SERBIA:

Commission preparing amendment to Law on Protection of Competition
The president of the Commission for Protection of Competition of Serbia, Miloje Obradovic, said on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, that amendments to the Law on protection of Competition were being prepared so that the regulations in this field might be upgraded and harmonized with those in the EU. He said at the conference at which the results of an analysis of the retail sector in Serbia were presented that the amendment pertains to the section of the current law that deals with administrative procedure and court operations.
Source: Ekapija

Serbia's new finance minister vows to cut debt, keep fiscal stability
Serbia's new finance minister, Sinisa Mali, said he will aim to reduce the central government debt-to-GDP ratio to below 50% in 2019. We will have stable public finances but my objective is to ensure money for all development projects, for investments in new infrastructure, new factories, new jobs, reduction of unemployment, Mali said in an interview broadcast live by public television RTS late on Tuesday.
Source: SeeNews

Serbia increasingly interesting to German companies – Investors worried about lack of qualified workforce
German companies in Serbia are facing a lack of qualified workforce more and more, Michael Harms, Managing Director of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, said on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, and pointed out the excellent development of the economic relations of Germany and Serbia, as well as the fact that Serbia was becoming an increasingly interesting location for investments. As part of the visit of the business delegation headed by Harms, the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia) organized a discussion about new challenges in Serbia's further economic development, and Harms announced that the delegation would point to the need for better qualification of workforce in Serbia in talks with representatives of Serbian authorities.
Source: Ekapija

REGION:

Imports to EU from Western Balkans doubled since 2007 – Macedonia realizes biggest share
Imports to the European Union from the countries of the Western Balkans have more than doubled in 10 years, from nine to 20 billion euros, Eurostat reports. The exports have also increased, from EUR 18 billion in 2007 to EUR 29 billion in 2017. Macedonia has the biggest share in the export and the import of products to and from EU members, according to Eurostat. Last year, Macedonia exported 81% of its total exports to the EU, in the amount of EUR 4 billion. Albania follows with EUR 1.6 billion in products exported to the EU, making up 77% of the country's total exports, and the third spot belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose exports to the EU made up 71% of its total exports. The exports of Serbia to the EU amounted to EUR 9.7 billion, making up 68% of its total exports, Eurostat announced.
Source: Ekapija

INO:

Dow jumps more than 300 points after banks rebound, European stocks close slightly higher amid concerns of political turmoil in Italy
U.S. stocks rebounded Wednesday as financial stocks rebounded from steep losses in the prior session and Italian credit fears eased. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 300 points, with Boeing, Chevron and Home Depot leading the blue-chip stocks higher. The S&P 500 added 1.2 percent as a rise in U.S. interest rates ushered financial stocks higher and a rise in oil prices provided relief to a recently battered energy sector. The Nasdaq composite rose nearly 0.9 percent amid gains in Facebook, Intel and Nvidia.
Shares of Target rallied 3.1 percent after Bank of America designated the retailer as one of its top investing ideas.
Meanwhile, shares of Dick's Sporting Goods jumped 26 percent Wednesday after it beat first-quarter expectations and boosted its earnings forecast. The move puts Dick's on track for its best day ever. European markets closed slightly higher Wednesday, as concerns of a political crisis in the euro zone's third-largest economy eased. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally up almost 0.3 percent, with sectors mixed and most major bourses in positive territory.
Looking at individual stocks, Vivendi tumbled close to the bottom of the European benchmark Wednesday after the French media giant lost out on rights to broadcast domestic soccer matches. The setback was thought to highlight the lack of growth prospects for Vivendi's Canal Plus TV arm. Shares of the firm were off more than 3.6 percent on the news.
Meanwhile, Germany's Bayer rose almost 4 percent as traders monitored news that the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the way for approval of its $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto.
Source: CNBC