German chart comments - Issue date - 24.12.2010

There is no stopping Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole from being number one in Germany for yet another week and as we head towards the year-end charts, the late singer approaches a third month atop of the singles top 100. Whether this will happen, we'll see next week. For now IZ stands at number one for an eleventh combined week. IZ also leads a completely steady top five, with all major players keeping their positions from the last week.
Video 

The highest new entry belongs to Taio Cruz, one of the breakout stars of the year, and superstar Kylie Minogue at #10. "Higher" comes after the #5 peak of Taio's "Break Your Heart" and the #3 hit "Dynamite". As long as Kylie is concerned, the single returns her to the top 10 after the disappointing performance of her last chart entry in Germany - "Get Outta My Way" (peak #41).
Video

On the way down we should not forget to mention that MJ has another top ten hit in Germany as his "Hold My Hand" jumps eleven places to peak at #7.
Video

The second highest new entry comes from newcomers LaVive and "No Time For Sleeping". LaVive are the latest girl band to emerge from the still popular Popstars casting show in Germany. This is of course the show that gave us No Angles, Bro'Sis and the recently disbanded Monrose. All the aforementioned witnessed their debut singles shooting up straight at the top of the charts, so far now the prospects before LaVive are more towards Room2012 and Some and Any fate. It's a catchy pop song though.
Video

The next new entry comes from Pitbull at #28 and sees the US rapper in the top 30 for a fourth time in a row. "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)" marks the release of his latest album "Planet Pit". Pitbull's biggest hit in the country is "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" which reached #8 in 2009.
Video

It's a shame that one of the best German bands has to see its latest single outside the top 40. Having in mind however that this is the fourth single taken from Ich + Ich's five-time gold album "Gute Reise", the entry of "Hilf Mir" at #45 is not so surprising after all.
Video

The biggest news of the week however is down at #54, where "Real Love", the latest offering of Sarah Connor charts. With this new entry, Sarah, one of the singers with the most steady chart careers in the last ten years, registers her least successful single ever. Not only that, but "Real Love" is her first ever song to chart outside the top #30 (and actually she had only two songs charting outside the top 20 before that). From now on, the path which Sarah Connor's career will take will be an interesting thing to be watched...
Video

And the only other new entry this week:

#82 Alex Max Band - Only One
Video

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 23-26

The company emerging from the tie-up between Bwin and PartyGaming will be called bwin.party digital entertainment, the two online bookmakers said. The shareholders of Bwin will receive 12.23 shares in the new entity for each one they own currently. They will own 51.7% in the combined company.
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Winner Life-Vienna Insurance Group, part of Vienna Insurance Group, has received a licence to start offering life insurance products in Macedonia, VIG said. The products will be sold via the subsidiaries of Erste Group in the country.
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Fitch Ratings has given an A long-term credit rating on OeVAG and the Austrian association of cooperative banks.
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Austria's production index rose 5.2% on the year in October 2010, Statistik Austria reported. In a monthly comparison the index fell 1%.
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The number of overnight stays in Austria grew 7.8% to 3.84m in November 2010, Statistik Austria reported. Arrivals number grew 8.1% to 1.50m.

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 22

Top Story
Oil and gas group OMV has completed the takeover of 54.14% in Turkish retail group Petrol Ofisi. The transaction boosts OMV's stake in Petrol Ofisi to 95.72%. Dogan Holding got EUR 499.7m and USD 694.6m for its shares in Petrol Ofisi, OMV said in a statement.
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German asset manager AmpegaGerling has reduced its stake in Austrian sector company C-Quadrat to 29%, by selling a shareholding of 3.59% in it.
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BWT will invest EUR 75m in the launch of new table water and coffee machine filters and in expansion of its capacities in 2011/2012, the company said in a statement. BWT projects its profit to decrease to EUR 18m in 2011 from the expected EUR 23m this year. Sales are to grow to EUR 500m from EUR 450m.
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Siemens Austria has received a train construction order worth EUR 180m from Norway, WirtschaftsBlatt reported. Another deal, at the same magnitude, is expected soon, the daily added.
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Top Story
Utility Verbund said it has completely taken over French energy producer Poweo Production for EUR120m. The company has owned 40% in Poweo so far. Thus Verbund will focus on power generation and wholesale in France.

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A1 Telekom Austria will raise the salaries of its employees by 1.9% on average in 2011. The increase stands at 3% for those with the lowest payment, the company said.
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Verbund managed to considerably reduce its net gearing to below 100% due to the recent capital increase, CEO Wolfgang Anzengruber told WirtschaftsBlatt. Half of the proceeds from the capital increase were used for reduction of debt, he added. Verbund plans a dividend payment ratio of between 45% and 50% for 2010.
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Raiffeisen Bank International will not need a capital increase if it is selected as the best bidder for Polish Polbank, the bank said. Polbank is currently owned by Greek EFG Eurobank Ergasias.
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US Congressman Frank Pallone has said that Austrian oil and gas group OMV may face sanctions if it continues to supply Iran with aviation gasoline, Die Presse reported. 

In BG Cinemas from Dec 22

Запознай се с малките / Little Fockers - As I'm not among the fans of the second instalment of the Fockers saga, the decision to skip the third outing came so easily. And from I've heard and read, it was the absolutely right choice. After all, we all know that Robert DeNiro has had no good movie in ages, that Ben Stiller's "Night At The Museum" sucked big time and that Barbra Streisand is only good as a song title these days. Nevertheless, I'm more than certain that "Little Fockers" may be extremely awful, but the great Bulgarian box-office is more than guaranteed. So go laugh your Christmas turkey out... Forum Film
Trailer

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 21

IT services provider Brain Force said its 2009/10 sales decreased by 22% to EUR 69.59m, while the operating loss widened to EUR 1.65m from EUR 0.21m. Due to one-off items the company however managed to post a net profit of EUR 0.92m, compared to a loss of EUR 5.46m a year earlier. Brain Force projects to be able to book a positive operating result in fiscal 2010/11 and to boost its sales.

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Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB) will not support troubled OeVAG in the paying off of its state capital, CEO Walther Rothensteiner said. If OeVAG wants to raise capital in order to return state aid, RZB will not take part in the move, the manager added. RZB controls 5% in OeVAG.

In BG Cinemas from Dec 17

TRON:Заветът / Tron:Legacy -  only on demand ;) Forum Film
Trailer

Мегаум / Megamind - It's not that Megamind is a bad movie, but in a year which has seen animation reaching new heights with flicks like Toy Story 3, Tangled and How To Train Your Dragon, the latest Dreamworks creation just cannot compare with the other titles. It offers good 3D, so so voice cast (at least the Bulgarian version) and some laughs, but if you want an animated movie this holiday season, try Rapunzel instead. Forum Film
Trailer

Такъв е животът / Life as We Know It - The only movie I skipped this week, but on the look of it, and from what I've heard, it's only a minor step above your average Hollywood romantic comedy. And if you want a cosy night-out with your partner, perhaps Life as We Know It will be worth its ticket price. Alexandra

Trailer

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 20

HTP High Tech Plastics, part of the HTP group, will deliver in the next years interior parts for the Porsche Cayenne. This will provide between 5% and 6% of the annual sales at the Styrian site of Fohnsdorf, the company said.
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Builder Porr said it has agreed to fully acquire Viennese Teerag-Asdag by taking the shares of the city's holding, Wiener Stadtwerke, in it. So far Porr has owned around 52% in the sector company.
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Eduard Zehetner, CEO of real estate company Immofinanz, said he expects a positive development for fiscal 2010/11. In addition, the company intends to issue a new convertible bond of between EUR 500m and EUR 600m by April next year.
*Steel specialist Voestalpine said it has secured a EUR 100m order from Daimler Trucks. The five-year contract concerns the delivery of axis parts.
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The parcel delivery business of Austrian Post AG grew by 12% to 56m in 2010. Around 96% of the deliveries were made on time, the company said.
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German Beiersdorf has sold its brands Juvena and Marlies Möller to Austrian Troll Cosmetics GmbH. The divestment was due to the fact that the brands do not correspond to the company's global presence plans.
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Herbert Kaufmann, who was dismissed as CEO of Vienna Airport, will become head of the supervisory boards of the company's subsidiaries in Malta and Kosice, Standard reported. He will also join the supervisors of the Friedrichshafen airport.

