INO:

S&P 500 tops 3,300 for the first time as stocks surge on strong earnings and data; European stocks close higher after signing of partial US-China deal

Stocks rose on Thursday to fresh record highs after Morgan Stanley reported quarterly figures that easily topped analyst expectations while investors digested solid data on the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 jumped 0.8% to 3,316.81, breaking above 3,300 for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 267.42 points, or 0.9% to close at 29,297.64. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.1% to 9,357.13 as Microsoft hit record levels while Google-parent Alphabet’s market cap topped $1 trillion for the first time.
Morgan Stanley’s three main businesses — investment management, wealth management and trading — all produced more revenue than expected in the previous quarter. The company’s stock jumped more than 6.5%.
Strong economic data also lifted sentiment on Wall Street. Weekly jobless claims unexpectedly dropped by 10,000 to 204,000. Economists polled by Reuters expected a print of 216,000. Meanwhile, retail sales climbed by 0.3% in December, matching expectations.
European stocks closed higher Thursday as investors reacted to the signing of a partial trade deal between the U.S. and China.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed provisionally up by 0.2%. Utilities shares were the biggest gainers, climbing 0.9%, while autos stocks slipped 0.9%.
Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer told Reuters on Wednesday that the world’s largest planemaker sees enough demand for its wide-bodied A330neo passenger jet to retain stable production levels.
Source: CNBC

SERBIA:

ENHL: Energoprojekt targets EUR 273m in consolidated sales for 2020, with EUR 18m in pre-tax profit

Energoprojekt came out with a notification, where it sad it plans to achieve EUR 273m in consolidated sales in 2020, which is probably higher vs. 2019 level by even 30%. Pre-tax profit in 2020 is seen at EUR 18m – this is almost doubled vs. 2018 and probably doubled vs. 2019. The company’s mid-term plan assumes consolidated sales at over EUR 300m until 2024, with 3-4% net profit margin in the period. The same report says 2019. figures will be in line with planned, while earlier projection were not disclosed.
Source: Belex, Ilirika

Fiscal Council agrees with IMF recommendation

Fiscal Council President Pavle Petrovic says an IMF recommendation that the number of acting directors at the helm of Serbian public enterprises be reduced is completely natural and expected. "In order to reform and restructure those enterprises and make them more efficient, to enable them to be the drivers of economic growth, they need to have professional management," Petrovic has told Tanjug, adding that the Fiscal Council itself believed directors of public enterprises must be selected in open competitions and that the main criterion should be professional qualifications, rather than affiliation with a political party.
Source: Tanjug

EBRD u 2019. investirala u Srbiji 516 mil EUR

Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj (EBRD) saopštila je da je u 2019. godine u Srbiji investirala rekordnih 516 mil EUR, čime je povećala podršku privatnom sektoru i "zelenoj ekonomiji". EBRD je potpisala više od 20 novih projekata tokom protekle godine i registrovala najveći obim ulaganja u Srbiji od kada je ona 2001. godine postala članica EBRD, navodi se u saopštenju. Dodaje se da podsticanje konkurentnosti privatnog sektora, podržavanje ekoloških i infrastrukturnih projekata i investicija u energetsku efikasnost i čistu energiju ostaju ključni prioriteti EBRD u Srbiji.
Source: Ekapija