JPMorgan Chase & Co. directly lent around $350 million to the government of Ukraine on March 12, 2019, two weeks before the first round of the presidential election in the cash-strapped country, WSJ has reported, referring to people familiar with the deal.
WSJ said that the bank, declared the only organizer of the additional issue of 10-year loan participation notes (LPNs) of Ukraine, bought them itself, which is not a common practice.
The deal could deliver millions of dollars in gains for JPMorgan, which bought the bonds at a discount.
WSJ said that in the past weeks Ukrainian government officials met with the bond management funds in Miami and New York to unofficially discuss the issue of new LPNs, although investors called to postpone the sale of new LPNs after the election.
In this situation, JPMorgan offered Ukraine to add $350 million in eurobonds maturing in 2028 and sell them privately to the bank, people familiar with the deal told the publication. According to their data, the bank bought bonds at around 98.88 cents on the dollar and has started selling them to bond funds at around 100.50 cents on the dollar. If JPMorgan sells all the bonds at that price, it would make a profit of some $5.7 million on the deal, WSJ said.
According to WSJ, Wall Street firms from time to time made such transactions through the so-called proprietary trading desks before the 2008 financial crisis, but rarely did this later, since the new rules require them to be significantly redundant in such transactions.
Exports of goods from Ukraine in January 2019 from January 2018 grew by 9.2%, to $4.066 billion, while imports increased by a mere 0.7%, to $4.045 billion, the State Statistics Service has reported. According to its data, as a result, the surplus of foreign trade in goods in January of this year amounted to $20.9 million against the deficit of $294.1 million in January 2018.
The State Statistics Service said that in January 2019 compared to December 2018 the seasonally adjusted export volume rose by 6.9%, to $4.373 billion, while imports by 3.8%, to $4.839 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in January 2019 was negative and amounted to $465.9 million, which is better than in December 2018 ($571.5 million).
The service said that foreign trade operations were conducted with partners from 193 countries of the world.
PJSC Kharkiv Biscuit Factory in 2018 saw a 44.5% fall in net profit, reaching UAH 86.8 million.
According to a company report in the information disclosure system of the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market on holding a general meeting of its shareholders scheduled for April 19, the retained earnings in a year came to UAH 1.147 billion (a rise of 8% year-over-year) and assets totaled UAH 1.365 billion (a rise of 5%).
Noncurrent liabilities accounted for UAH 6.2 million (a rise of 19%), current liabilities – UAH 103 million (a fall of 20%) and total receivables – UAH 509.3 million (a rise of 8%).
According to the draft decision of the shareholders, it is planned to send the rest of net profit after making mandatory payments in the amount of UAH 85.1 million to production development.
Kharkiv Biscuit Factory produces flour confectionery. Its annual capacity is around 40,000 tonnes of products.
The enterprise is part of Biscuit-Chocolate Corporation founded in 2004. It also incorporates public joint-stock company Kharkivchanka confectionery factory, Prestige Trade House LLC, public joint-stock company Pervukhinsky sugar refinery, Krasnohradsky Mlyn LLC and public joint-stock company Skovoroda Agrofirm.
Chornomorsk seaport (Odesa region) in January and February 2019 increased cargo handling by 27.32% compared with January and February 2018, to 3.993 million tonnes.
According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, in January and February 2019, Chornomorsk port increased the handling of exported cargo by 42.3%, to 3.311 million tonnes, imported cargo handling fell by 21.2%, to 521,540 tonnes, transit goods handling grew by 5.89%, to 155,900 tonnes, while the port handled 3,710 tonnes of coastal freight (no handling in January and February 2018).
Liquid cargo handling increased by 16.7%, to 269,050 tonnes, dry bulk cargo by 29.42%, to 2.67 million tonnes, packaged goods by 25.07%, to 1.053 million tonnes. Container handling amounted to 20,134 TEU (a decline of 2.97%).
As reported, the volume of transshipment in the port in 2018 rose by 25.02% compared with 2017, to 21.54 million tonnes.
Chornomorsk port is a universal international port, one of the largest on the Black Sea. The enterprise has specialized terminals and complexes, which allow overloading a wide range of goods: liquid, bulk, general. Its 29 berths are capable of receiving ships with a carrying capacity of up to 100,000 tonnes. The annual designed capacity of the port is more than 30 million tonnes.
Ukrainian seaports in January and February 2019 handled 23.129 million tonnes of cargo, which is 12.53% more than a year ago.
The main growth drivers were products of agricultural and metallurgical sectors, containerized cargo, and fertilizers, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said on its website.
According to the authority, in January-February 2019, grain cargo handling was almost 8.5 million tonnes, which is 35.5% more than a year ago. Ore transshipment grew by 25.8%, to 4.6 million tonnes. Vegetable oil handling rose by almost 16%, to over 1 million tonnes. The upward trend for handling containerized cargo is seen: ports handled 20,500 TEU more compared with January-February 2018, the authority said.
Total amount of imported chemical and mineral fertilizers handling over the period came to over 350,000 tonnes, which more than twice more than a year ago.
Exported cargo handling grew by 21.5%, to over 3.2 million tonnes, while imported and transit cargo handling fell by 5% and 24% respectively.
Since the beginning of 2019, Ukrainian seaports handled 1,726 vessels, which are 124 units or 6.7% less than in January and February 2018.
Some 3,159 passengers used services of water transport in the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk over the period.
On March, 16 and 17 the «Kyivan Rus Park» invites to a new program «Warriors of Light». Horse-trick performances and spectacular performances, Slavic amusements and round dances, interesting games and funs will be waiting for the guests. And also: riding purebred horses, tasty dishes prepared on open fire and hot drinks, master-classes, zip-lines, museums, and expositions. And all of these in a real living medieval town!
Ancient Kyiv opens at 10:00. The program starts at 13:30.
The ticket price: a full adult ticket – 170 UAH, for pensioners and students – 150 UAH, for schoolchildren – 60 UAH, for preschool children – for free.
Ancient Kyiv in the «Kyivan Rus Park» is located in Kyiv region, Obukhiv district, the vill. Kopachiv.
Route taxis leave from Kyiv from the «Vydybitchi» metro station.
Details on the website www.parkkyivrus.com
The Interfax subscribers can save money with the “openbusiness-20” promo code for a 20%-discount for a full price adult ticket to the Principality of Kyivan Rus:
– by previous order by tel.: +38 044 461-99-37, +38 050 385-20-35
– or at the cash desk at the entrance to the «Kyivan Rus Park».
