SERBIA:

Serbia still among medium business risk countries according to D&B – Direct foreign investments increase by 12.9%
The credit rating house Dun & Bradstreet announced on February 6 that it still placed Serbia within the group of countries with a moderate risk of doing business and a stable rating and added that it was praiseworthy that direct investments in the country had increased by 12.9% y/y. Of the countries in the region, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Albania and Romania belong to the same group. Slovenia, which is characterized as a medium risk country, is the only country in the region to get a better rating. Of the said countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a high risk country, rates lower than Serbia.
Source: Ekapija

Region has "underdeveloped basic public infrastructure"
A regionally coordinated public infrastructure push and better management of projects could significantly increase per capita income in the Western Balkans. This is according to the European Department of the International Monetary Fund's new report, cited by Tanjug. "The long-term gain of real GDP per person could be as high as a 3-4 percentage points," says the analysis, written by Ruben Atoyan and Dora Benedek. Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have underdeveloped transportation, energy and telecommunications networks compared to the EU average. The Western Balkans are behind the European average where supporting economic development with adequate infrastructure is concerned, a statement, cited by Beta, said.
Source: b92

Belgrade Stock Exchange to launch crowdfunding platform by late March
By the end of March, the Belgrade Stock Exchange will offer a crowdfunding platform in the Serbian market, a unique kind of market for financing startups and micro, small and medium enterprises in cooperation with one of the leading platforms of that kind in the world. The director of the Belgrade Stock Exchange, Sinisa Krneta, told Beta that they thereby aimed to provide funds for further growth and development to young innovative companies and beginners.
Source: Ekapija, Belex

REGION:

SBITOP index gained 1.84 percent
Slovenian blue-chip index gained 1,84 percent on Monday trading day, reaching 818,32 points. The stock that recovered the most after the correction were the stocks of SavaRe, which gained 4.29 percent. Stocks that gained in value were also the stocks of Krka (+3.57%), Petrol (+2.64 %), Luka Koper (+1.65%) and Telekom Slovenija (+0.23%). Stocks that lost the most were the stocks of Cinkarna Celje (-1.94%), Zavarovalnica Triglav (-0.99%) and Intereuropa (-0.99%).
Source: Ilirika

The value of industrial production in December 2017 at the annual level is higher by 12.2%
Industrial activity in December 2017 increased by 2.7% at the monthly level and by 12.2% at the annual level. At the annual level industrial activity increased in manufacturing (by 13.3%) and decreased in mining and quarrying (by 3.1%) and in electricity, gas and steam supply (by 0.6%). In December 2017 the value of industrial production was 32.2% higher than the average of 2010. The largest long-term increase was recorded in high-technology manufacturing, production in December 2017 was 73.6% higher than the 2010 average.
Source: STA

INO:

Dow closes more than 400 points higher after its worst week in 2 years, European stocks end sharply higher as global markets rebound
Wall Street made a strong recovery as investors appeared to take advantage of cheaper stocks following last week’s slump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher at 24,600.58. The S&P 500 closed 1.39% higher, while the Nasdaq Composite closed at 6981, up 1.56%.
Amazon is laying off employees in the "low hundreds" an in effort to shift head count allocation to businesses that are growing. The cuts are focused on Amazon's Seattle headquarters and will affect some workers globally.
There were no major economic data releases on Monday, but investors looked ahead to the release of the latest Consumer Price Index reading. The CPI numbers are scheduled for release Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
European equities finished Monday's session on an upbeat note as global markets bounced back after posting their worst week in years. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed up 1.17 percent provisionally, off session highs, while all major sectors posted solid gains.
Chemicals was one of the top performing sectors Monday, closing up 1.56 percent — after several rating upgrades boosted sector sentiment. Basic resources and energy stocks also jumped, on the back of a strong uptick in commodity prices, as global markets showed signs of steadying. London-listed miners, including Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, rose 2 percent each or more, as some metal prices ticked higher.
Shares of Danish operator TDC soared 13.4 percent, making it the STOXX 600's top performer, after confirming that a consortium — made up of three Danish pension funds and Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA) — had decided to initiate a takeover offer.
On the earnings front, the Dutch brewery of Heineken, which owns the Slovenian brewery Laško Union, ended in 2017 with a quarter profit higher than in 2016, mainly due to the increased sales of premium beer brands in almost all regions. Net profit was halted at 25.6% growth at 1.93 billion euros.
Source: CNBC, Ilirika