Daily monitor

Luhanskteplovoz [LTPL UZ, U/R], one of the largest locomotive producers in Ukraine and the CIS, which is 76% owned by the Bryanskiy Machinery Plant (BMZ), has agreed with Russian Railway (RZD) on the production of 120 locomotive sections in 2009.

As of December 12, 2008 a total of 1.53 mln mt of sugar has been produced by domestic sugar plants in Ukraine. An overall 12.5 mln mt of sugar beet was processed, which is 22.8% less YoY. Moreover, 83% of all sugar plants that obtained government permission for sugar processing in the 2008/09 marketing year have completed their sugar processing season.

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved procedures for allocating money from the Stabilization Fund as loans for completing the construction of housing financed through mortgage loans.

Volodymyr Krotiuk, the Temporary Administrator of Prominvestbank, confirmed that the bank’s owners failed to conduct the additional issue of shares scheduled as a part of the required financial readjustment of this bank.

Passenger transportation volumes in Ukraine grew 2.4% YoY in January – November 2008, reaching 7.65 bln passengers, as stated in the recent National Committee of Statistics memo. The turnover of passengers reached 136.4 bln passenger-km, growing 5.1% YoY.

The largest Ukrainian pipe producing group, Interpipe, has announced that it offers to repurchase USD 200 mln in Eurobonds with an indicative repurchase price of USD 47-55 corresponding to the 67-53% YTM level.

Ukraine’s industrial output fell 15.2% MoM and 28.6% YoY in November 2008, as stated in the State Statistics Committee memo released this morning.

Stakhaniv Railcar Works, one of the largest wagon producers in Ukraine and part of the AvtoKrAZ holding, intends to increase statutory fund by UAH 158.473 mln (roughly USD 22 mln) to UAH 237.709 (roughly 32 mln) mln via additional issue of shares.

In January-November 2008, electricity consumption in Ukraine rose by 0.8% YoY (to 169 thsd GWh), while in 10M08 it grew by 1.1% YoY. Monthly electricity consumption in Ukraine continued falling and, in November 2008, decreased by 16% (to 14.4 thsd GWh).

The AvtoKrAZ Holding Company [KRAZ UZ, N/R], based in Kremenchug (Poltava Region), has presented new technological models that may be used in the oil and gas complex. According to the company’s press service, they were demonstrated to participants of the exhibition “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2008”.