* The number of used vehicle registrations in Austria rose 5% on the year to 72,010 in November, Statistik Austria said. In a monthly comparison, the number fell 2.9%.
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Austria's Industrial Producer Price Index rose 4% on the year to 110.5 points in October 2010, Statistik Austria reported. It was boosted by the growth in prices for intermediate goods and of energy prices.

German chart comments - Issue date - 17.12.2010

So instead of going down and leaving the way clear for new tracks to climb towards the top, Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole makes his revenge this week by returning to the number one for yet another, actually a tenth week. As it seems, Germany is on the path to end 2010 on an old note, unless Black Eyed Peas don't do something to prevent it. The latter's "The Time (Dirty Bit)" rises this week to #2. 
Thus, it's a shame that the highest new entry fails to enter the top 10 by a notch. "Firework" is of course the third single taken from Katy Perry "Teenage Dream" album. By entering at #11 it is for now the first single of Perry to miss the top 10 since "Waking Up in Vegas" in 2009. It is a great song though and should go higher in the next weeks.
Video
Next up is the return of legendary Michael Jackson to the charts. "Hold My Hand" is a collaboration with Akon and marks the release of Michael's first posthumous album "Michael". Unfortunately, as this is not a 100% work of MJ, it lacks any of the appeal of his best moments and is quite an unremarkable track. This makes the entry at #18 quite an achievement.
Video 
The next new entry comes in at #26, belonging to OneRepublic. "Good Life" is the fourth single taken from the guys' "Waking Up" LP and therefore it's entry in the top 30 is more than a success. Still, as this is one of the most uplifting songs of the winter, I wish it was a little bit higher.
Video 
As it is the tradition at this time of the year, the singles charts are flooded by Christmas-themed songs, which most of the time are led by classics such as Wham's "Last Christmas". This week, however, we have two completely new tracks, which are more than welcome to bring some fresh air in terms of festive spirit. The songs in question are Train's "Shake Up Christmas" at #36 and Coldplay's "Christmas Lights" at #37.  
Video - Train 
Video - Coldplay 

And the rest new entries with videos:


#51 Justin Bieber - Pray
Video 
#60 Monrose - Breathe You In - It's a shame that the goodbye single of girl group Monrose enters the chart at such a low point. It easily becomes their least successful single and if it wasn't for it, the girls would have had only top 30 singles in their career. Still with #1s "Shame" and "Hot Summer", five more top ten hits and three top 30 ones, Mandy, Senna and Bahar became among the most successful pop acts in Germany in the new century. They were also the second most successful winners of the Popstars casting show, next to No Angels.
Video 
#65 Phil Collins - Going Back
Video 
#69 The Black Pony - Boys Are Crazy
Video 
#76 30 Seconds To Mars feat. Kanye West - Hurricane 2.0
Song 
#78 House Rockerz - Herzrasen     
Video 

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 17

Regional utility Bewag closed fiscal 2009/10 with a loss from ordinary operations of EUR 10.9m, up from EUR 7.5m a year earlier. The result was burdened by the cross-border leasing operations carried out in 2001.
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Top Story
Lingerie maker Wolford said its sales rose 8.1% to EUR 74m in the first half of fiscal 2010/11, boosted especially by the company's own retail sales. The net profit grew to EUR 1.9m from EUR 0.8m a year earlier. The management expects an improvement in sales and earnings by the end of the fiscal year. Distribution efforts in Asia, and especially in China, will be strengthened.
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Austria's investor Unternehmens Invest AG (UIAG) posted a profit of EUR 3.7m for fiscal 2009/10, down 5% in annual terms. Loss from ordinary operations was reduced to EUR 60,000 from EUR 330,000. The sales of the stakes in Austria Email AG and Varioform PET Verpackung were characterised as positive during the year.

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Builder Strabag is part of a consortium which has won the EUR 104m construction of a motorway in Libya. Strabag will get EUR 62m of the total order.
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Top Story
Wifo and IHS said they expect Austria's gross domestic product (GDP) to rise 2% and 2.1% next year, respectively. For 2010 Wifo sees growth of 2%, while IHS projects 1.9%. For 2012 the projections stand at 2% and 2.3%, respectively. The institutes expect the biggest problems to come from some debt-ridden countries in the euro-zone.
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Top Story
The creditors of A-Tec has demanded EUR 750m in liabilities from the industrial holding, Hans-Georg Kantner, spokesman for the creditors, told the local news agency. Some EUR 200m of the sum is unconditional.

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Top Story
Telekom Austria said it plans to raise the dividend threshold to at least EUR 0.76 for 2011 and 2012 from EUR 0.75 so far. Sales and EBITDA in 2011 are expected to be slightly less than the last few years. The company plans EUR 1.5bn in investments in Austria for 2010 to 2013.
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Troubled bank OeVAG has not sold real estate unit Europolis to the highest bidder, Kurier reported. According to the daily, Polish investor Jan Kulczyk had filed a considerably better proposal than that of the winner in the transaction - CA Immo. The bank rejected the accusations. 

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Austria's cereal production fell 6.5% to 4.5m tonnes in 2010, Statistics Austria said. Compared to the last ten-year average, the production went down 1%.

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 16

Top Story
Utility EVN said its net profit grew 16.3% to EUR 207m in fiscal 2009/10, with sales going up 0.9% to EUR 2.752bn. The results were boosted by higher energy sales and improved proceeds from the firm's shareholdings. EVN will pay a dividend of EUR 0.40 per share, up from EUR 0.37 last year. The utility plans to continue its attractive dividend policy and focus on value-orientated growth in 2010/11.
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Top Story
PC game developer JoWooD said it posted an operating loss of EUR 14.304m for the first nine months of 2010, compared to a profit to EUR 1.655m a year earlier. Sales collapsed to EUR 8.163m from EUR 18.627m. JoWooD added it was currently talking to potential investors over the receiving of fresh capital.
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Top Story
Austria's annual inflation rate decreased to 1.9% in November from 2.1% a month earlier. In a monthly comparison, the prices fell 0.1%, Statistik Austria said. The eurozone harmonised CPI came in at 1.8%.
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The sales of Siemens Austria fell by around 20% to EUR 2.4bn in fiscal 2009/10 due to the worsened economic conditions. The order volume, however, grew 14% to EUR 2.5bn, showing signs of recovery, the company said.
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IT company Beko Holding AG said its net loss grew to EUR 11m in fiscal 2009/10, from EUR 9.4m a year earlier. Sales decreased 15% to EUR 230.4m. The past year was characterised by dealing with the effects from the financial crisis, the firm said. Beko plans to focus on its core competences and on simplifying its structures in 2010/11.
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Top Story
The number of unemployed in Austria stood at 190,000 in the third quarter of 2010, down by 30,900 compared to a year earlier, Statistik Austria. This corresponded to an unemployment rate of 4.4%, a decrease from 5.1% in the same period of 2009.

