SERBIA:

Chinese companies looking for partners from Serbia for reconstruction of Belgrade-Budapest railway – Bid submission deadline May 4
The modernization and reconstruction of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, on the section from Belgrade to Stara Pazova, started in late November 2017. The job worth USD 350.1 million was put in charge of China Railways International and China Construction Company, which are now inviting interested companies to submit bids for execution of works under tracks, works on the railway superstructure and the procurement of materials.
Source: Ekapija

Serbs spend three times as much money on food as their European peers
In Serbia, of the total amount of money spent on personal consumption, 34.5% is spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages, while in the EU, this percentage stands at only 12.2%. EU citizens spend most money (a quarter of their monthly earnings) on housing, gas, electricity and water, while their Serbian counterparts spend 17.1% to cover those expenses. At least this was the case last year, when according to the latest data compiled by the State Statistics Office, each household in our country spent 62.275 dinars a month on average.
Source: Serbiamonitor

Dinar to remain stable whole year, Serbian bankers says
The value of the Serbian currency will not change and will stay at around 119 dinars for 1 euro all this year – the banks in Serbia say. They also add that there is a possibility that the euro will appreciate to a maximum of 120 dinars by December, but not more than that. The banks underline that there are small chances that the Serbian currency will continue to appreciate for the second consecutive year, and add that it is encouraging that the dinar will remain at the same level and will not lose its value in 2018.
Source: Serbiamonitor

REGION:

Slovenian SBITOP up 0.19% on Monday
SBITOP index was up 0.19% on Monday, with Petrol company as the most traded name. Petrol delivered EUR 741ths in turnover. Gorenje and Telekom Slovenije were top gainers, since they jumped 1.64% and 0.72%, respectively. Major losers were Intereuropa and Triglav. They declined 1.96% and 0.89%, respectively.
Source: Ilirika

INO:

Dow surges more than 200 points after Syria fears ease, strong earnings, Europe ends in the red as political issues rumble on
U.S. stocks rose on Monday as fears of an escalating conflict in Syria eased for the moment. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 266 points, with Merck leading the 30-stock index higher. The S&P 500 climbed 1 percent, with utilities and telecommunications as the best-performing sectors. The Nasdaq composite advanced 0.8 percent.
Investors also kept an eye on corporate earnings after Bank of America reported better-than-expected quarterly results. The bank's earnings were helped by loan growth and lower corporate taxes. Bank of America shares rose 1.4 percent.
Elsewhere in corporate news, Merck shares popped more than 2 percent after the company said its cancer-treatment drug Keytruda reduced the risk of death in a trial by 51 percent when combined with chemotherapies, versus chemo alone.
In economic news, U.S. retail sales rose 0.6 percent in March, boosted by a 2 percent jump in auto sales.
European stocks finished Monday's trading session in negative territory, as investors kept abreast of the latest in politics, including the fallout from elevated Middle East tensions. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended provisionally down 0.39 percent, with almost all of the region's sectors closing the session lower.
Looking at individual stocks, WPP shares — which have already fallen around 30 percent this year — fell 6.5 percent by Monday's close. The world's biggest advertising agency saw its CEO Martin Sorrell quit on Saturday amid allegations of personal misconduct.
Software slipped over 6 percent, despite the company saying it was more confident on sales prospects for its core database unit over the coming six months, Reuters reported. Credit Suisse and Independent Research also cut their price targets on the stock. The news comes shortly after the company released preliminary results late Friday.
Source: CNBC, Ilirika