INO:

Dow surges 200 points to a record, led by Apple, as US-Iran tensions decrease; European stocks close higher amid cooling US-Iran tensions

Stocks jumped to record highs on Thursday as tensions between Iran and the U.S. eased for the time being, with tech shares outperforming. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 211.81 points higher, or 0.7% at 28,956.90, inching closer to 29,000. The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to 3,274.70 while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8% to end at 9,203.43.
Apple shares jumped 2.1% to a record high after Chinese government data showed that iPhone sales rose 18% in December in the country.
Goldman Sachs climbed 2.1% to boost the Dow after Bank of America upgraded the bank to buy from neutral, citing an attractive valuation and the benefits of a possible global economic rebound. Boeing, meanwhile, gained 1.5% after President Donald Trump said he doesn’t believe a 737 crash in Iran was due to a mechanical error.
Kohl’s shares dropped 6.5% after issuing earnings guidance to the low end of their fiscal 2019 forecast.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 gained around 0.3% higher at the closing bell, with tech and telecoms stocks adding more than 1% while basic resources slid 0.8%.
As for economic data, German factory output posted its biggest increase in a year and a half in November, rising 1.1% on the month to beat expectations and provide a signal that Europe’s largest economy gained momentum at the end of 2019.
Source: CNBC

SERBIA:

NBS: No Change in Key Policy Rate

At its meeting yesterday, the NBS Executive Board voted to keep the key policy rate unchanged at 2.25%. In making the decision, the Executive Board was guided by the outlook for inflation and other macroeconomic indicators from the domestic and international environment, and past monetary policy easing. Inflation is low and stable for the sixth year in a row. According to the Statistical Office’s estimate, it measured 1.9% y-o-y in December. Inflationary pressures are expected to remain subdued in the coming period as well.
Source: NBS

Agreement signed with Powerchina on construction of Obrenovac-New Belgrade heating pipeline

The year 2020 will be a year of the realization of large ecological projects in Belgrade, as further emphasized by the agreement on the project of the construction of the Obrenovac-New Belgrade heating pipeline, the mayor of Belgrade, Zoran Radojicic, said after the signing of the agreement with the director of the PUE Beogradske Elektrane, Rade Basta, and a representative of the Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA), Yang Bo. The expropriation of land has begun and is expected to be completed in September, when the construction is expected to start as well. The project of the construction of the TENT Obrenovac-New Belgrade Heating Plant heating pipeline is worth EUR 193 million, said the deputy mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesic. More about this can be read in a separate article.
Source: Ekapija

World Bank: Serbia's growth to be at 3.9 pct in 2020, 4 pct in 2021

The World Bank is forecasting Serbia's 2020 GDP growth to be 3.9 pct - or 0.1 pp lower than its projection released last June - but has retained a 4 pct forecast for 2021. In its new Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank revised downwards its growth projection for the Western Balkans by 0.2 pp to 3.6 pct. "In Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Western Balkans, reform momentum has also slowed, with many of these economies falling short of completing the transition to competitive and inclusive markets," says the report, released Thursday.
Source: Tanjug