Austrian economic news in a flash - 15 December 2010

Top Story
The 14-hour session of the supervisory board of Vienna Airport ended with the dismissal of company's CEO Herbert Kaufmann as of the end of December. His post will be taken temporarily by supervisory board head Christoph Herbst. The mandates of Ernest Gabmann and Gerhard Schmid, the other two executives of the airport, will be ended prematurely on December 31, 2011. They, however, may be re-elected in the next year. The decisions were taken in view of the Skylink terminal expansion project, whose costs almost doubled to above EUR 800m over a very short time and caused for a lot of heated discussions in the Alpine republic.
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Office furniture maker Bene said its sales decreased 10.9% to EUR 120.3m in the first nine months of fiscal 2010/11, while the loss before interest and tax stood at EUR 8.7m, down from EUR 8.8m a year earlier. Despite the slow market recovery, the management predicts a negative operating loss for full 2010/11.
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The Bank Austria economic indicator stood at 4.2 points in November, its highest level since September 2007. The mood among the industry slightly improved, while that of the consumers was slightly down, the economists said. The sentiment of the Austrian production sector is for the first time in 18 months better than the EU average.
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Peter Kotauczek, CEO of Beko, Elisabeth Kotauczek and the private foundation of the Kotauczek will take 74.67% in Beko Holding, Austria's anti-trust authorities said. However, Cross Informatik GmbH, which has stakes in All for One Midmarket AG, Brain Force Holding AG and Triplan AG will be spun off from Beko before the deal.
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The sawmill of Mayr-Melnhof Holz in Switzerland will file for insolvency after all attempts for restructuring have failed. The move will affect 130 employees.
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Lighting specialist Zumtobel has signed a cooperation contract with LG Innotek, a subsidiary of LG. The collaboration will aim at transferring LED backlights for LCD screens to the field of professional lighting.
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Vaccine developer Intercell will raise its capital by EUR 855,000 in order to serve its stock option plans. The plans target employees, managers and executives at the company.
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Austria's construction cost index rose 3.4% on the year to 120.1 points in November 2010. On a monthly comparison, the index remained the same, Statistik Austria said.

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 14

The number of passengers at Vienna Airport rose 12.1% to 1.55m in November 2010, with cargo volumes decreasing 3% to 27,661 tonnes. The airport served 18.2m passengers in the first eleven months of the year, 8.9% down in annual terms.
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Austrians are expected to spend about EUR 2.5bn for Christmas presents this year, a study of the Integral market research institute showed. The sum corresponds to EUR 390 per person, up from EUR 364 a year earlier.
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The opening of Austria's mail market will not happen as of January 1 despite the adopted liberalisation regulations, Wirtschaftsblatt reported. This is because of the high fixed costs which the peers of Austrian Post AG will have to take if they want to deliver mail in the country.
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The takeover of insolvent AE&E Austria GmbH by machinery group Andritz was filed for approval with the country's anti-trust authorities.
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ATB Austria Antriebstechnik, part of insolvent A-Tec, reduced its sales 1.8% to EUR 231.8m in the first nine months of the year. The company said it still remained in the red in terms of net and operating profit. ATB sees uncertainty in its future due to the insolvency proceedings against A-Tec and sister company AE&E.

Austrian economic news in a flash - December 13

Vaccine developer Intercell said its vaccine candidate against Travelers' Diarrhea has failed and the company will cease further development on the project. Therefore, Intercell projects its expected EUR 40m net loss for full 2010 to be considerably higher. The company plans to reduce its R&D costs for 2011 by 40% year-on-year.
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Fibre producer Lenzing said it plans to pour about EUR 285m in the expansion of its capacity. By 2014 Lenzing plans to boost its capacity by around 25% from 700,000 tonnes currently.
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The number of new vehicle registrations in Austria grew 10% to 32,936 for November 2010. New passenger cars registrations rose 9.4% to 28,024.

German chart comments - Issue date - 10.12.2010

So it finally happened! After nine weeks on top of the German singles chart, Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole has retreated from the number one slot. What is more interesting though is that he is replaced there by Empire Of The Sun's "We Are The People", which as mentioned several times before is actually an old song and therefore marks the first time ever when an old song replaces another oldie at the top in Germany.  
Video 

The highest new entry comes in at #6 and is the latest single of David Guetta. Over the last year and a half Guetta has turned into one of the kings of the chart, with already two top ten hits and one number one in Germany. "Who's That Chick?" sees the French DJ and producer collaborating with superstar Rihanna. The latter this week makes a double feat in the top ten as her own "Only Girl (In The World)" stands at #7.
Video 

The second new entry belongs to Far East Movement and charts at #16. "Like A G6" is one of the biggest global hits currently and has already reached #1 in USA. It is the first chart entry of the group in Germany.
Video 

A place below Far East Movement enters the newest single from Thomas D. Apart from his glory days as part of Die Fantastischen Vier, Thomas D. has had his solo success in Germany with modern classics such as "Solo" (peak #15), the wonderful "Wish (Komm zu mir)" (peak #5) and "Liebesbrief" (peak #9). "Million Voices (7 Seconds)" samples the number-three smash of Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry "7 Seconds" from 1994.
Video

Further down the top 100, we can see the Christmas singles all moving forward towards the top 20, once again led by Wham! (at #23) and Melanie Thornton (at #43). We also have a relatively low, though unsurprising, new entry from Medina at #59 and a new single from schlager star Buddy at #69.
Video - Buddy (live)
Video - Medina

(info - Wikipedia)

Austrian economic news in a flash

(There will be no stories for the period between November 30 and December 10)

In BG Cinemas from Dec 10

(I missed both of them, so only trailers this time)

Пътят на самурая (2010) / The Warrior's Way - Tandem
Trailer

Хрониките на Нарния: Плаването на Разсъмване (2010) / The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Alexandra
Trailer

In BG Cinemas from Dec 3

Рапунцел и разбойникът / Tangled - Yes, it's the best animated movie of the year, apart from Toy Story 3. A feat which the forthcoming Animals United and Megamind will not challenge at all. Based on the classical Rapunzel story, Tangled sees Disney back to its heights from the early 90s with masterpieces such as Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. The new tale has a strong heroine as the lead (and she is quite good with the frying pan), a charming thief as the hero, a great villain, and best of all - extraordinary sidekicks. Some may find Rapunzel's best friend, the chameleon Pascal as marvellous, and yes it is, but the icing of the cake is Maximum, the horse who takes his tasks a bit too serious. The kids will love Tangled and you will laugh all the way. A repeat viewing is a must... Forum Film
 Trailer

Безпощадно / Faster - It's good to see The Rock actually back in the action field, with Game Plan and Tooth Fairy being a little bit childishly stupid. The problem is that Faster is actually not the best action movie to hit cinemas lately. And we are already used to see Jason Statham in roles like this, so Dwayne Johnon has nothing new to offer here. Alexandra
Trailer 

Ще срещнеш висок тъмнокос непознат / You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger - I'm not among the Woody Allen specialists, and all critics say the man passed his peak long ago. And though, I haven't watched his latest, I'm sure that it will offer plenty of laughs, an all-starry cast, as well as the usual enormous amount of talking. А+
Trailer 

German chart comments - Issue date - 03.12.2010

As it seems IZ is going to end 2010 as the absolute king of the German singles chart, as his "Over The Rainbow" makes a ninth week on the top of it. Not only that but the two-year old "We Are The People" of Empire Of The Sun makes a new peak at #2. Thus, perhaps for the first time ever, the German charts are completely dominated by two old songs...
Video
Video
The biggest new hit of the week comes from Unheilig, whose first proper single, "Geboren um zu leben" has definitely become one of the biggest hits of the year by standing in the top 20 for ages and is still at #18. "Winterland" is the third single of the German band to make it to the top ten and also the second most successful. It's chart placing in the top five is to be attributed to the fact that it comes from the special, winter edition of Unheilig's latest album. And it's not that "Große Freiheit" is not the most sold album of 2010 and the most successful German album ever, but the record company obviously wants more and more...
Video

Another new entry can be found at #7, belonging to The Black Eyed Peas and "The Time (Dirty Bit)", their take on the Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' 80s classic "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", which reached #5 in Germany. The BEP's version is one of these songs which you either hate or adore, and regardless of your opinion of it, the song becomes the band's eleventh top ten single in Germany (even without a video during the time when the chart was calculated). A good beginning for the new album of Fergie and co.
Video

It's not that Revolverheld has had never top 20 singles, with "Helden 2010" even peaking at #2, but after their last release "Keine Liebeslieder" crashed and burned at #74, it's a little bit unexpected to see their latest entering the top ten at #8. "Halt Dich An Mir Fest" is a collaboration with Marta Jandova, the lead singer from band Die Happy, who themselves have never scored a top 40 hit.
Video

After the Eurovision success of "Glow" (still in the top 30), Norway's band Madcon manages to bring this week the follow-up single directly in the top 20 as "Freaky Like Me" enters new at #12. The last new entry in the top 30 comes from Duffy, who is burdened with the tough task to follow her extremely popular debut album (with the number one "Mercy") with a sophomore LP. Thus "Well Well Well", the pilot single from "Endlessly", comes new at #24. Not a spectacular entry, but at least a far cry from the fiasco in the UK top 40. And though many will say the song is awful, it is actually a quite catchy tune ...
Video- Madcon
Video - Duffy

And the remaining new entries with videos:
 
38 Frida Gold - Zeig Mir Wie Du Tanzt - all the VIVA support didn't help...
Video
69 Gary Baker feat. Popstars - I Swear - the All-4-One version from 1994 reached #1 in Germany.

