SERBIA:

GDP grows by 4.2% in January, PM says
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic says that 2018 is off to a very good start and that, according to the processed data, the growth of the gross domestic product amounted to 4.2% in January. The first quarter ends in March, and we have precise data from January 2018 for now. We are off to a very good start, which sets new expectations before us – Brnabic told TV Pink. She reminded that a growth of the GDP by 3.5% was planned for 2018.
Source: Ekapija

ENHL: EP Entel contracts new jobs worth EUR 6.7 million
EP Entel, a dependent company of Energoprojekt Holding (ENHL), announced that it had contracted important new consulting jobs in Serbia and the UAE, worth EUR 6.7 million, in the first quarter of 2018. In Serbia, a contract on the provision of consulting services in the construction of a new CHP facility within the Pancevo Refinery was signed with the investor Shanghai Electric Europa. In the UAE, agreements on the provision of consulting services for 32/33/11kV, 132/11kV and 33/11kV substations, with accompanying power lines and cables, as well as consulting services for three 132/11kV substations, were signed with the investor Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA), Meraas Development. The deadline period for the realization of the projects is 48 months, the company announced through the Belgrade Stock Exchange.
Source: Ekapija, Belex

Serbia and Japan continue cooperation in energy – Mining and geology in focus as well
Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Aleksandar Antic and the newly appointed ambassador of Japan to Serbia, Junichi Maruyama, agreed that the cooperation of the Government of Serbia and Japanese companies in the field of energy projects had been very successful, as reported on the government's official site. They agreed that the realization of the project of the construction of the TENT A desulfuring facility in cooperation with the Japanese agency JICA was being carried out according to plan and that it could serve as an example of good practice for future cooperation and give a significant contribution to environmental protection in Serbia. Ambassador Maruyama said that he was satisfied with the cooperation and expressed the intention to have the cooperation intensify in the field of energy efficiency, but also in mining and geology, says the announcement by the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
Source: Ekapija

REGION:

SBITOP extends it advance
SBITOP gained 0.21 percent yesterday, reaching 825pts. Gorenje was the most traded stock with EUR 76ths in volume, while it jumped 3.57% and it was also a top gainer of the day. The jump probably arrived on the back or recent news flow on expected acquisition process. Other major gainers were SavaRe and Triglav, since they jumped 1.1% and 0.63% respectively. Top losers were Unior Zrece and Salus as they faced 2.9% and 2.8% decline, respectively.
Source: Ilirika

INO:

Dow closes 115 points higher, but broader market struggles as trade war fears linger, European equities finish on a high note amid strong earnings
The Dow Jones industrial average rose on Thursday, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite closed lower as investors assessed the possibility of a trade war. Dow was up 0.47%, but S&P500 and Nasdaq lost 0.08% and 0.2%, respectively. Investors worry that other countries could retaliate by implementing their own tariffs on U.S.-made goods and sparking a trade war. This would hurt companies who do business overseas, especially large multinationals like Boeing.
In corporate news, Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the previous quarter. The company's stock rose 2.5 percent on the back of the news. Walmart, meanwhile, slipped 0.2 percent amid reports that a former executive is suing the company, alleging unlawful conduct in its e-commerce business.
Earnings gave markets a boost during the course of Europe's trade. The pan-European STOXX 600 provisionally closed up 0.52 percent, with almost all of the region's sectors ending the session higher.
Insurance was the top performing sector Thursday, closing up 1.58 percent, on the back of earnings news. Generali shot up to the top of the sector, popping 2.5 percent after announcing an increase in its dividend and posting a record annual operating profit. Munich Re also rose 2.78 percent after the insurer raised its profit forecast for this year and announced a 1 billion euro ($1.24 billion) share buyback.
Lufthansa said Thursday that higher fuel prices are set to impact its earnings in 2018, which sent the stock 1.4 percent lower in early trade. But it recovered during trade to close up 2.5 percent. H&M missed market expectations once again by reporting lower sales in the first quarter. The stock slipped 3.3 percent.
Source: CNBC, Ilirka