The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) estimates GDP growth in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the corresponding period of 2018 at 3.5%, according to the NBU’s inflation report. According to the NBU’s forecast, the growth of Ukraine’s GDP in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to the corresponding period of 2018 will be 3.3%.
“According to the NBU’s estimates, in the third quarter of 2019 real GDP growth slowed down (to 3.5% year-on-year) primarily due to weaker indicators of certain basic activities,” the report said.
Thus, according to the central bank, the situation deteriorated in industry, in particular, mining and metallurgy, against the background of the further deterioration of external conditions for exporters. This, in turn, affected the performance of freight transport. The results of financial and insurance activities also weakened, primarily due to a less favorable comparison base.
At the same time, the NBU said agricultural growth rates remained high, they were supported by a significant harvest of late grains and oilseeds, which offset the lower yield of potatoes and fruits.
GDP qrowth in the third quarter was supported by consumer demand amid a significant improvement in consumer sentiment, higher wages, and pensions. This supported high growth in retail and passenger traffic, the report said.
Ukraine has started preparations for shooting a fantasy television series Chasova Varta (Time Watch), which was adapted from a famous Spanish project El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Ministry of Time). The latter’s first two seasons were assigned with high ratings and praised by audiences, while its third season was created jointly with Netflix.
At a press conference hosted by the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine News agency, producer Mykhailo Panchenko announced the launch of the project.
“We are finalizing TV pilot scripts, the shooting of a teaser and the series is at the final stage of pre-production,” Panchenko said.
The project participants said that the TV series will plunge its audience into breathtaking and thrilling dramatic events in the history of Ukraine. Chasova Varta will show the audience adventures of specialists for control over intrusions into various epochs. They will be a sort of defenders of the gate of time.
The TV series Chasova Varta will be created with the assistance of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
Famous scriptwriters and play writers Maksym Kurochkin and Oksana Savchenko along with journalist Vitaliy Portnikov are in the project team.
Portnikov said that the main goal of the project is to attract Ukrainian audience’s interest to its own history through a lively TV series in a popular fantasy genre.
The filmmakers promised that this Ukrainian TV series will grab interest of a wide auditory, including those who love thrilling historical drama and those who prefer popular time travel TV series.
Chasova Varta will be demonstrated all over Ukraine and it is also planned to show the TV series abroad.
The project team includes:
producer Mykhailo Panchenko,
scriptwriters Maksym Kurochkin and Oksana Savchenko,
co-author Vitaliy Portnikov,
directors Roman Sinchuk and Hanna Smoliy,
cameraman Yevhen Kyrei,
artistic director Inha Zhytnia,
costume designers Inha Zhytnia and Danylo Huliayev,
project manager Vitaliy Miroshnykov.
Starring will be Oleksiy Horbunov, Serhiy Syzoniuk, Lesia Nikitiuk, Serhiy Parkhomenko, Liudmyla Mylevych, Oleksandr Kurnosov, and others.
Lifecell mobile operator in July-September 2019 increased its net loss by 82.3% compared to the same period in 2018, to UAH 338.3 million, the company has said.
According to the interim report, the operator’s income in the third quarter increased by 11.8%, to UAH 1.529 billion, EBITDA by 32.9%, to UAH 810.5 million. At the same time, the EBITDA margin increased by 8.4 percentage points, to 53%.
The Lifecell active subscriber base for July-September 2019 decreased by 9.2% compared to the third quarter of 2018 and amounted to 6.9 million users, while the total base by 10.9%, to 9 million.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) of the active subscriber base increased by 26%, to UAH 74.7.
The operator’s capital investments for the specified period amounted to UAH 547.7 million, which is 34.4% less than for the same period in 2018.
Compared to the second quarter of this year, the active subscriber base in the third quarter rose by 100,000 people, revenue by 3.2%, EBITDA by 1.5%, net loss by 15.4%, and capital investments by 56.5%.
DTEK Renewables has commissioned the 240 MW Pokrovska solar plant (Nikopol district, Dnipropetrovsk region).
The press service of the company said Pokrovska solar plant is a project implemented by Ukrainian companies and specialists. Some 16 enterprises took part in the construction, which received orders worth EUR48 million.
Pokrovska solar plant consists of 840,000 solar panels manufactured by Risen (China). It is expected that each year the plant will produce 400 million kWh of “green” electricity, which is enough to provide 200,000 households.
“Pokrovska solar plant is the company’s third project in solar energy, investment in which amounted to EUR193 million,” DTEK CEO Maksym Tymchenko said.
He said that the payback period in current tariffs is estimated at six to six and a half years.
In addition, he said that DTEK plans to implement the project for building the Energy Storage system either at Pokrovska or Nikopol solar station.
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of November 01
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
