Western Balkans citizens legally resident in EU equal to 14% of region’s population
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has stripped Belarus of the right to hold the World Championship this year
Alexei Navalny arrested on arrival as he returns home
LONG READ: The oligarch problem
Russia's National Welfare Fund accounts for almost 12% of GDP
Police arresting activists ahead of Saturday’s demonstration in support of Navalny
Biden seeking a five-year extension to START II missile treaty
Russian consumer confidence index drops q/q, y/y in 4Q20
Western Balkans and Ukraine urged to scrutinise coal subsidies
Oligarchs trying to derail Ukraine’s privatisation programme, warns the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund
Private finance mobilised by development banks up 9% to $175bn in 2019
VISEGRAD BLOG: Central Europe's populists need a new strategy for Biden
OUTLOOK 2021 Lithuania
EBRD says loan to Estonia’s controversial Porto Franco project was never disbursed
Czech MPs pass protectionist food law in violation of EU rules
M&A in Central and Eastern Europe fell 16% in value in 2020, says CMS report
Hungarian vehicle makers hit by supply chain shortage
COVID-19 and Trump’s indifference helped human rights abusers in 2020
OUTLOOK 2021 Poland
OUTLOOK 2021 Slovakia
BRICKS & MORTAR: Rosier future beckons for CEE retailers after year of change and disruption
FDI inflows to CEE down 58% in 1H20 but rebound expected
Albania needs reforms for e-commerce to thrive, says World Bank
BALKAN BLOG: US approach to switch from quick-fix dealmaking to experience and cooperation
Corona-induced slump in global clothing sector dragged down Albania’s 2020 exports
Bosnia's exports in 2020 amounted to BAM10.5bn, trade deficit to BAM6.3bn
Bulgaria's Biodit first company to IPO on new BEAM market
Bulgaria’s government considers gradual easing of COVID-related restrictions
Sofia-based LAUNCHub Ventures holds first close of new fund on €44mn
Spring lockdown caused spike in online transactions in Croatia
ING: Growth in the Balkans: from zero to hero again?
Labour demand down 28% y/y in Croatia in 2020
EBRD investments reach record €11bn in pandemic-struck 2020
OUTLOOK 2021 Moldova
Storming parliaments: New Europe's greatest hits
World Bank revises projection for Moldova’s 2020 GDP decline to 7.2%
Montenegrins say state administration is most corrupt institution
North Macedonia plans to cut personal income tax in IT sector to zero in 2023
Romania government to pursue “ambitious” timetable for justice reforms
OUTLOOK 2021 Romania
OUTLOOK 2021 Slovenia
Slovenia’s opposition files no-confidence motion against Jansa cabinet
Slovenia’s government to release funds to news agency STA after EU pressure
UK Moneyhub picks Slovenia for post-Brexit European base
D’S Damat franchise deals ‘show Turkey’s hard-pressed mall operators becoming their own tenants’
Turkey’s benchmark rate held as concerns over faltering recovery come to fore
Turkish lira breaches HSBC’s stop-loss, Turkey ETF signalling outflows
CAUCASUS BLOG : What can Biden offer the Caucasus and Stans, all but forgotten about by Trump?
Armenia ‘to extend life of its 1970s Metsamor nuclear power plant after 2026’
OUTLOOK 2021 Armenia
COMMENT: Record high debt levels will slow post-coronavirus recovery, threaten some countries' financial stability, says IIF
OUTLOOK 2021 Georgia
Iran’s Khamenei menaces private citizen Trump with image of aircraft shadowing blond golfer
Iran’s technology minister indicted for failing to properly implement internet censorship
No US move to rejoin Iran nuclear deal imminent, say Biden national security nominees
TEHRAN BLOG: Will Biden bet on a quick return to the Iran nuclear deal?
Central Asia vaccination plans underwhelm, but governments look unruffled
Fears of authoritarianism as Kyrgyz populist wins landslide and backing for ‘Khanstitution’
Mongolia's PM quits amid protests over treatment of mother with coronavirus and newborn baby
Mongolia's winter dzud set to be one of most extreme on record says Red Cross
Mongolian coal exports to China paralysed as Beijing demands virus testing of truck drivers
Mongolia fears economic damage as country faces up to its first local transmissions of coronavirus
OUTLOOK 2021 Tajikistan
OUTLOOK 2021 Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: How the Grinch stole New Year
COMMENT: Uzbekistan is being transformed, but where are the democratic reforms?
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Russia's National Welfare Fund accounts for almost 12% of GDP.
Both imports and exports fell during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, with the steepest y/y declines in April and May.
Rosstat has published its quarterly consumer confidence index (CCI), which showed a q/q and y/y deterioration. The index fell to -26% in 4Q20 vs. -22% in 3Q20, whereas the level a year ago was -13%.
Bank loses nominal 1.9% on short USD/TRY position.
2.4mn people from the Western Balkans have residence permits for EU countries including 868,000 Albanians – over 30% of the country’s 2.8mn population, shows Eurostat data.
Albania’s exports fell by 9.0% in 2020, with the biggest negative contribution coming from the textiles and footwear sector.
Higher borrowing by the governments of Bosnia’s two entities pushed up turnover — mainly trading in government bonds and T-bills — on the Sarajevo and Banja Luka exchanges, but the main indexes dropped.
Romania's construction work index increased by 7.8% y/y in November, a robust growth yet slower than in previous months of the year.
Support for EU accession has increase significantly compared to 2019 when about 66% of citizens were in favour shows survey commissioned by EU delegation to Montenegro.
Confidence remains low compared to 2019, but current volume of production orders and expectations for coming months are more favourable than in November.
Romania's industrial production index edged down by 0.6% m/m in November after six months of recovery.
Strongest drop in demand was in the service sector, but partly offset by higher demand for occupations related to the pandemic and post-earthquake reconstruction.
The net international reserves of Ukraine as of January 1 amounted to $18.1bn, which is 19% more than at the beginning of December 2020 ($15.2bn), Head of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Bohdan Danylyshyn said.
Epidemiological situation was among the worst in the euro area in the fourth quarter and required a tightening of restrictive measures, which led to another severe drop in economic activity, the Bank of Slovenia said.
Russia’s Watcom shopping index, which measures foot traffic in Moscow’s major shopping malls, recovered some of the ground lost after the second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic started, but it is still down by half on last year.
Belarusian residents withdrew $1.9bn in dollars from banks during 2020, with $1.4bn being withdrawn in August alone at the start of the mass protests following the disputed August 9 presidential election, the Ministry of Finance said.
Romania’s imports have decreased at a slower rate compared to exports since the crisis emerged in early 2020, but the foreign trade gap has continued to widen.
The blue-chip BET index topped 10,000 points again, after the upward trend at the beginning of last year was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual fall in November was due to plunging food and motor fuels sales, but retail turnover inched up compared to October.
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