The stock indices of the largest countries in the Asia-Pacific region are rising on Thursday, with the exception of the South Korean stock market.
Investor sentiment was supported by the news that the US House of Representatives had overwhelmingly approved a bill on the debt ceiling, as well as strong statistics.
China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), calculated by Caixin Media and S&P Global, rose to 50.9 points in May, up from 49.5 points a month earlier. This came as a surprise to analysts, who had not expected any change in the indicator. The value of the indicator above the 50-point mark indicates an increase in activity in the industrial sector, while below it indicates a decline.
The Chinese Shanghai Composite index by 8:33 a.m. increased by 0.4%, the Hong Kong Hang Seng by 1%.
On the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the most significant increase is shown by the shares of Internet companies Meituan, Baidu Inc. and Tencent – by 6.1%, 4.7% and 4.1%, respectively, retailer JD.com Inc. by 5.3%, and oil company PetroChina Co. by 3.2%.
Meanwhile, the securities of developers Longfor Group Holdings Ltd. and Country Garden Holdings are falling in price – by 2.3% and 1.4%, respectively.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index was up 0.7% by 8:29 a.m. on Thursday.
Among the leaders of the growth of quotations are shares of investment and technology SoftBank Group (+4.7%), electric power Tokyo Electric Power Co. (+3.7%), Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (+3.5%).
Also rising in price are the shares of technology companies Renesas Electronics (+4%) and Advantest Corp. (+0.3%), consumer electronics manufacturer Sony (+0.5%), automotive Toyota Motor (+0.7%), and game console manufacturer Nintendo (+1.7%).
The Australian S&P/ASX 200 index added 0.3% by 8:29 a.m.
The capitalization of the world’s largest mining company BHP decreased by 0.1%, while the value of rival Rio Tinto increased by a similar amount.
The South Korean Kospi index has fallen by 0.2% since the start of the trading session.
Share prices of one of the world’s largest chip and electronics manufacturers, Samsung Electronics Co. fell by 0.3%, and automaker Hyundai Motor – by 1%.
During an X-ray examination of the mid-18th century Pokrova icon from the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral, Dobrobut doctors helped to discover the oldest image of the outstanding cultural and religious figure of the 17th and 18th centuries, St. Raphael Zaborovsky, painted by his contemporary.
According to a press release from the Dobrobut network, the X-ray examination was conducted at the invitation of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv” at the Dobrobut Medical and Diagnostic Center.
Employees of St. Sophia of Kyiv asked Dobrobut to conduct an X-ray analysis of the ancient icon and help find out when the image of Raphael Zaborovsky appeared on it. Last year, scientists of the Sophia Reserve discovered the relics of Zaborovsky in the dungeons of St. Sophia Cathedral. It was believed that they were burned under Soviet rule. After this discovery, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine proclaimed Raphael a saint on March 28, 2023.
The researchers assumed that the icon of the Intercession in the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral depicts the image of Metropolitan Raphael: according to their assumptions, it must be the oldest icon with his portrait. However, the researchers of the reserve had serious evidence in favor of the fact that the icon was rewritten in the nineteenth century.
The study, conducted by Valeriia Semenenko, head of Dobrobut’s radiology department, found that the image of Raphael Zaborovsky was on the icon from the very beginning, from the middle of the eighteenth century, and the icon itself was not partially but completely rewritten in the nineteenth century – the plot changed, new characters were added to the image on top of the old ones.
“The X-ray study of the Intercession Icon, conducted by the head of Dobrobut’s X-ray department, allowed scientists and restorers of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv” to see for the first time the true “face” of the unique mid-eighteenth-century St. Sophia Intercession Icon, which everyone can see in the iconostasis of St. Sophia Cathedral,” said Ihor Netudyhatkin, PhD in History, Head of the Sophia Museum Department of the National Conservation Area of St. Sophia of Kyiv.
Metropolitan Raphael’s activity and active assistance helped to build the bell tower of the Kyiv Cave Monastery, St. Andrew’s Church, the architectural ensemble of the 18th century Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Catherine Monastery in Podil, the bell tower and walls of St. Sophia and St. Sophia Cathedral, and the gilded iconostasis of the millennial church.
“Dobrobut is one of Ukraine’s largest private medical chains. The network includes 17 medical centers in Kyiv and Kyiv region, an emergency service, dentistry and pharmacies. The medical centers of the network provide services for children and adults in more than 75 medical areas. Every year, Dobrobut specialists perform more than 7 thousand surgeries. The network employs more than 2.8 thousand people.