Video

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 29

Builder Strabag said its net profit edged down 1% to EUR 116.4m in the first nine months of 2010. EBIT grew 10% to EUR 192.7m, which was attributed to consolidation effects. Construction output went down 3% to EUR 9.097bn. The company experienced negative trends in Germany and Hungary. Strabag confirmed its expectations for an output of EUR 12.9bn for full 2010. The result is to increase by 1.5% in both 2011 and 2012.
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Raiffeisen International said its consolidated profit soared 104.5% to EUR 318m in the first nine months of 2010 mainly due to reduced credit risk provisions. The operating profit fell 16% to EUR 1.354bn because of lower interested income. The bank did not give an outlook for full 2010.
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Fibre producer Lenzing said it will raise the prices of its products by at least 10% as of the next year. The move is attributed to the strong increase in raw material costs.
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C.A.T. oil said its sales grew 10.2% to EUR 65.4m in the third quarter of 2010 driven by increased oil demand and higher capacity utilisation. The EBIT however fell 19% to EUR 9m. The company confirmed its full-year forecast for sales of between EUR 215m and EUR 225m.
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Austria's financial market authority prolonged its ban on short sale of shares of Erste Group, Raiffeisen Bank International, Uniqa and Vienna Insurance Group until May 31, 2011.
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Standard and Poor's improved its long-term credit rating on Atrium European Real Estate to BB from BB-, with a "stable" outlook. The short-term rating was maintained at B.
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Austria's purchasing managers index, measured by Bank Austria, fell slightly to 55.2 points in November. It however still shows growth as it stands above the 50 point threshold. The index was supported by the strong order volume at the industry, which is leading to growth in employment.
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Builder Porr said it has received an order to construct the biggest stadium in Libya. The total volume of the contract stands at EUR 200m. The order will be implemented together with Turkish Renaissance, in a joint venture with Libyan Investment Development Company.
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Austria's vegetable production fell 1% to 589,600 tonnes in 2010, Statistik Austria reported. The production however rose 7% compared to the long-term average.

In BG Cinemas from Nov 26

Следващите три дни/The Next Three Days - The latest Russell Crowe thriller does not boast any substantial qualities, but at least has the merit of being entertaining throughout most of its running time. And despite heavily influenced by classics such as The Fugitive, it offers one or two surprises on the way. In other words, it is the second Crowe movie of the year (the other being Robin Hood) which though hated by critics is worth its two hours. In addition, we will see Elizabeth Banks (remember her?) in a major role in quite a long time. Forum Film
Trailer 

German chart comments - Issue date - 26.11.2010

While IZ marks a second month atop the German singles chart, it's up to Bruno Mars and his first solo single to challenge the crown. "Just The Way You Are", which already hits number one in UK and USA, was always destined to be a huge hit in Germany and by entering at #2 cements the song status as one of the global hits of 2010. It improves by far the performance of Mars' other appearances in the chart as a guest singer for B.o.B. ("Nothin’ on You" reached #22) and Travie McCoy ("Billionaire" peaked at #16).
Video
The next new entry of the week comes in at #9. Edita Abdieski is the first winner of the German X Factor edition and as I've heard the show impact in Germany has nothing to do with the success of Deutschland sucht den Superstar. Nevertheless, "I've Come To Life" succeeds to penetrate the top ten with almost zero promotion (it had no video at the time the chart was calculated) and manages to turn the music fans attention to the singer (at least mine). Time will tell, whether the current rotation on VIVA will have any impact on the sales.
Video
The #17 sees the return of US rap star Nelly to the chart after a two-year absence. Not only that but Nelly hasn't been in the top 20 since "Nasty Girl" in 2005. His biggest hit in Germany is of course the number one smash "Dilemma" but perhaps it is more interesting that the man has four songs which peaked at #8 in the country.
Video
Further down the countdown, rock band (is this rock really?) Linking Park bring another song to the top 30, with "Waiting For The End". Despite not among the guys' best chart placements, it at least is not a complete flop as in other parts of the world.
Video
It is a shame that one of the best German bands from the last few years, Polarkreis 18, fails to enter the top 30 with its newest single, the beautiful "Unendliche Sinfonie". The song comes new at #35 and is a far cry from the number one success of "Allein Allein". The new song marks the release of the boys' fourth studio album.
Video

And the remaining new entries with videos:
#49 Victoria S - One In A Million
Video
#56 Selena Gomez & The Scene - A Year Without Rain - It's a good pop song but has the honour to be the least successful chart-entering single of Selena in Germany.
Video
#61 Tim Berg - Seek Bromance - This catchy dance track has to be higher.
Video
#67 Reamonn - Colder
Video
#77 Fabian Buch - Merry, Merry Christmas
Video

Info - Wikipedia
Videos - Youtube

Austrian economic news in a flash - 26 November 2010

Insurer Uniqa said its pretax profit soared 142.7% to EUR 103m in the first nine months of 2010, despite being burdened by EUR 98m from the bank tax in Hungary. Premium income grew 10.2% to EUR 4.7bn. The company raised its full-year pretax profit forecast to EUR 135m.
*
Motorcycle maker KTM Power Sport AG said it expects EBIT of between EUR 28m and EUR 29m for full 2010/11, up from EUR 22.4m a year earlier. The growth will be because of improved business development in October and September.
*
Vienna Insurance Group said it has closed the full takeover of Dutch TBIH. VIG first bought into TBIH in 2006.
*
Hotel group Vienna International said it expects revenues of some EUR 180m for full 2010, up from EUR 134.8m for 2009. The utilisation at all hotels is extremely good, a spokesperson told APA news agency.
*
The Turkish antitrust authorities have approved the takeover of local Petrol Ofisi by oil and gas group OMV. However, further green lights are still pending, OMV said.
*
Catering company Do&Co has set the issue price for its current capital hike at EUR 21.90 apiece, expecting to raise about EUR 40m from the transaction. The shares will be listed on the Istanbul stock exchange and will widen the firm's free float to 47% from 19%.
*
Raaba-based machinery group AE&E Austria GmbH & Co KG, part of insolvent A-Tec, has also filed for insolvency. The company's liabilities are estimated at EUR 227m and it has assets of EUR 119m. The insolvency will affect around 600 suppliers and 376 employees. The insolvency proceedings were opened on Friday. AE&E Austria has enough funds to continue operating for the next 90 days and currently talks with three interested buyers are currently being held.

Austrian economic news in a flash - 25 November 2010

Austrian machinery group Hirsch Servo AG closed the first quarter of its 2010/11 fiscal year with a pretax profit of EUR 0.23m, compared to a loss of EUR 1.31m a year earlier. Sales rose 27% to EUR 25.1m. The company said it has agreed on extension of its bank loan terms.
*
Sparkassen Immobilien AG posted a net profit of EUR 1.3m for the first nine months of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 71.6m in the same period last year. The company's income grew to EUR 126.2m from EUR 112.1m. S Immo said it sees growth chances in Austria and Germany and is examining currently new projects and acquisitions.
*
The supervisory board of OMV has expressed its support for the company's CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer, despite the investigation against the latter on suspicion of inside trading. 
*
EnerjiSA Gruppe, the Turkish joint venture of utility Verbund, has filed offers for the buy of three power grids in the country. A total of 15 companies are interested in the privatisation of the grids.
*
Japanese KDDI is said to be interested in IT services provider S&T, Format reported. According to the weekly, currently the stake of insolvent AvW in S&T, as well as shares of S&T, are being offered for sale.

