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        Austrian Securities Market and Stock Exchange News and Analysis
Read the latest headlines and breaking news about the Vienna International Stock Exchange and the Austrian securities market (bonds, stocks)
          
 
    
        Croatia: HNB Pushes Credits 
      
      
According to reports by Reuters, the Croatian National Bank (HNB) intends to issue HRK 4bn (US-$ 707m) to support credits. Further details will be published by the Central Bank later this week.
                                  November 27, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Conwert Doubles Profits in First Nine Months 
      
      
conwert on course for year of record operational results following strong nine months in 2013
                                  November 27, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        RBI: Profits Decline by More than Half 
      
      
Raiffeisen Bank International with consolidated profit of € 411 million in the first three quarters 2013.
                                  November 27, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary: Monetary Policy Eases Further 
      
      
Today, Hungary´s National Bank (MNB) has cut the two-week deposit rate to 3.2% from 3.4%. The government is optimistic that the monetary easing will help Hungary´s economy.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        CESEE: Austrian Banks Face New Challenges 
      
      
For Austrian banks, the assessment by the ECB may bring new difficulties. Non-performing loans in CESEE are said to be higher than officially known.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Immofinanz to Enlarge Buwog’s Portfolio 
      
      
Austrian real estate company Immofinanz plans on acquiring a large portfolio in Germany. The purchase price of around € 900m is supposed to be raised by the company itself.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Dispute about NLB Reignites between Slovenia and Croatia 
      
      
Damaged savers of NLB filed lawsuit against the bank at the European Court for Human Rights.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Czech Republic: CNB Aquires Foreign Currencies 
      
      
During monetary interventions CNB has purchased foreign currencies in the amoung of CZK 200bn.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hypo Investigations Could Last Several More Years 
      
      
Yesterday the first court proceeding at the Regional Higher Court in Munich started. Investigations in Austria will take up to four years.
                                  November 26, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary. Forex Loans Probed by Supreme Court 
      
      
Due to the upcoming elections in 2014, Hungary´s government puts pressure on the Supreme Court.
                                  November 25, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        ECB Does Not See Danger of Deflation 
      
      
Benoit Coeure, member of ECB’s supervisory board, does not see the danger of deflation in Europe.
                                  November 25, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Poland: IMF Corrects Growth Forecast Upward 
      
      
Growth forecasts for next year were increased by 0.3 percent by IMF.
                                  November 25, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Austria: Decent Economic Outlook 
      
      
Despite an economic acceleration, the macro-economic frame conditions remain difficult in 2014. A major risk factor is the fiscal situation.
                                  November 24, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Slovenia: Stress Tests Result Published on December 13 
      
      
Bostjan Jazbec, governor of the Slovenian National Bank (SNB), is optimistic that no Slovenian bank will have to be liquidated.
                                  November 23, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Czech Demand for Housing Loans Still Grows 
      
      
While demand for consumer loans was down, demand for housing loans is still on the rise. In total, loan growth decelerates.
                                  November 23, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Romania Faces Upgrade 
      
      
Next year, Romanian sovereign bonds may be upgraded by Standard & Poor´s.
                                  November 23, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Czech Republic: CNB Facing Investigations 
      
      
Czech Senator Dryml ordered the head of counter-intelligence service (BIS) Jiri Lang to initiate investigations against the Czech National Bank (CNB).
                                  November 22, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Croatia: Amendmends to Cosumer Credit Law 
      
      
Interest rates on housing loans pegged to Swiss Franc dropped by 30 percent.
                                  November 22, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Pressure on Slovenia Dampens 
      
      
After Slovenia´s governing coalition has won the vote of confidence, the yield on Slovenian sovereign bonds is going down slightly.
                                  November 22, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary: Further Cuts to Come 
      
      
György Matolcsy, governor of the Hungarian National Bank MNB, stresses that there is room for further base rate cuts.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        VIG and Bulgaria Are Causing Headache Each Other 
      
      
The Austrian insurance group VIG has sold the Bulgarian pension fund to an unknown investor. Bulgaria´s government wants to reverse the sale.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Eurozone: Nouy New Manager of ECB’s Banking Suvervision 
      
      
Daniele Nouy will become the new head of the ECB’s banking supervision.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        EBRD: Eastern Europe “Stuck in Transition“ 
      
      
The European Bank for Restructuring and Development (EBRD) warned that Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Sovjet Union could remain “stuck in transition”, which is the titel of the current report.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Austria: Cernko Favors Participation in Bad Bank 
      
      
CEO of Bank Austria Willibald Cernko is in favor of Austrian banks participating in a bad bank for Hypo Group Alpe Adria.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Slovenia: Share of NPLs Increasing Dangerously 
      
