ZAGREB, 22 Sept, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices rose for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, the Crobex by 0.61% to 1,957 points, and the Crobex10 by 0.5% to 1,197 points, after dropping by more than 1% on Monday to their lowest levels since the end of July.

With regard to sectoral indices, the industrial index increased the most, by 3.07%, and only the food index saw a decline, of 0.11%.

Regular turnover was HRK 6.44 million, or about HRK 17 million less than on Monday.

The only stock to cross the million kuna turnover mark was Ericsson Nikola Tesla with a turnover of HRK 1.19 million. Its price went up by 1.19% to HRK 1,700 per share.

A total of 37 stocks traded today, with 19 of them registering price increases, 7 recording price decreases and 11 remaining stable in price.

(€1 = HRK 7.495943)

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ZAGREB, 22 Sept, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday visited Zadar's most famous company, the Maraska beverage producer, accompanied by its new owner, Bosnian entrepreneur Svjetlan Stanić.

The hosts informed the prime minister about the alcoholic beverage plant, where the extract of marasca cherry and walnut is stored in big barrels. Besides the Maraschino liqueur, Maraska is proud of the fact that it is one of the few companies producing the Orahovac liqueur in the old way, from green walnuts. 

"I'm pleased to see that a centuries-long tradition has been preserved and that production will continue in future. I'm confident that with the production of key brands, these traditional products will find their place on the domestic and foreign markets," Plenković said.

He congratulated the Stanić Group, which recently bought Maraska, on the 20th anniversary of the alcoholic and soft drink factory. "It's an excellent move for branding Zadar and Croatia, for contributing to investment from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Croatia and from Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, it seems, it's a great signal for new investment which will advance production."

"On behalf of the government, I welcome this investment in Zadar, which has had a great tourism season, which is quickly recovering after the COVID crisis," Plenković said.

Stanić Beverages, a company owned by the Stanić Group, signed a contract on the purchase of Maraska with Saponia and Koestlin, members of the Mepas Group. Stanić Beverages now owns 98.25% of Maraska shares, having bought 45.3% from Koestlin and 52.90% from Saponia. It will also make a binding public offering for the rest of the stock after the completion of the transaction with Saponia and Koestlin.

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ZAGREB, 21 Sept, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices rebounded on Tuesday, with the Crobex increasing by 0.31% to 1,945 points and the Crobex10 by 0.11% to 1,191 points.

Turnover at the close of the trading session was HRK 23.6 million, about 5.1 million higher than on Monday.

The highest turnover, of HRK 18.3 million, was generated by the Podravka food company, the most liquid stock in the last four days. Its price remained stable at HRK 600 per share.

No other stock passed the turnover mark of one million kuna.

A total of 36 stocks traded today, with 17 of them registering price increases, 8 recording price decreases and 11 remaining stable in price.

(€1 = HRK 7.500499)

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ZAGREB, 21 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian IT company - Span has sold 578,200 shares at a price of HRK 175 per share though a public offering , raising close to HRK 101.2 million, it was said in Zagreb on Tuesday, when the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) and Span signed an agreement on the listing of Span's shares on the ZSE Official Market.

Span's shares were bought by more than 1,000 shareholders, and trading in them will start on 23 September.

Marked SPAN-R-A, all of the company's 1,960,000 shares were listed on the Official Market. Span is the first domestic IT company after Ericsson Nikola Tesla to have its shares listed on the ZSE.

Span CEO Nikola Dujmović said interest in the company's shares, both from qualified and small investors as well as Span employees, had been very high, with demand by far exceeding the offer. Bids could be submitted from 6 to 10 September.

Span had offered 578,200 shares or 29.5% of its stock capital, with the price ranging from HRK 160 to 175. Following registration, Span decided that the final price should be set at HRK 175 per share.

Qualified investors have acquired 55.9% of the 578,200 shares, followed by small investors, who acquired 35.6% of the offered shares.

Span employees bought 49,000 shares or 8.5%. They could each buy a maximum of 1,500 shares and small investors could buy a maximum of 19,600 shares. There was no limit for qualified investors, who bought the most shares.

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ZAGREB, 21 Sept, 2021 - The volume of construction work in July 2021 was 6.5% higher than in July 2020, however it fell by 4.9% compared to June 2021, the State Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported on Tuesday.

July was the 14th month in a row for the volume of construction work to increase on the year.

DZS data indicate that the volume of construction work done on buildings in July was 5.3% higher y-o-y whereas the volume of other structures increased by 8.1%.

Compared to June the volume of construction work contracted by 6.2% on buildings and by 3% on other structures.

In July, 61% of working hours on construction sites were conducted on new structures while 39% were for reconstruction, repairs and maintenance.

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ZAGREB, 15 Sept, 2021 - The INA oil company said on Wednesday it was considering issuing bonds on the domestic capital market in the nominal amount of HRK 2 billion maximum, with one-off principal maturity after five years maximum.

The Board today decided to issue the bonds and list them on the Zagreb Stock Exchange.

The issuing and the listing will be done provided that all regulatory permits are obtained in line with regulations and subject to acceptable market conditions.

INA hired Erste & Steiermärkische Bank, Privredna Banka Zagreb and Raiffeisenbank Austria as the issue agent.

