Oil prices are rising on Friday after declining the day before. Investors continue to gauge the economic outlook for the U.S. and China, Trading Economics noted.
The cost of July futures for Brent on London’s ICE Futures Exchange is $76.53 a barrel by 8:16 a.m. on Friday, up $0.67 (0.88%) from the previous session’s closing price. Those contracts fell $1.1 (1.4%) to $75.86 a barrel on Thursday.
The price of WTI futures for June oil grew by $0.56 (0.78%) up to $72.42 per barrel at electronic auctions of New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) by that time. At the end of previous session the contracts value has fallen by $0.97 (1.3%) down to $71.86 per barrel.
It has become clear in recent months that trends in the oil market are driven more by concerns about demand than supply, Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management, told MarketWatch.
“In recent days, concerns about banks have given way to concerns about the (U.S. – IF-U) government debt ceiling,” Cieszynski explained. – The approach (of the negotiating parties – IF-U) to reaching an agreement aimed at avoiding a default on U.S. debt has supported stock markets and appears to be providing some support for the oil market as well.”
U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking earlier at the White House, said he was confident that “we will have an agreement and the U.S. will not default.
Insurance Company “Universalna” (Kyiv) collected UAH 335.927 million of gross insurance premiums in January-March 2023, which is 63.7% more than during the same period of 2022, according to the website of rating agency “Standard-Rating”.
This indicates that the agency confirmed the credit rating/rating of financial strength (reliability) of IC “Universalna” at the level “uaAAA” on the national scale, based on the analysis of performance in the specified reporting period.
According to the published data, the revenues from individuals have increased by 72.54% up to UAH 192.742 mln, and from reinsurers – by 23.01%, up to UAH 0.278 mln. Thus physical persons prevail in the client portfolio of the company. At the same time, the largest proportion of premiums (almost 37%) came from voluntary insurance of land transport (except for railway transport).
The premiums sent to reinsurers, in Q1 2023 compared to the same period of 2022 decreased by 4,46% – down to 10,293 million UAH. Therefore, the ratio of reinsurers’ participation in insurance premiums has decreased by 2,19 p.p. – to 3,06%.
Net premiums of the insurer in January-March have increased by 67.50% – up to 325.634 million UAH, and earned premiums have increased by 22.91% – up to 338.852 million UAH.
The volume of insurance payments performed by IC “Universalna” in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022 increased by 37.03% – up to 105,228 million UAH. Given the high growth rate of gross premiums over indemnities and insurance reimbursements, the level of payments has decreased by 6,11 p.p.. – to 31,32%.
Thus, according to the results of the Q1 of 2023 operating profit of the company has amounted to UAH 27,722 mln, that is by 43,38% more than in the Q1 of 2022, and net profit of the insurer has increased in 3,64 times – up to UAH 34,427 mln.
As of April 1, 2023, the assets of the company have decreased by 4,56% down to UAH 1,776 bln, shareholders’ equity has increased by 6% down to UAH 608,643 mln, liabilities have decreased by 9,27% down to UAH 1,168 bln, cash and cash equivalents have reduced by 26,20% down to UAH 174,103 mln.
At that, RA notes that as of the reporting date the company formed a portfolio of current financial investments, which consisted of bank deposits (UAH 603,883 mln) and government bonds (UAH 159,636 mln). Cash and cash equivalents covered 14.91% of liabilities of PJSC IC “Universalna”, liquid assets (cash, bank deposits and OVGZ) covered 80.29% of liabilities of the insurer, and the ratio of shareholders’ equity to liabilities amounted to 52.12%.
IC “Universalna” has an international composition of shareholders, in particular, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development owns 30% of shares and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited – 70%.
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Canada) is a holding company, which through its subsidiaries is mainly engaged in accident insurance, property insurance and investment management.
Agro-industrial group Ovostar Union, one of the leading producers of eggs and egg products in Ukraine, in the first quarter of 2023 received a net profit of $8.98 million, while the same period last year it ended with a net loss of $16.44 million.
According to the company’s report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, its revenue for the period rose 70.7% to $47.30 million.
Gross profit in the first quarter of this year was $11.78 million versus a gross loss of $13.38 million last year, and operating profit was $8.58 million versus a $15.69 million loss, respectively.
The group also noted that its total debt in January-March this year decreased by 27.4% – to $7.94 million, and free cash flow increased 2.4 times – to $29.33 million, including 2.5 times to $19.58 million in Ukraine.
According to the report, export revenues in the first quarter of this year increased 4.2 times to $24.16 million, and as a result, its share in total revenues reached 51.1% against 20.6% a year earlier.
Eggs revenues increased 64.8% to $34.39 million and egg products increased 88.9% to $12.91 million, with pretax earnings from those segments increasing $2.39 million and $6.62 million, respectively.
Previously, Ovostar pointed out that in the first quarter of 2023 it reduced egg production by 2% – to 362 million eggs, but managed to significantly increase exports of products with a significant increase in prices compared to the previous year. In particular, the average price of eggs in the reporting period increased by 56% to $0.139/egg.
Compared with a year ago, in Q1 2023 the number of laying hens decreased by 2%, including laying hens by 6.2% – to 7.12 million and 6.38 million, respectively.