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 24

Top Story
Real estate company conwert said its net profit soared 112% to EUR 45.4m in the first three quarters of 2010. EBIT rose 51% to EUR 45.4m. All segments have contributed to the positive results, the firm said. The rental income rose 10% to EUR 131.3m.
*
Top Story 
SW Umwelttechnik said its sales rose 15% to EUR 54.2m in the first nine months of the year. EBIT grew by EUR 3.4m to EUR 0.9m, thus returning to a profit figure compared to the same period last year. The company sees good growth chances in Hungary and Romania.
*
Vienna Insurance Group has decided to postpone the issue of an up to EUR 500m bond. A spokesman for the insurer told APA news agency that the company was not in hurry and would observe the market development.
*
Top Story 
Austria's competition authorities have green lighted the merger between local Bwin and UK PartyGaming. Germany has also approved the transaction and it is seen completing at the start of 2011.
*
Top Story 
Insolvent industrial holding A-Tec has opened insolvency proceedings also against its subsidiary, technology group AE&E. The proceeds from the sale of AE&E's assets will be used for covering the liabilities of the parent. The move follows days of intensive speculations over the sale of AE&E. The subsidiary, with annual sales of around EUR 1.8bn, employs 5,000.

*
Standard & Poors has improved the outlook on the ratings of Erste Bank and its Czech subsidiary Ceska to "stable" from "negative". The long- and short-term ratings of Erste were kept at A and A-, respectively.
*
Top Story 
Real estate developer CA Immo posted a net profit of EUR 13.5m for the first three quarters of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 78.3m a year earlier when the firm was hit by large-scale write-offs. The company sees a continuation of the positive trends by the end of the year.
*
Top Story 
Verbund managed to place 39.215m new shares in its latest capital hike, at an issue price of EUR 25.50. This will result in proceeds of about EUR 1bn to be used for capital structure improvement and the utility's long-term investment plan. The Austrian state used its subscription rights in full in order to retain the mandatory stake of 51% in the firm.
*

Austria's production index for industry and construction fell 1.6% in monthly terms in September, Statistik Austria reported. The index rose 3.6% in annual comparison.
*
The number of overnight stays in Austria grew 1.3% to 62.47m in May to October,
which was a record-high result since 1995, Statistik Austria said. The number of tourists
grew 3.9% to 17.91m.

Austrian economic news in a flash - 23 November 2010

Meinl Bank has filed a claim for around EUR 1.2bn in damages against its former affiliate Atrium. The latter said it will now examine how to react to the suit. Meinl Bank is accusing Atrium's management and its shareholders that they had harmed investors with the decision to abandon a capital hike and to convert a bond into Atrium's shares.
*
ECO Business Immobilien AG, subsidiary of Conwert, said it posted a net profit of EUR 9.1m for the first three quarters of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 8.2m a year earlier. The company expects an increase in full-2010 profit and EBIT. The rental income decreased to EUR 41.1m due to properties sale in the first nine months of the year. ECO Business' income from divestments soared to EUR 4.3m due to the sale of the prominent Opernringhof building in Vienna's downtown. The company said it does not need refinancing by the end of 2010.
*
Michael Häupl, Vienna's mayor, has confirmed to Austria's daily Heute that at least one of the executive board members of Vienna Airport will have to take responsibility for the scandal around the ever-swelling costs at the Skylink terminal expansion project. The supervisory board of the company will discuss this Wednesday on the matter. Vienna owns around 20% in the airport operator.
*
Bulgaria's foreign minister Nickolay Mladenov has expressed the country's commitment to the OMV-lead Nabucco gas pipeline project, which will diversify the gas supply in Europe and lower the dependency on Russian imports.
*
Austria's Audit Court has recommended a capital increase for Vienna Airport due to the growth in its net liabilities to EUR 613.9m and the planned investments of above EUR 1.28bn, Standard reported. The court also said the entire management board is responsible for the Skylink terminal project, but its stop was decided by CFO Ernest Gabmann alone, the paper added.
*
The number of used car registrations in Austria decreased 4.4% year-on-year to 74,166, Statistics Austria reported. In monthly comparison the fall was 9.9%.

German chart comments in brief

After storming the charts all over the world, Bruno Mars is spreading his dominance over Germany as well, with his smash "Just The Way You Are" entering in the top 3. It's not that he managed to take the crown...

Further down the top 10, Edita Abdieski, the first winner at the German version of X Factor, makes a respectful though not remarkable debut.

US rapper Nelly also returns to the top 20, while rock (?) band Linkin Park barely make it to the top 30.

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 22

Atrium Real Estate said it posted a pretax profit of EUR 120.3m for the first nine months of the year, compared to a loss of EUR 374.5m a year earlier, due to the stabilisation of the markets in CEE. The net rental income rose 12.8% to EUR 100.2m. The board has decided to raise the annual dividends to EUR 0.14 per share.

*
Pankl Racing Systems AG said it raised its net profit to EUR 3.3m for fiscal 2009/10, from EUR 1.2m a year earlier. Sales went down 2% to EUR 87.55m, the company said confirming already released preliminary results. The figures show the success of the implemented revamp measures, Pankl added.

*
Real estate firm Immofinanz needs EUR 760m for refinancing of its bonds, CEO Eduard Zehetner told Kurier. He further said the company's stock is currently considerably undervalued and Immofinanz will stick to its dividend plans as long as the refinancing of its convertible bonds is secured. Zehetner also added that he was certain the company would avoid the fate of industrial holding A-Tec, which had to declare insolvency after failing to serve its bonds.
*
Austrian Airlines said it will refit part of its medium-haul fleet with new seats produced by Recaro Aircraft Seating. The new seats will be lighter and will result in additional space on the planes, as well as less fuel and bring more comfort to the passengers. In addition, AUA said it is cancelling its savings programmes in regard on-board catering. 
*
Troubled bank ÖVAG said it managed to return to the profit zone, with a net result of EUR 56.6m in the first nine months of the year, after a loss of EUR 488m a year earlier. The company's 2009 results were hit by write-offs of some EUR 607m. ÖVAG predicts a pretax profit in the high double digit million range for full 2010.
*
Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited has placed a EUR 42m order with Siemens Austria for the production of 35 trailer cars for the city's elevated rapid transit system. In addition, Siemens will participate in the electrification of the line's extension.

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 19

Fire fighting vehicles maker Rosenbauer said it raised its net profit 28.2% to EUR 25m in the first nine months of 2010. EBIT grew 22.4% to EUR 33.3m. Sales went up 12.5% to EUR 374.4m and the company said it projects sales of above EUR 600m for full 2010, as well as a record-high EBIT result.
*
Fibre producer Lenzing AG plans to carry out a share split at a one-to-seven ratio and has invited its shareholders to vote on the move on December 10. 
*
Wiener AutoBank AG has started trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with an initial share price of EUR 2.50, which corresponded to the share's set issue price. With the proceeds from the IPO, the company aims to boost its equity basis.
*
OMV wants to make Turkey its third business hub, CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer said. Therefore, currently there are talks over the company's participation in the planned Ceyhan refinery in southern Turkey. The country is to act as a bridge towards northern Iraq and the Caspian region, the CEO added.
*
The talks for the sale of AE&E, a subsidiary of insolvent A-Tec, to Hong Kong-based Mass Financial Corp have collapsed, Wiener Zeitung reported. The reason for the withdrawal of MFC was the lack of time for a detailed review at the situation at AE&E. Furthermore, it became clear that the discussions with Austrian investor Ronny Pecik and the Christof group have also fallen through. However, A-Tec's creditor committee is still confident that there would be a solution securing the group's future.
*
TUI Austria has completed the takeover of GEO Reisen, based in Salzburg, in a move to boost its sales network in the country.
*
Bank für Tirol und Vorarlber, or BTV, said its pretax profit for the first three quarters of 2010 rose 12.5% to EUR 47.7m, while the result of Bank für Kärnten und Steiermark, or BKS, grew 12.2% to EUR 35.8m. The two banks are part of the 3-Banken-Gruppe.
*
The food production business of Austrian renowned firm Meinl will most probably be transferred to a foreign country, Trend magazine reported. The jam production will be relocated to Trentino-Alto Adige, while the coffee production may be also transferred to Italy, Marcel Löffler, CEO of Julius Meinl Industrieholding, said. He, however, rejected that the company was in need of a capital injection of some EUR 40m to EUR 50m.
*
Austria's industrial production index rose 3.3% year-on-year in September 2010, boosted by the prices of intermediate goods, Statistik Austria reported. In a monthly comparison, the index grew 0.3%.

