News archives:May 2008
Certified Quality
With a 6% year-to-date return (through May 23), iShares MSCI Austria ETF (EWO) is the top-performing iShares European stock ETF thus far in 2008.
But EWO, and the so-called “Alpine Tiger” economy, is no short-term story. The fund also ranks No. 1 among all continental stock ETFs over five years, with a 30.5% annualized return, and No. 2 for three-year returns, at 22.9%.
Argos:Croatian experts, politicians see nuclear power plant in country's future
Experts claim that, with the use of modern technologies, nuclear power-plants are not dangerous facilities, and it is a fact that there have been no nuclear incidents of a more serious nature for about the past 20 years.
Jadis fleuron de l'économie locale, la construction navale croate devra subir une restructuration difficile afin d'affronter le marché sans aide étatique, comme le réclame l'Union européenne, à laquelle la Croatie souhaite adhérer en 2010.
Argos:Une société croate obtient un contrat énergétique de 100 M d'euros en Russie
Une société croate de construction, IGH, a annoncé jeudi avoir remporté, en coopération avec un groupe slovène, Riko, un contrat de 100 millions d'euros pour l'élaboration de plans de construction de dix centrales hydroélectriques en Russie.
Argos:The Balkans: Eastern Europe's new emerging market
Business intelligence is confidential by definition and our business intelligence service Argos never see any report that encounters exactly to your needs.
Argos:Good headway being made on entrepreneurship key competence
The ETF has just completed an interim assessment of the EU’s pre-accession countries’ performance on the human resource dimensions of the European Charter for Small Enterprise. Five countries in particular stand out for their efforts in promoting entrepreneurship as a key competence.
Argos:IRS targets 750m-euro turnover in 3 years
International Railway Systems (IRS) group, controlled by businessman Cristian Burci, forecasts turnover worth 750m euros by 2011, approximately double the level reached last year, amid the rising demand for carriages and prolific output from its main plants - Astra Vagoane, Meva and Romvag.
Argos:G4S buys market leader in Serbia
Group 4 and Securicor security firm G4S continued its international expansion with the acquisition of a Serbian security company.
Argos:Croatia:Agrokor to invest EUR 200 M in export products
Agrokor, Croatia's largest food manufacturer and retailer, would invest EUR 200 million in export products over the next three years, said President of the Agrokor concern Ivica Todoric. Todoric said Croatia has the capacity to produce enough food for its own needs, but it also has the potential for export. Though, this requires major investments, Agrokor Head said.
Argos:Enjoy a taste of Croatia in Fremantle
The 13th Annual Croatian Food Festival will be held at the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle’s Atrium Garden Restaurant between June 13 and 22.
Argos:VIP Macedonia partners with Vodafone
Macedonian mobile operator VIP has signed a strategic partnership with Vodafone, which will see the two operators jointly offer new products and services in Macedonia.
Argos:Croat Podravka changes management to boost profits
Croatia's leading food manufacturer Podravka PODR.ZA will get new management in the coming months whose main goal will be to boost profitability, Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec said on Tuesday. (...)
Argos:Slovenia: Luka Koper Q1 net profit up 33% on year
Koper, 16 May (STA) - The Luka Koper group, centred around the port operator of the same name, boosted its Q1 revenues by 15% to EUR 36.1m year-on-year. The company's net profit stood at EUR 8.4m in the first three months of 2008, up 33% over Q1 last year.
Argos:How Hvar got hip
Stylish hotels have never been Croatia's strong point but one island has given its accommodation a radical makeover. Annabelle Thorpe reports
Argos:Croatia: EBRD Factsheet Report
Croatia - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - factsheet Report - concetrates on privatisation in Croatia, regional expansion of local corporates, foreign direct investment, property and tourism, and municipal and environmental infrastructure.
Argos:Bosnia to sell majority stakes in BH Telecom, HT Mostar
The government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has decided on the privatisation model for the two state-owned telecom operators.
Argos:Agrokor to invest EUR 50 million into Serbian Dijamant
Croatian Agrokor has invested over EUR 25 million into installations, technology, distribution network and transport department of the Serbian edible oil producer Dijamant over the past two years, since it has become the owner of the company, the Dijamant CEO Zeljko Brozovic made public, adding that the investments planned for the coming period amount to over EUR 50 million.