      
The share of non-performing loans (NPL) in the Slovenian banking sector has increased to 17.4 percent. Losses of the country’s financial institutes are significantly worse on a year-on-year comparison.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        RBI: Fresh Money for Slovenian Subsidiary 
      
      
Raiffeisen Bank International, the third biggest lender in CESEE, injects € 10m into the Slovenian subsidiary.
                                  November 21, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary: Banks Penalized for Lobbying 
      
      
The Hungarian competition authority GVH has imposed a penalty running in the millions on domestic and foreign banks.
                                  November 20, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Albania: Governor Calls For Measures for Balanced Financial System 
      
      
Financial institutes in Albania are struggling with a weak demand in credits as the country has been affected by the economic and financial crisis.
                                  November 20, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hypo Group: Investors Claim Refunds 
      
      
A group of aggrieved investors in Hypo Group Alpe Adria files claims for damages. These so-called small investors provided amounts from € 30,000 to € 300,000 and feel disadvantaged compared to bigger investors.
                                  November 20, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Raiffeisen Bank International: Sale of Hungarian Affiliate No Taboo Anymore 
      
      
As reported by Vindobona, Vienna-listed RBI is examining offers for the Hungarian subsidiary. For RBI, Hungary is the biggest loss-maker.
                                  November 20, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        PKO to Take over Nordea Bank Polska 
      
      
The biggest Polish Bank PKO Bank Polski will submit an offer to the minority shareholder of Nordea Bank Polska
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Capital Shortfall at European Banks 
      
      
According to Boston Consulting Group, European Banks still have much work to do.
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Romania: Banks Keep Risk Margins Unchanged 
      
      
In spite of the recent cut in the key rate to an all-time low of four percent the financial institutes will not loosen risk policies.
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        RBI Examines Sale Offers in Hungary 
      
      
Apart from the withdrawal from Ukraine, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) considers an exit from Hungary.
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        OECD: Restructuring of Banks Required 
      
      
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) calls for a fast progress in the establishing of a banking union in the Eurozone and restructuring of the banking sector to boost economic growth.
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Nowotny: Must Avoid Bubble in CESEE 
      
      
In order to avoid another asset bubble like in 2008, loan growth has to be monitored, governor of Austrian National Bank Ewald Nowotny says.
                                  November 19, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary: NPLs at Record High 
      
      
The number of NPLs has reached a new record high, according to MNB.
                                  November 18, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria Provided with Loan by EBRD 
      
      
The European Bank for Restructuring and Development will provide Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria EAD with a new loan totaling € 15m.
                                  November 18, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Nowotny: Economic Recovery not as Strong as Expected 
      
      
According to Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), indicators point toward a slow recovery in the next quarters.
                                  November 18, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Slovenia Issues New Eurobonds 
      
      
The issuance of a new bond in the amount of € 1.5bn on Friday came as surprise as Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek has annouced earlier no such measures will be made until the beginning of the new year.
                                  November 18, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        RBI Considers Leaving Ukraine 
      
      
The second-biggest lender in the CESEE region, Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International, confirms the intention to sell the Ukrainian affiliate Aval.
                                  November 17, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Bulgaria: Fiscal Plans “Too Ambitious” 
      
      
According to the IMF, the underlying assumptions of Bulgaria´s government are not realistic. The banking industry is stable, though.
                                  November 16, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        VBAG: Capital Requirement up to € 1.0bn 
      
      
The partially nationalized Austrian bank needs further capital injections next year.
                                  November 16, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        EU Commission Criticizes Austria Once More 
      
      
The EU Commission has again criticized Austria and Luxembourg and demands the countries to stop blocking the extensive exchange of tax data.
                                  November 15, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Poland: PZU Surpasses Results in 3Q 
      
      
With results increasing by almost 65 percent on a quarterly basis, Poland’s biggest insurer has exceeded all expectations.
                                  November 15, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hungary: Level of Credit Defaults Declining Significantly 
      
      
According to OTP Bank, the level of credit defaults from borrowers has started to drop to the lowest level since the beginning of the financial and economic crisis.
                                  November 15, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Poland: Improvements at Banking Sector Not Expected 
      
      
Next year’s results in the banking sector are not expected to exceed the ones in 2013.
                                  November 15, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Hypo Bad Bank Not to be Established Before 2014 
      
      
Insiders do not expect the downsizing unit for state-owned Hypo Group Alpe Adria to be established before 2014.
                                  November 15, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Romania: Fitch Rating for Three Banks Affirmed 
      
      
Fitch has affirmed the ratings for three Romanian banks and forecasts a stable outlook.
                                  November 14, 2013                                        
    
 
    
        Austria: Bad Bank For Hypo As Good As Guaranteed. 
      
      
Chancellor Faymann and Deputy Chancellor Spindelegger are in favor of creating a bad bank for Hypo Group.
                                  November 14, 2013                                        
     
           
       
    