In BG Cinemas from Nov 19

Хари Потър и даровете на смъртта: Част 1 (2010)/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I  - As I'm a huge fan not only of the Harry Potter books but also of the films (all six of them I've watched four-five times each on the big screen), I was more than glad when I heard that Warner Bros wanted to divide the last instalment into two parts, with the idea being that every character would get the end he/she/it deserves. Come November 2010 and the first part is already in the cinemas, and though it's not a bad movie, not at all, I'd lie if I say that I don't feel betrayed by Warner and the film's creators. Minor spoilers ahead... So what about the promised ends - where was the Dursleys farewell, a tiny, but crucial nice element in the book, why was the Hedwig death only a blink and you'll miss it event, where was the death of Madeye Moody and what the hell happened to Wormtail? And having in mind that crucial elements of the Dumbledore and Severus Snape backstories, which were in the first part of the book, were skipped, that doesn't bode well for the second chapter (at least in terms of script)... But, as I really cannot hate an HP movie, and perhaps I'm a little too harsh as the things are coming to their close and my expectations were different and too high, I have to point out to the good aspects of Deathly Hallows Part One. First of all - many scenes are great - the seven Potters transformation, the break into the Ministry of Magic, the will of Dumbledore, the Dobby farewell, the destroying of the medallion... but most of all - every single scene in the Malfoy Mansion was excellent. And once again the baddies had the meaty roles, doing best with the too-short screen time they had, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes were great as always, but Helena Bonham Carter once again proved as if the role of Bellatrix Lestrange was written especially for her. Another things on the plus side - the cinematography was superb, the new music of Alexandre Desplat (despite the lack of legend John Williams) was a worthy addition to the Potter universe and the chemistry between the three leads is perfect. And we should not forget that the story of the Deathly Hallows and the three brothers was displayed wonderfully with animation. To sum it up - if you are not a Potter fan by now, don't expect this to convert you, if you are a big Potter fan - leave your expectations at the front door and enjoy it, because sadly there is only one to go...
* And as I'm going to watch it several times in the next weeks, perhaps I'll change my mind on some of the flaws of the movie... Alexandra
Trailer

Пак ли ти?/You Again - The latest comedy from Disney comes heavy on the big stars - Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver together!, and according to some of my friends, heavy on the laughs. Most of the critics say otherwise, but I still haven't watched it to have a definite opinion. At least, I'm certain, that despite the lack of any profundity, the title will make you smile for an hour and a half. Forum Film 
Trailer

German chart comments - Issue date - 19.11.2010

It seems that no-one has the power for the time being to remove IZ from the top of the German singles chart, where the singer from Hawaii stands for a seventh week in a row. The biggest news in the top three is the #22-#3 jump of Empire Of The Sun's "We Are The People". As I wrote last week, the song, now some two years old, was used in an advertisement, which as it seems triggered a huge demand and managed to propel it to the upper reaches of the countdown. We may say a lot of negative things about the influence of TV on music consumption these days, but when the song is actually this good, who cares?
Video

Two new singles enter the chart in its top ten. First of them is Pink, whose "Raise Your Glass" marks the release of the superstar first best of album. As a record, it is a typical Pink song, with more or less a typical Pink video. But actually the formula works for yet another time, as "Raise Your Glass" is Pink's twelfth top ten single in Germany.
Video

A place behind Pink, at #6, comes another global superstar, in the face of Shakira. Her previous single "Waka Waka" is currently battling for the crown of the best selling song in Germany for 2010, while her latest "Loca" comes from the freshly released "Sale El Sol" LP. It is Shakira's ninth top ten single in Germany.
 Video

As they were deprived from the #1 spot in their native UK, the boys from Take That also fail to bring their latest single "The Flood" in the top 10 in Germany. We all know what is the special about the song,  as it includes the vocals of Robbie Williams for the first time after he left the group 15 years ago. Still, this, unfortunately, was not enough to result in enormous sales for the great song and it charts new at #12. As a matter of fact, after their reunion in 2006, Take That had only one top ten single in Germany with the number-one "Patience", while Mr. Williams continues to be one of the biggest stars in the country, far more successful than in the UK. Nevertheless, we can be sure that the latest album of the guys will be sold in enormous quantities in Germany as it broke records in UK.
Video

The next new entry comes in at #17 from Eminem, whose previous offering "Love the Way You Lie" was (and is still) a big hit in Germany. His lastest, "No Love", comes on the waves of a lot of criticism on how Eminem has handled the 90s eurodance classic "What Is Love" by Haddaway. Thus, depending on your point of view, you will hate it or love it. And, surprisingly Haddaway was never number one in Germany...
Video

At #24 we can find "Who Owns My Heart", the latest offering by teen sensation Miley Cyrus. She may be adored by children and teens all around the world, but Miley has only three top 30 singles in Germany, with this being one of them...
Video

Further down the chart, German legend Nena brings her latest single at #39. "Haus Der Drei Sonnen" is a collaboration with Peter Heppner and is a remake of a Nena single from 1985. The new version is included in Nena's forthcoming best of album and at least manages to improve on the original's #43 peak.
Video

And the rest new entries are:

#47 Yann Tiersen - Comptine D'Un Autre Été, L'Après Midi - Taken from the soundtrack of Ameli, I guess an advertisement or a casting show is the reason behind its entry now (Oh, sometimes I wish to live in Germany to know such details...)
Video
#51 Fettes Brot - Amsterdam - A great song, check it out!
Video
#78 The Wombats - Tokyo - The first song of the UK band to enter the German charts.
Video
#81 Remady feat. Lumidee - No Superstar
Video
#84 Afrojack feat. Eva Simons - Take Over Control - Great party track
Video
#89 Brings - Wir Wollen Niemals Auseinander Geh'n
Video
#90 Wir Sind Helden - Bring Mich Nach Hause
Video
#94 My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
Video

Austrian economic news in a flash - 18 November 2010

Steel specialist Voestalpine posted a net profit of EUR 250m for the first half of fiscal 2010/11, compared to the losses it booked a year earlier. The EBIT soared to EUR 441m from EUR 42.7m. Sales went up 24.2% to EUR 5.19bn. The company projects a doubling of its EBIT to EUR 352m for full fiscal year. All company's divisions contributed to the growth in the first six months of the year.
*
Online bookmaker Bwin slipped to a net loss of EUR 6m for the third quarter of 2010 from EUR 7.9m a year earlier, which was attributed to the market entry costs in France. The result for the first three quarters of the year decreased to EUR 8.7m from EUR 26.9m. The gross gaming revenue grew to EUR 123.3m between July and September 2010 from EUR 101m a year earlier.

*
SW Umwelttechnik AG said it has decided to cancel its planned EUR 10m bond issue, whose proceeds would have been used for expansion in Romania. The move was explained with the tough market conditions for small-scale bonds.
*
The planned merger between Bwin and UK PartyGaming is going on according to plan, Bwin's CEO Norbert Teufelberger told APA news agency. He said the companies were certain the tie-up would be completed at the end of the first quarter of 2011. Bwin will not give a concrete forecast for full 2010, the manager added.
*
Siemens AG Oesterreich and Zagreb-based Elektrokem d.o.o. will provide the electronic signalboxes and the outdoor installation for the main motorway in the Croatian capital. The order volume stands at EUR 10.4m, of which Siemens Austria will get over EUR 5m.
*
The executive board of oil and gas group OMV, as well as its works council, expressed their support for OMV's CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer. The latter was accused of insider trading prior to the company's exit from the capital of Hungarian MOL.
*
OMV said it has agreed to divest 56 of its filling stations in the German states of Thuringia and Saxony to a subsidiary of Polish PKN Orlen. No financial details were given.