The medical network cooperates with a number of international charitable organizations, including Direct Relief International, Children of War Foundation, International Medical Corps and University of Miami Global Institute, as well as with the charitable foundation of the same name. According to the company, thanks to the activities of Direct Relief International and the Dobrobut Foundation, the Dobrobut Medical and Diagnostic Center provides free medical care to wounded soldiers and people in difficult situations due to the war.
According to the company, Dobrobut became the first private healthcare network in Ukraine to receive funding from the U.S. federal government: with the support of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the company will build a modern physical rehabilitation center.
The electricity tariff for individual and collective household consumers of 2.64 UAH/kWh including VAT has been set by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from June 1 to December 31, 2023 inclusive.
This is evidenced by the decree published in the Uryadovyi portal № 544 of May 30, 2023, which amended the decree № 483 of June 5, 2019 on the imposition of special duties on the participants of the electric energy market to ensure the public interest in the process of its functioning.
According to the resolution, the tariff is 2.2 UAH/kWh plus VAT 0.44 UAH/kWh.
As reported, at its meeting on May 30, the government set a flat rate for household consumers at 2.64 UAH/kWh plus VAT. Before that the rate was 1.44 UAH/kWh VAT included for monthly consumption of 250 kWh and 1.68 UAH/kWh VAT included for consumption over this figure. Minister of Energy Herman Galushchenko, commenting the decision, pointed out that the second stage of tariff increase is not foreseen yet. At the same time, he noted that the night tariff, which is 50% of the total, and subsidies to citizens remain.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Moldova for the European political summit, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency has reported.
The head of state was one of the first guests of the event, who was personally greeted by Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The leaders held a protocol handshake.
“Today work in Moldova. Participating in the summit of the European political community. Many bilateral meetings. Developing a coalition of fighters and offering a coalition of Patriots. The EU, NATO, the peace formula. All to protect our future,” Zelensky wrote in Telegram.
The European political summit takes place on June 1 in Moldova on the territory of Mimi Castle (Bulboaca district).
Prometey Group within the framework of the leasing program of OTP Bank (Kyiv) purchased Renault Duster cars for its employees, the company said on Facebook.
“Service vehicles contribute to the effective performance of job duties, which is especially relevant for agronomists in the fields, as well as an integral part of the compensation package and a way to motivate the employee,” Prometey noted.
The total volume of the leasing limit, allocated by OTP Bank for the purchases, is $3 million.
The cars were given to the agronomists of the production enterprises of the company LLC “Ukraina”, LLC “Visla” and LLC “Agro Capital Center”.
Prometey Group provides services in storing, processing and logistics of crops. Before the Russian aggression, the holding owned 34 elevators in the Nikolayev, Kirovograd, Kiev, Khmelnitsky, Zaporizhzhya, Sumy, Odessa, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
By the end of 2021, the group planned to receive $45 mln EBITDA, while in 2020 this figure reached $32.6 mln and in 2019 – $30.5 mln.
Kernel Agro Group is completing the construction of Starokonstantinov Oil Extraction Plant (SEP) in Khmelnitsky Oblast, CEO of the agro-holding Evgeniy Osipov said at the Grain Ukraine-2023 international grain conference.
“As early as next year, we will finish the construction of the Starokonstantinovsky Oil Extraction Plant, which will be able to process 1 million tons of sunflower annually,” he said in a statement on the company’s Facebook page on Wednesday.
According to Osipov, Kernel has invested more than $800 million in the Ukrainian market over the past few years.
“Each of our initiatives is implemented with the goal of strengthening the country’s agricultural potential. We must be ready to accept the products of Ukrainian farmers in time. We must provide all necessary services to our agrarians so that they can sell their products, get the necessary resources and invest them into production,” he stressed.
Osipov clarified that “Kernel” intends to increase the volume of processing and production of products with added value. To do this it is important to build effective logistics for the company’s partners to export their products.
“Our task is to increase the efficiency of the business system,” explained the CEO of Kernel.
As reported, in February 2023, “Kernel” acquired the river terminal “Danube Prom Agro” in the Ukrainian port of Reni on the Danube.
Kernel Agro Holding before the war was the world’s number one producer of sunflower oil (about 7% of world production) and its exports (about 12%). The company is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. Kernel is also involved in crop growing and sales of agricultural products.
The largest co-owner of Kernel, through Namsen Ltd. – Ukrainian businessman Andrei Verevskyi, with a 41.3% stake, has recently proposed Kernel’s delisting from the Warsaw Stock Exchange and a buyout of its shares from other shareholders.
For the first half of fiscal 2023 (FY, July-December 2022), Kernel cut its net profit by 12.6% YoY to $370.3