Argos:ComTrade Group is looking for software acquisition targets in EU newcomers
Jevrosimovic (who runs Comtrade, Serbia's biggest software firm) said ComTrade Group had the potential to grow by 40 percent a year but had been unable to manage more than 25 percent.
Argos:Istambul: 'TTKOM' closes first day with rise
The first day of trading after the initial public offering of 15 percent of the company's shares started with a small ceremony at the bourse, as Paul Doany, chief executive officer of Türk Telekom, struck the gong at the beginning of the session.
Argos:Deutsche Telekom va cogérer OTE avec le gouvernement grec
Après deux mois de négociations, le numéro un européen des télécommunications Deutsche Telekom (DT) a trouvé mercredi un accord avec le gouvernement grec en vue d'une cogestion de l'ancienne compagnie nationale OTE, première du secteur dans les Balkans.
Argos:Monténégro, une étoile montante
«Voyez la beauté à l’état sauvage» (Experience Wild Beauty) est le nouveau slogan touristique du Monténégro.
"Le Groupe Desgagnés a récemment lancé un appel d’offres à la grandeur de la planète pour la construction de son nouveau navire de 80 millions $ qui assurera la desserte maritime de l’île d’Anticosti et de la Basse-Côte-Nord.
Argos:Smurfit Kappa Group: Sale of Associate Interest - DUROPACK
Smurfit Kappa Group plc ('SKG' or the 'Group') (LSE:SKG) (ISE:SK3), one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of paper-based packaging products with operations in Europe and Latin America,
Argos:Deutsche Telekom and the Greek government agree on investment in telecommunications group OTE
Deutsche Telekom has brought its negotiations with the Greek government concerning an investment in the Greek telecommunications company OTE to a successful conclusion.
Argos:Bulgaria Banks in ‘Excellent Condition’
Sofia Bulgaria’s Central Bank insists the First Investment Bank and other Bulgarian banks are in "excellent condition" rejecting rumours they face financial woes.
Argos:Telekom Austria/T1: recul plus fort qu'attendu du bénéfice net (-11,9%)
Vienne (AWP/AFX) - L'opérateur de télécommunications autrichien Telekom Austria a annoncé mercredi une baisse plus importante qu'attendue de son bénéfice net, en chute de 11,9% sur un an au premier trimestre 2008 à 129,7 millions d'euros.
Argos:International operations push up Telekom Austria
Telekom Austria Group has posted a 9.9% increase in first-quarter revenues to EUR1.26 billion (USD1.95 billion) thanks to a strong performance from its international operations and the consolidation of new subsidiaries in Belarus and Austria.
Argos:Hungary MOL seeks upstream, downstream buys - CFO
BUDAPEST, May 15 (Reuters) - Hungarian oil and gas company MOL continues to seek both upstream and downstream acquisitions and besides Croatia's INA it is looking for downstream buys in Italy, Chief Financial Officer Jozsef Molnar said.
Argos:Croatia Will Build 996 Kilometres of New Gas Pipelines
Zagreb: Due to a rapid growth in the consumption of gas and with the goal of ensuring the diversification of sources, Croatia needs to build new routes for the supply of the growingly popular source of energy from abroad, the experts participating in a symposium on gas held in Opatija organized by the professional gas association said.
Argos:Belgrade stock markets surge
BELGRADE - Shares on the Belgrade stock exchange, BSE, have rocketed a day after the elections, and by midday, a large number of shares had registered maximum growth of 20 percent.
Argos:Romania Property and Real Estate Roundtable The Way to Financial Success or Crisis?
With some specialists forecasting a constant increase of the GDP over the next five years and the total investments in the economy going from 23.9% of GDP in 2006 to 31.5% of GDP in 2013;
Romania Property & Real Estate Roundtable The Way to Financial Success or Crisis?
With some specialists forecasting a constant increase of the GDP over the next five years and the total investments in the economy going from 23.9% of GDP in 2006 to 31.5% of GDP in 2013; with inflation rate expected to decrease to around 5.9% by the of the year¹s end and the annual unemployment rate remaining at a low level, it looks like Romania has everything going for it.