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ZAGREB, 15 Sept, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange indices fell mildly on Wednesday amid a modest turnover.

The Crobex weakened by 0.12% to 1,969 points while the Crobex10 dropped by 0.10% to 1,203 points.

The transport sector index fell the most among sector indices (-1.86%) while the construction index registered the highest increase (+0.18%).

Regular turnover amounted to a mere HRK 4.9 million or about 3.7 million less than the day before.

The only stock to cross the million kuna mark was the HT telecommunications company generating a turnover of HRK 1.45 million. The prices of HT shares dropped by 0.26% and closed at HRK 189.50.

Thirty-seven stocks traded today, with 12 gaining in price, 15 losing, and 10 staying the same.

(€1 = HRK 7.474887)

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ZAGREB, 15 Sept, 2021 - Europe's industrial production recovered in July 2021 but Croatia was among the EU countries with the largest monthly decreases, an Eurostat report showed on Wednesday.

In July 2021, the seasonally adjusted industrial production rose by 1.5% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU, compared with June 2021, when industrial production fell by 0.1% in the euro area and remained stable in the EU.

In the euro area in July 2021, compared with June 2021, production of non-durable consumer goods rose by 3.5%, while in the EU it rose by 2.8%.

Capital goods went up by 2.7% in the euro area and by 2.4% in the EU, and intermediate goods by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.5% in the EU, while energy production was stable in the EU and fell by 0.6% in the euro area.

Among member states for which data are available, the highest monthly increases were registered in Ireland (+7.8%), Belgium (+5%) and Portugal (+3.5%). The largest decreases were observed in Lithuania (-2.0%), Slovenia (-1.8%) and Croatia (-1.6%).

In July 2021 compared with July 2020, industrial production increased by 7.7% in the euro area and by 8.3% in the EU.

In the euro area in July 2021, compared with July 2020, production of intermediate goods rose by 11.2%, nondurable consumer goods by 10.1%, durable consumer goods by 9.8%, capital goods by 5.9% and energy by 1%.

In the EU, production of intermediate goods rose by 11.8%, non-durable consumer goods by 9.4%, durable consumer goods by 8.9%, capital goods by 6.3% and energy by 2.7%. 

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ZAGREB, 14 Sept, 2021 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices went up on Tuesday, the Crobex by 0.15% to 1,971 points and the Crobex10 by 0.16% to 1,204 points, with regular turnover reaching HRK 8.6 million.

The most traded stock was the Podravka food company, turning over a little more than HRK 3 million. It closed at HRK 596 per share, down 0.33%.

The ordinary share of the Adris tourism and insurance group turned over HRK 2.7 million, closing at HRK 470 (+2.17%), while its preferred share turned over HRK 1.09 million, closing at HRK 417 (+0.48%).

Thirty-six stocks traded today, with 14 gaining in price, 11 losing, and 11 staying the same.

(€1 = HRK 7.483597)

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September 11, 2021 - The DroneDays 2021 event will turn Biograd na Moru near the popular city of Zadar into an aerial robotics mecca from October 4-5.

Airplanes are fun, but unless yo're a pilot, you can only passively enjoy the stunning aerial view as you travel the beaten path managed by the captain in a cockpit. No control, no say on the height or the direction of the above ground observing experience.

Although providing that exciting sense of freedom of flying on a screen only, drones are much better options for those who want to take control of an aerial space. For those who want to learn more about drones, October 4-5 needs to be marked in the diary for DroneDays 2021, a Croatian conference on all things related to drones.

''DroneDays 2021 is a two-day workshop focused on unmanned aerial vehicles, which will be held on 4th and 5th October 2021 in Biograd na Moru, Croatia. The programme consists of keynote lectures, an exhibition area, and is focused on unmanned aerial vehicle applications and end-user industries. It will serve as a meeting place for experts from the industry and academia, end-users, as well as regulatory bodies from the region,'' reads the official website of the event.

DroneDays 2021 will be held at the Ilirija Resort at Biograd na Moru, and 14 speakers have confirmed their arrival at the event at the time of writing this article, with more invited. The confirmed names include drone experts from across Croatia and abroad, from academics from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) to foreign universities and even NATO.

DroneDays 2021 promises an exciting two days for drone lovers in a more theoretical approach with conferences hosting presentations from keynote industry leaders to more practical opportunities. These include exhibitions (open for the public) where visitors can have face-to-face meetings with leading industrial companies from across the region, showcasing their latest products and services. In addition, there will be a flying area where you can participate in live demonstrations of the latest technological achievements in aerial robotics, and there is also a B2B event where you can meet new partners who share your love for aerial robotics.

Much like drones, the event isn't free. Would-be participants must register on the website and buy a 10 euro ticket. That ticket includes two-day access to the whole programme as well as accreditation, a registration package, workshop materials, and coffee breaks.

With the discussion of order and freedom at large, the debates concerning the legal frame of operating drones in Croatia may well be the most interesting topics of this year's edition of DroneDays.

As TCN previously reported, drone regulations in Croatia have two levels of authority, one that is national and the other concerning EU Drone Regulation that came into force back in 2020.

After the conference in Biograd na Moru, why not hop to nearby Zadar? Learn more in our TC guide.

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