The volume of processed eggs in the 1st quarter of 2023 remained at the level of the previous year – 92 million eggs: 406 tons of dry and 3.073 thousand tons of liquid egg products were produced, compared to 561 tons and 2.131 thousand tons in the first quarter of last year, respectively. As with eggs, the average price of egg products rose substantially over the year: dry products rose 32% to $8.79/kg, while liquid products rose 44% to $2.66/kg (all prices are excluding VAT).
The holding company of the group – Ovostar Union N.V. – in mid-June 2011, it floated 25% of its shares on the WSE and raised $33.2 mln. Its majority stake is owned by Prime One Capital Limited, which is controlled by its CEO B. Belikov and Chairman of the Board of Directors Vitaliy Veresenko.
In 2022, Ovostar reportedly reduced egg production by 9% to 1.55 bln eggs and sales by 6% to 1.08 bln eggs.
At the same time, sales of dry egg products decreased by a third to 2.13 thousand tons, liquid – by 26% to 10.62 thousand tons.
“Ovostar made $6.09 million in net profit in 2022, which is 3.7 times more than in 2021. Its revenue for the past year increased by 1.7% – to $135.63 million.
Oil prices are falling on Thursday after a strong rise in the previous session.
The cost of July futures for Brent on London’s ICE Futures Exchange stood at $76.73 a barrel by 8:15 a.m. Thursday, down $0.23 (0.3%) from the close of the previous session. Those contracts rose $2.05 (2.7%) to $76.96 a barrel on Wednesday.
The price of WTI futures for June oil fell by $0.23 (0.32%) to $72.6 per barrel at electronic auctions of New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) by that time. The contract value grew by $1.97 (2.8%) to $72.83 per barrel at the end of previous session.
Support to the market on Wednesday was given by the statements of U.S. President Joe Biden, who again expressed optimism about negotiations on the state debt ceiling issue, notes Market Watch.
“I am confident that we will have an agreement and the U.S. will not default,” Biden said while speaking at the White House.
“Investors’ hopes that the U.S. government debt limit problem will be resolved soon are increasing,” notes StoneX analyst Fawad Razakzada. – Biden’s statement led to an increase in appetite for risk in world markets, including oil”.
However, the market was constrained by the U.S. Department of Energy data which showed an increase in oil inventories in the country for the second week in a row.
Last week commercial inventories in the U.S. rose by 5.04 million barrels, a record high over the past 12 weeks. Analysts had expected a decline of 2 million barrels.
Gasoline inventories declined by 1.38 million barrels, while distillate stocks increased by 80,000 barrels. Experts forecasted reduction by 2 million barrels and 1.5 million barrels respectively.
Balance of transactions on purchase and sale of non-cash and cash foreign currency by bank customers, mln USD
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Kernel Agro-Industrial Group, as of mid-May, has fulfilled 95% of its plans to sow spring crops, allocating 35% of the area for sunflower and 18% for soybeans, the company said on Facebook.
“Agroclimatic features of the current season: a large amount of precipitation in March and April, a high level of subsurface water in some regions and, accordingly, the waterlogging of much of the fields – have significantly adjusted the production program of agricultural enterprises “Kernel”,” the company said in its information.
As reported, the sunflower accounts for 35% of sown area, or 120 thousand hectares, the corn – 24%, or 85 thousand hectares, the soybean – 18%, or 65 thousand hectares.
Moreover, winter wheat accounts for 17%, or 60.4 thousand hectares in the structure of areas under crops. Areas under rape and perennial grasses are traditionally insignificant, the holding said.
It is stated that Kharkiv cluster was able to carry out seeding on 28 thousand hectares, and another 1 thousand hectares were left without treatment because of security reasons, as these lands are located 40 km from the front line – in Kupiansky area. As of May 16, 100% of the planned areas for the season were sown in the cluster.
According to Alexander Zvyagintsev, deputy head of production of the Kharkiv cluster, 35% of the area is planted to winter wheat, 30% to sunflower, 15% to winter rape, 10% to corn, and 10% to soybeans.
Druzhba Nova” cluster team in Sumy region took 177 thousand hectares of arable land for the future harvest, while 7 thousand hectares near the Russian border were left uncultivated.
Druzhba Nova” cluster head for production, Igor Tihonchuk, said that corn and sunflower are already being sown; 20% and 35% of the crop is under crop cultivation correspondingly. Sowing of soybeans, which will take 24% of the area, will be completed by May 25. Sowing of winter wheat will occupy 17% of the area.
According to the holding, because of the oversaturated fields, some early spring technological operations have been canceled, replaced or shifted in time. The shift in timing affected the beginning of the sowing season, which in all regions began in late April, which is two weeks later than the traditional dates.
Kernel Agronomic reported favorable sowing conditions for sunflower and corn, which were sown in parallel to accelerate the pace of the sowing season.
“Most agroclusters have completed corn and sunflower seeding and are completing soybean seeding. This is a heat-loving crop, the conditions for sowing which were not favorable until May 5-6. Despite the vagaries of weather, 80% of areas for the next soybean crop we plan to sow at the optimum time for the crop, “- summed up the agricultural holding.
“Kernel” before the war was the world’s number one producer of sunflower oil (about 7% of world production) and its export (about 12%), as well as the biggest producer and seller of bottled sunflower oil in Ukraine. The company was also engaged in cultivation of other agricultural products and their sale.
In FY2022 (July-2021 – June-2022), the holding posted a net loss of $41 mln versus $506 mln net profit in the previous FY, while its revenue decreased by 5% to $5.332 bln and EBITDA decreased by 3.7 times to $220 mln.
