Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

IVANO-FRANKIVSKCEMENT RECEIVES 1.31 BLN IN NET PROFIT IN 2020

PrJSC Ivano-Frankivskcement (Yamnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region) received UAH 1.31 billion in net profit in 2020, which is 60% more than in 2019.
According to the company’s report in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission on the online annual meeting of shareholders on May 20, net earnings per share amounted to UAH 990.18 (versus UAH 618.68 in 2019).
Retained earnings of the company in 2020 increased by 37% compared to the previous year, to UAH 3 billion. Total accounts receivable increased by 56.4%, to UAH 533.5 million, long-term liabilities decreased by 24.7%, to UAH 772.9 million, and current ones by 1%, to UAH 1.27 billion.
Over 2020, the company’s assets increased by 12% and amounted to UAH 5.31 billion.
In addition, the shareholders intend to allocate UAH 215 million to pay dividends from profits for 2018 and 2019, and retain profit received over the last year. It is also planned to terminate the powers of the entire supervisory board of the company.
PrJSC Ivano-Frankivskcement was established in 1999 by transforming Ivano-Frankivsk Cement and Slate Combine, based on the cement plant in 1964. It is engaged in the production of cement, slate, plaster, and gypsum medical bandage. The enterprise exports its products to Romania, Moldova, and Belarus.
The major shareholder of the company for the first quarter of 2020 was CemIn West SA (96.6125%, Geneva, Switzerland). The ultimate beneficiary is Mykola Kruts.
The charter capital totals UAH 133.1 million as of for April 2021.

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EXPERTS EXPECT GDP GROWTH IN UKRAINE BY 4.1% IN 2021

Concorde Capital investment company expects the Ukrainian economy to grow by 4.1% in 2021 with inflation of 8% and an average annual rate of UAH 27.60/$1, according to the company’s updated macroeconomic forecast publon Tuesday.
According to the forecast, at the end of the year the exchange rate will be about UAH 28.20/$1, the current account balance will remain positive – $0.5 billion and reserves will grow to $30.5 billion.
Concorde Capital estimates that GDP fell by 2.7% in the first quarter.
The company also said that the revaluation of the hryvnia stopped due to the increased risk of renewed military aggression, and the same risk led to a further weakening of nonresidents’ interest in the Ukrainian debt market.
Concorde Capital estimates the total need of the state budget for financing at $11.8 billion, of which $4.4 billion will be raised in the domestic market via government bonds, $1.8-4.6 billion from international financial institutions, which forces the country to look for another $5.5-2.8 billion elsewhere.
The company said that as of April 19, net attraction in the government bond market amounted to only UAH 6 billion, although last year the result was even worse – minus UAH 3 billion.
Concorde Capital expects growth to slow down to 3.5% next year, while inflation will drop to 5.5%.

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JKX CUTS AVERAGE DAILY HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION IN Q1

JKX Oil & Gas with assets in Ukraine and Russia in the first quarter of 2021 reduced the average daily production of hydrocarbons by 17% compared to the first quarter of 2020, to 9,177 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), the company said on the London Stock Exchange website on Wednesday.
Production in Ukraine fell by 28%, to 3,843 boepd, including gas production by 28%, to 517,000 cubic meters per day (Mcmd), while oil and condensate by 31%, to 799,000 boepd.
Production of hydrocarbons in the Russian Federation decreased by 5% and amounted to 5,334 boepd, including gas production by 5%, to 869,000 cubic meters per day, and condensate by 11%, to 61 boepd.
JKX indicates that compared to the previous quarter, production decreased by 7%, including in Ukraine by 12% and in Russia by 3%. In particular, gas production in Ukraine decreased by 13%, oil and condensate by 8%.
The company explained the reduction in production in Ukraine due to no drilling activity taking place in the first quarter of 2021 and the loss of IG142 will which produced an average of 321 boepd before it stopped producing in the middle of February. JKX clarified that the drilling rig has remained on free of charge standby with the drilling of IG149 commencing on April 9.
The company also indicated that compared to the first quarter of 2020, the average gas price in Ukraine jumped by 43%, to $214 per 1,000 cubic meters (compared to the fourth quarter, the growth was 27%), for oil and condensate by 22%, to $60 per barrel (an increase of 22% compared to the fourth quarter).
The situation was worse in Russia, where the price of gas fell by 7% year-on-year to $52 per 1,000 cubic meters (although by the fourth quarter it grew by 4%).
The company’s cash and cash equivalents were $28.4 million at the end of March, compared with $24.3 million a quarter earlier. In addition, JKX possessed oil and gas reserves of the Ukrainian subsidiary Poltava Petroleum Company (PPC) in the amount of $2.9 million (a quarter earlier – $2.2 million), which is 1.6 million cubic meters and 38,400 barrels of oil and condensate.
JKX Oil & Gas is engaged in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Poltava Petroleum Company, owned by JKX, is one of the largest non-state oil and gas companies in Ukraine. It holds five production licenses and one for geological exploration, including pilot production.

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RATIO OF FERTILITY AND MORTALITY BY REGION IN JAN 2021

Ratio of fertility and mortality by region in jan 2021

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NORTH MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT UKRAINE

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani during a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday expressed North Macedonia’s solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian escalation.
According to the MFA website, the head of the North Macedonian Foreign Ministry confirmed strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders, including Crimea as an integral part of Ukrainian territory.
Bujar Osmani confirmed his readiness to visit Ukraine in the second half of 2021 at the invitation of Kuleba.
The interlocutors also paid attention to the preparation of celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.

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HEALTH MINISTRY: UKRAINE PASSES PEAK OF THIRD CORONAVIRUS WAVE

Ukraine has passed the peak of the third coronavirus (COVID-19) wave, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said.
“The height of infections is now over. We saw nearly 13,500 fewer cases over the past week than we did the week before. The same happened to hospitalizations, which reduced by 3,500,” Stepanov said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.
There are 12 regions in the red zone, the minister said, adding that the situation had been the most difficult in Kyiv (about 75% of hospital beds with oxygen supply are occupied), as well as Kyiv region (70%), Odesa region (73%), Sumy region (69.5%), Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.

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