SERBIA:

JMBN: State considering sale of Jubmes Bank shares – Thirty-day deadline for expression of interest
In the capacity of the representative of the state as a shareholder in Jubmes Bank (JMBN) in Belgrade, the Ministry of Finance of Serbia has initiated market research related to the sale of the state-owned shares of the bank. As stated on the site of the Ministry of Finance, the aim is to estimate the public interest of potential investors in a potential transaction and the terms of the sale of 58,287 regular shares with voting rights that the state owns in Jubmes Bank. Potential investors, the ministry says, should submit their statements of interest within 30 days, following which they will be sent “a set of relevant data on Jubmes Bank”.
Source: Ekapija

Proposal on new IMF arrangement expected in June
Serbian Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic said he expects the proposal of the new arrangement with the International Monetary Fund to be announced in mid-May or June. It is almost certain that the new agreement will be a tool for coordination of economic policies and reforms The field of cooperation will remain the same, namely the maintenance of macroeconomic and fiscal stability already achieved and further support for reforms, Vujovic told Blic.
Source: politikaonline

CEFTA is in serious crisis, Serbian minister says
CEFTA (the Central European Free Trade Agreement) is in a serious crisis, while the idea of economically connecting the region is on ‘shaky legs’ due to frequent unilateral, provocative decisions made by certain regional governments and the introduction of non-customs barriers in trading with Serbia. The latest such case is a flour dispute between Serbia and Macedonia. The Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajic has said that Serbia would start implementing a set of countermeasures against Macedonia if Macedonia fails to find a solution for the import of Serbian flour by 14th April.
Source: Serbiamonitor

REGION:

SBITOP gained 0.53 percent
SBITOP reached 828.03 points gaining 0.53 percent. The most traded stocks of the day were the stocks of Zavarovalnica Triglav (526,33 thousand in volume) and SavaRe (261,93 thousand in volume). The biggest gainers of the day were Intereuropa (+4%), Gorenje (+2.71%) and Zavarovalncia Triglav (+1.85%)
Source: Ilrika

Slovenia Trade Surplus Widens Sharply in February
Slovenian trade surplus increased to EUR 42.7 million in February of 2018 from EUR 7.3 million in the same month of the previous year. It was the second largest trade surplus for a February month in the last ten years. Exports surged 11.5 percent to EUR 2368.1 million, with sales to non-EU countries rising 16.9 percent and those to the EU increasing 10 percent. Meantime, imports advanced at a slower 9.8 percent to EUR 2325.4 million, driven by purchases from both countries outside the EU (21.1 percent) and the ones from the EU (7.3 percent). Considering the first two months of 2018, the trade surplus amounted to EUR 44.6 million, as shipments grew 11.7 percent to EUR 4723.3 million and imports rose 11.1 percent to EUR 4679 million. Balance of Trade in Slovenia averaged -68.39 EUR Million from 1992 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 215.54 EUR Million in September of 2017 and a record low of -325.01 EUR Million in August of 2008.
Source: TA

INO:

Dow's 400-point rally is nearly erased in final hour on report of FBI raid of Trump's lawyer, European markets in light gains, Deutsche Bank up 1.2% after management reshuffle
Stocks closed well off their session highs on Monday as shares of Amazon and Boeing rolled over. Traders said a report that FBI officers had raided the office of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer also fueled the late-day decline. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46.34 points to 23,979.10, with Merck and Intel as the best-performing stocks in the index. The S&P 500 gained 0.3 percent to close at 2,613.16, with tech surging 0.8 percent. The Nasdaq composite advanced 0.5 percent to 6,950.34.
In corporate news, Merck rose more than 6 percent after a committee determined Keytruda has helped previously untreated lung cancer patients live longer. Facebook climbed 1.3 percent ahead of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony on Tuesday regarding the data scandal involving firm Cambridge Analytica.
European equities closed higher by a small margin on Monday afternoon as concerns over a trade war between China and the U.S. dissipated slightly ahead of a key speech Tuesday. The pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered close to the flat line, closing just 0.06 percent higher with sectors moving in different directions. It had been trading higher earlier in the day.
Looking across the European benchmark, Portuguese company EDP closed up 3.2 percent, making it Monday's second best performing stock. This followed reports that French utility firm Engie is looking at bidding for EDP.
Glencore, on the other hand, tumbled during Monday's trade, closing down 3.4 percent. But, the U.K.-Swiss mining firm had pared back losses from hours earlier given that it was down by 5.2 percent mid-afternoon. The drop came after the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Russia's Rusal. Glencore owns 8.75 percent of the Russian aluminum company.
In other corporate news, Adidas is reportedly closing down some stores in the coming years as it boosts its online presence, the Financial Times reported. The stock swung throughout the day's trading, closing 0.5 percent in the red.
Source: CNBC, Ilirika