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 17

Top Story
Post AG said its sales decreased 0.6% to EUR 1.713bn in the first nine months of 2010. The company's EBIT rose 1.2% to EUR 94.8m. Post AG said it expects its full 2010 sales to be by around 1% to 2% below the 2009 level, while the EBIT is seen almost unchanged.
*
Top Story

Vienna's prosecution plans to launch a suit against OMV's CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer, accusing him of insider trading. The case concerns the acquisition of shares in OMV just before the company's exit from the capital of Hungarian sector player MOL. Now OMV's supervisory board will have to decide whether to keep Ruttenstorfer at his post. The latter told APA news agency he believed that the transaction was legal at the time of its doing.
*
Real estate company Warimpex posted a net profit of EUR 4.77m for the first three quarters of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 98.19m a year earlier. Boosted by three new hotels, the revenue grew 21% to EUR 75.22m. The company also said it wants to issue a bond of around 300m Polish zloty. 
*
Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment said its sales grew 14% to EUR 215.2m in the first three quarters of the year. The net profit went up 28.5% to EUR 17.4m.
*

Builder Strabag said it had completely taken over h s energieanlagen Österreich (Wien) in a move to strengthen its activities in the field of environmental technology. The company will bear the name Strabag Energietechnik in the future.
*
Telekom Austria has acquired the privatisation documents regarding the sale of 51% in Serbian Telekom Srbija. Apart from Telekom Austria, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom have also expressed their interest.
*
Notebook maker Quanmax AG said it had received a EUR 3.3m order for simulation terminals from an international industrial company. The order will be processed next year.
*
Linz Textil Holding AG said its pretax profit grew to EUR 7.2m in the first three quarters of 2010 from EUR 1.5m a year earlier boosted by the sale of used machinery. Sales rose to EUR 106.5m from EUR 89m.
*

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 16

Fibre producer Lenzing said its net profit soared to EUR 128m for the first three quarters of 2010 from EUR 30.6m a year earlier. Sales grew to EUR 1.29bn from EUR 885m. The results were mainly boosted by the celluloise fibre production.
*
Cardboard maker Mayr-Melnhof said its first three quarter sales in 2010 rose 10.9% to EUR 1.32bn. The net profit went up 3.6% to EUR 83.2m. The company predicts good utilisation at its two core divisions by the end of 2010.
*
Rubber specialist Semperit AG said its net profit increased 14.2% to EUR 34.3m in the first nine months of 2010. Sales grew 17.3% to EUR 519.3m. In view of the good order backlog, the firm expects a satisfactory development in terms of sales and earnings by the end of 2010.
*
Machinery group Binder + Co AG said its sales decreased 15% to EUR 40.71m in the first three quarters of 2010. EBIT went down 14% to EUR 4.08m. The order intake collapsed by 50% for the period.
*
Austria's annual inflation rate grew to 2% in Octover from 1.9% in September, boosted by higher fuel prices. Prices went up 0.2% in monthly terms.The EU-harmonised price consumer index increased to 1.9% from 1.7%.
*
Oberbank said its operating profit grew 23.6% to EUR 176m in the first nine months of 2010. The results brought the bank to its pre-crisis business levels, it said. The firm plans to continue its branch expansion in 2011.
*
Steel specialist Voestalpine has agreed on the set-up of a joint venture with Al-Mobty which will operate a plant in the Gulf region. Initially around EUR 3m will be invested in the site, which will produce railway tracks in Saudi Arabia.
*

AutoBank has placed 1.89m shares and will start trading on the Entry Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as of November 19. Proceeds from the transaction stood at EUR 4.725m.

German chart comments in brief

Take That's latest album may be selling huge quantities as we speak*, but the guys first single together with Robbie Williams in 15 years is actually not setting the charts on fire. Expect to see it just outside the top ten in Germany, while the latest singles of Pink and Shakira enter straight among the first ten. Girls power to the max...


And Iz is not going away easily, despite the #22-#3 jump of "We Are The People" of Empire of the Sun, more than two years after its initial release. And who doubts that TV is not ruling the world?

*On the first day of its release Take That's latest album sold over 235,000 copies across the UK, becoming the fastest selling record of the century... The lead single was however stopped by Rihanna to take the number one sport in the UK charts...


(Full German charts to be published this Friday)

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 15

Top Story
Regional utility EVN said it had successfully completed its capital hike. Existing shareholders have subscribed for 58.7% of the total issued shares of above 16m, while institutional investors bought 40.5%. German EnBW, the second biggest single shareholder in EVN, as expected did not take part in the transaction.
*
Top Story
The negotiations between insolvent A-Tec and its creditor banks over the company's refinancing have more or less collapsed, a spokesman for the creditor committee told Austria's APA agency. However, now there will be a "plan b" which involves the sale of A-Tec's most attractive unit, machinery company AE&E. A solution should be found by the end of the week, he added, saying that there are already suitors for the subsidiary. Austrian technology group Andritz is said to be among the interested parties. According to a report of WirtschaftsBlatt, a company from Hong Kong is the most possible buyer for AE&E.
*
C-Quadrat Investment AG said its net profit grew to EUR 9.3m for the first three quarters of 2010, from EUR 3m a year earlier. The total income rose to EUR 40.8m from EUR 24.4m. Assets under management soared to EUR 3.04bn from EUR 2.66bn.

*
Software company Plaut AG has opened an office in Moscow at the start of November. It would be the fifth office of Plaut in CEE.
*


Sugar, starch and fruit group Agrana will invest EUR 11m in the construction of a crystallised sugar silo at its site in Tulln. The facility should start operations in October 2011.
*
Tridonic, part of lighting company Zumtobel, launched its first LED assembly line at Fürstenfeld. The annual production capacity will be around 12m LED modules, while the investment stands at about EUR 1.5m.
*
Bank Austria's economists confirmed their forecasts for economic growth of 1.9% in 2010 and said they predict a rise of 2% in 2011. The current sentiment of consumers and industrial companies is as good as it was before three years, the specialists said. Consumers are feeling the effect of the lower unemployment rate, while the companies are benefiting from the demand abroad.

*The stock CA Immo International AG traded this Monday for the last time on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The delisting comes after the merger of the company with its parent CA Immobilien Anlagen AG. The latter will continue trading on the market.
*

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 12

Waste-to-biofuel firm BDI BioEnergy International AG said its net profit soared 136% to EUR 2.6m for the first three quarters of 2010. Sales grew 34.1% to EUR 29.1m. The company added it projects a positive outcome of 2010 due to the nine-month results and the current order backlog.

*
Water technology group BWT said its net profit decreased 9.7% to EUR 20m in the first nine months of 2010. EBIT rose 7.6% to EUR 26.5m, while sales went up 16.3% to EUR 345.2m. The developments in Spain and eastern Europe continue to be unsatisfactory, while the strikes in France put a risk on the economic conditions in France, the company said.

*
Raiffeisen Bank International is said to be bidding for Polish Polbank, currently part of Greek EFG Eurobank, a report of Financial Times showed. Intesa and French BNP Paribas has also submitted offers of between USD 600m and USD 800m, the paper added.
*
Austria produced 237,700 tonnes of desert fruit in 2010, a fall of 10% compared to 2009 but still around the long-term average, Statistics Austria said. Apples took the first place with 197,400 tonnes, down 12% in yearly terms.