Argos:Lukoil souhaite ouvrir jusqu'à 100 stations-service en Croatie
Le géant pétrolier russe, Lukoil, qui vient d'acquérir en Croatie une petite compagnie locale, souhaite ouvrir dans ce pays jusqu'à cent pompes à essence dans les cinq prochaines années, a annoncé vendredi dans la presse locale son directeur pour la Croatie, Nikolai Ivcikov.
Argos:Serbia: a memorandum of understanding signed between British Albon, the City of Kragujevac and the Ministry of Economy
"The initial value of the investment will be EUR 40mn, and 420 jobs will be created," the statement said.
Argos:Belgrad - Energy agreement with Russia,
The government unanimously passed the draft bill on the ratification of the energy agreement with Russia, while the draft bill on ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and transitional agreement was adopted by only pro-European ministers, who have a majority in the coalition cabinet of nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
Croatia&Montenegro : Top 10 Emerging Tourism Destinations
Zagreb _ Croatia tops the list of emerging world tourist destinations, according to the Country Brand Index published by the US- based FutureBrand agency.
The top award went to Australia, followed by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, Greece and Japan.
Argos:Romania Aviation Firm Eyed by Buyers
Franco-German concern Eurocopter is still interested in buying Romanian helicopter and light-plane manufacturer IAR Ghimbav, according to the President of the local council.
Argos:FR-Environnement délocalise en Croatie
La société FR-Environnement, spécialisée dans la mise en place de structures portuaires de haut niveau, quitte la ville de Douarnenez.
Argos:TriHolding to kick off Romanian project
Budapest-based real estate developer TriHolding Kft is building an office tower in the business district of Bucharest through a EUR 15 million investment, according to state newswire MTI.
Argos:Croatia Travel: Airline gains Lufthansa assistance
Lufthansa Technik is set to provide component support from Croatia Airlines' Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 fleet, it has revealed.
Argos:Un Consortium de fonds de placements privés achète GTS Central Europe
GTS Central Europe (GTS CE), une filiale de Group Menatep Limited (GML), a vendu la totalité des actions de GTS CE à un consortium de fonds de placements privés, comprenant Columbia Capital, M/C Venture Partners, Innova Capital, HarbourVest Partners, Oak Investment Partners et Bessemer Venture Partners (le Consortium).
Argos:Dell authorises Asbis for Croatia
Hardware giant Dell has named Asbis as an authorised distributor in Croatia. The deal extends Dell’s successful existing distribution relationship with Asbis, which covers Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Belarus, Turkey, Slovenia, Cyprus and the Middle East.
Argos:Private Equity Consortium Acquires GTS Central Europe
GTS Central Europe (GTS CE), a subsidiary of Group Menatep Limited (GML), has sold 100 percent of the shares in GTS CE to a consortium of private equity funds, including Columbia Capital, M/C Venture Partners, Innova Capital, HarbourVest Partners, Oak Investment Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners (the Consortium).
Argos:Turkish companies are the rising stars of corporate governance in emerging Europe. But CEZ remains the one to beat.
Czech energy group CEZ claims the top position in the Euromoney CEE companies poll. This is its third year on top and not likely to be its last.
Argos:Inditex - Après la Croatie, le Monténégro
C'est en Italie que la progression a été la plus spectaculaire avec 98 nouvelles ouvertures concertant toutes les chaînes du groupe espagnol. Mais Inditex a aussi fait son entrée dans quatre nouveaux pays : la Croatie, la Colombie, le Guatémala et Oman.
Argos:Hotels.com continue son expansion à l'Est
Hotels.com, société soeur d'Expedia spécialisée dans la réservation de chambres d'hôtel en ligne, poursuit son développement international.
Argos:Africa Israel unit gets credit for Bulgaria project
Israeli conglomerate Africa Israel Investments (AFIL01.TA: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Sunday its subsidiary AFI Europe signed an accord with Investcredit bank for 59 million euros to finance the Business Park Varna project in Varna, Bulgaria.
Argos:Investors plan to spend on airbase conversion in Hungary
Irish and Hungarian investors plan to spend several hundred million euros to convert a former military airbase in Mezőkövesd (Northeast-Hungary) into a cargo and passenger airport by 2009, project company Fieldstone announced on last Wednesday.
Argos:Serb Tycoon Buys Croatia TV Channels
A Serbian media mogul says he has bought several television channels in Croatia.
