT-R-A], said on Thursday its first-half consolidated net profit increased 9.1% on the year to 447 million kuna ($70.8 million/60.4 million euro). Consolidated revenues in the six months through June dropped by an annual 0.3% to 3.7 billion kuna, Hrvatski Telekom said in a statement. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA ) before exceptional items increased 0.9% to 1.47 billion kuna with a margin of 40%, while earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) added 2.6% to 597 million kuna.
Source: SeeNews

INO:

Nasdaq sheds 1% as Facebook leads tech plunge, Dow adds more than 100 points, European stocks close higher after US-EU trade gathering and ECB meeting
The major stock indexes traded in different directions on Thursday as investors grappled with a disastrous quarterly report from Facebook. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1 percent to finish at 7,852.18, led by a steep decline in Facebook shares. The index posted its worst one-day loss since June 27, when it lost 1.5 percent, Facebook suffered its worst day in its history as a public company with shares closing down 18.96 percent. The broader stock market held its ground, however, as the S&P 500 finished down 0.3 percent at 2,837.44 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 112.97 points to 25,527.07 amid gains in 3M, Boeing and Travelers Companies.
The historic drop in Facebook shares came a day after its quarterly revenue missed expectations. Global daily active users, a key metric for the social media giant, also disappointed investors. Additionally, Facebook said it expects its revenue growth rate to slow down from last year. Facebook's earnings per share, however, topped Wall Street estimates.
Facebook's negative results offset strong earnings from NBCUniversal-parent Comcast, Qualcomm and Advanced Micro Devices. Comcast shares rose 3.9 percent — leading Disney shares higher by 2.1 percent — while Qualcomm and Advanced Micro Devices jumped 7 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively, on better-than-expected earnings.
European markets closed higher Thursday, as concerns over rising trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe showed signs of easing.The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally 0.87 percent higher with almost every sector in positive territory. The German DAX was the best performing market, up by 1.83 percent. Autos stocks were the best performers, up 2.58 percent. This followed news that while both sides of the Atlantic are to work to reduce their trade differences.
Airbus rose 4.5 percent after reporting that its second-quarter profit more than doubled. CEO Tom Enders said that he was not seeking a merger of the combat jet activities with BAE Systems.
The European Central Bank has decided to keep interest rates on hold. The euro moved slightly lower against the dollar following the decision. ECB President Mario Draghi said at a press conference following the decision that the euro area economy would continue to need "significant monetary policy stimulus."
Source: CNBC