In BG Cinemas from Nov 12

Неудържим (2010) / Unstoppable (САЩ) - Who am I to argue that a film with a rating of above 86% in RottenTomatoes is actually bad? Nevertheless, I may be a minority but cannot say that Unstoppable was one of the stupidest movies of the year. Yes, it has a high-speed train as an antagonist, yes, visually the film is stunning, the editing is perfect (though I had a headache afterwards), the story, based on real events, is okay, but what Unstoppable lacked was a heart and worst of all there was no tension at all. And the climax was just an anticlimax, they easily could have started the chase with it. And let's say it directly - an unmanned train is not a villain, it is not a shark or a truck with a mad driver, it's just a f*cking machine. And don't get me started about the empty characters and the whole American heroes thing... Alexandra

Trailer 

 

неЧЕСТНА ИГРА (2010) / Fair Game (САЩ) - Definitely the more intelligent choice of the week, Fair Game is not an easy watch as after all it is a story about the Iraq war, the US  policy and the mechanisms of mass media. However, the story is interesting, pumps with a lot of tension and shows real human beings doing real staff. Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are perfect, and despite that the film has one or two dragging moments, it has to be watched and lessons have to be drawn. Tandem

Trailer 

 

And the movie of all movies is coming :) 

 

Austrian economic news in a flash - 11 November 2010

Top Story
Vienna Airport said the number of served passengers in October grew 11.4% on the year to 1.828m. Due to the 8.6% growth for the first ten months of 2010, Vienna Airport improved its full-year forecast to 9% increase in the passenger traffic.
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Top Story
Crane maker Palfinger said it recorded EBIT of EUR 22.4m for the first three quarters of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 6.1m a year earlier. Sales grew 19.5% to EUR 464.9m. The company projects a sales increase of 20% and considerably positive earnings for full 2010.
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Top Story

Treibacher Industrieholding, the parent of Treibacher Industrie AG, has bought the 29% stake of collapsed AvW Gruppe in technology company Binder+Co. The stake was worth some EUR 16m, or EUR 14.60 per share.
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Top Story

Builder Porr said its output decreased 3.9% to EUR 2.04bn in the first three months of 2010. The company's order intake for the period fell 18% to EUR 1.76bn, while the order backlog stood at EUR 2.4bn, down 7%.
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High Tech Industries AG (HTI) said it booked EBIT of EUR 3.3m for the first nine months of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 21.4m a year earlier. Sales went up 6% to EUR 143.2m. The company forecasts a sales rise to EUR 200m for full 2010, as well as positive EBIT.
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Sweets maker Manner said its sales went down 1.4% to EUR 110.8m in the first three quarters of the year. The decrease was attributed to the weak first quarter. The company also has to fight with high raw material costs, especially those for cacao and hazelnuts. Manner projects a fall in its full-year sales.
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Refractory material maker Rath said it posted EBIT of EUR 867,000 for the first nine months of 2010, compared to a loss of EUR 65,000 a year ago. Sales decreased to EUR 54.48m from EUR 55.88m. The company said it was early for 2011 forecasts and the uncertainties on the markets continued to be huge.
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The Frauenthal holding said its sales increased 17.8% to EUR 395.9m in the first three quarters of the year. The company turned a net profit of EUR 9.3m, compared to a loss of EUR 25.1m in the same period last year. Frauenthal said further it hopes to end 2010 in the black if the economic conditions did not deteriorate considerably in the last quarter.
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Real estate company UBM, part of builder Porr, raised its pretax profit to EUR 7.5m in the first nine months of 2010 from EUR 7.1m a year ago. The increase was due to growth in margins and cost efficiency. Revenue decreased to EUR 173.4m from EUR 205.9m because of reduced project sales.
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Regional utility Vorarlberger Kraftwerke AG (VKW) said its profit fell to EUR 33.3m in the first three quarters of 2010 from EUR 33.3m a year earlier. Sales decreased by EUR 33.7m to EUR 314.7m. VKW projects its full-year profit to be more-or-less comparable to the 2009 one.
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Sports items producer Head said it booked a net loss of EUR 913,000 for the first three quarters of 2010, compared to a profit of EUR 24.4m a year earlier. The company said the 2009 results were boosted by the profits from a bond exchange offer. Sales rose 5.7% to EUR 218.4m in the first nine months of the current year.
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Andreas Treichl, CEO of Erste Group, has sold 25,000 shares in the bank. The manager earned around 838,000 from the transaction.

German chart comments - Issue date - 12.11.2010

Still no changes at the top of the German singles chart, where IZ stays for a sixth week in a row with his "Over The Rainbow". Rihanna has to please herself with the runner-up position for yet another week, while the biggest new entry of the week comes in at #3. Dance project Duck Sauce, formed by Armand Van Helden and A-Track, has already made "Barbra Steisand" one of the most successful dance hits of the autumn and now its time for Germany to accommodate the song in its singles chart. The single samples Boney M's "Gotta Go Home" number one hit from 1979, which in its turn was based on "Hallo Bimmelbahn" of German band Nighttrain from 1973.
Video
Not much going on further in the top 10, with Aloe Blacc's "I Need A Dollar" reaching another peak at #4 (it's definitely one of the most surprising hits of the year), while Leona drops only four positions showing that the song may stay in the upper reaches of the chart long after the initial interest caused by Das Supertalent show has passed.
In the top 20 it is good to see Alphaville dropping by only two positions, which may result in a well deserved longevity of its chart presence.
At #22 we have another TV-triggered re-entry coming from Australian band Empire Of The Sun. "We Are The People", a great song as it is, initially reached only #65 in Germany but Deutsche Telekom has decided to use it in its Christmas advertising campaign in 2010. Thus, the single with ease breaks into the top thirty this time around.
Video
The second highest new entry comes from US rocker Kid Rock at #34. "Born Free", the pilot single from Kid's latest album of the same name, manages to become his third most successful song in Germany, trailing only the #26 peak of "American Bad Ass" and the number-one smash "All Summer Long".
Video
Next at #36 enters Adam Lambert, whose "Whataya Want from Me" is already one of the hits of the year, peaking at #5 in Germany. "If I Had You", albeit not a flop, shows that something went wrong this time around as the singer has a lot of potential, but unfortunately for now can be considered as a "one-hit wonder". And I hope I'll be proven wrong in the future.
Video
In the top fifty, it's worth mentioning that Mathias Reim jumps 20 places to #41, simultaneously with the entry of his latest album in the LP chart. The man is best known with his 1990 smash "Verdammt ich lieb dich" which spent ages at the top of the singles chart.
Video - classic
At #43 and #44 we can find two quite different new entries coming from DJ Otzi (Austria's biggest star in the last ten years (unfortunately)), whose "Ich Will Mit Dir Fliegen" for now turns to be among his lesser singles, while a position behind it enters French DJ (yes, he is, unlike Otzi, a real DJ) Martin Solveig with "Hello", a collaboration with Canadian band Dragonette.
Video - Otzi
Video - Solveig
At #55 Gossip bring a fourth single in the German charts but like the other two before it, "Men In Love" is nothing compared to "Heavy Cross". The latter this week jumps again to #38 from #45 ...
Video
Only two new entries in the top 100. The first of them is at #78 from the one and only Cheryl Cole. She may have a second solo album in UK, but in Germany the promotion still concerns the first one. "Parachute" is the third single taken from it, and despite being the best if you ask me, has the bad luck to be a complete flop compared to the #4-hit "Fight for This Love" and the #27 peak of "3 Words".
Video
It's bad luck also for Danish singer Aura Dione, whose third single "Something from Nothing" enters at #90 and that compared to the #1 success of "I Will Love You Monday" and the #12 peak of "Song for Sophie" is a real shame...
Video

Austrian economic news in a flash - 10 November 2010

Telekom Austria said its net profit rose 31% to EUR 257m for the first three quarters of 2010. Sales, however, decreased 3.9% to EUR 3.48bn. While there was growth in the number of mobile phone clients, that of fixed line users stagnated at 2.3m. The company projects sales of EUR 4.7bn and EBITDA of between EUR 1.60bn and EUR 1.65bn for full 2010. The shareholders will receive a dividend of at least EUR 0.75.
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OMV said its sales grew by around 20% to EUR 5.673bn in the third quarter of 2010, but the company's EBIT decreased 29% to EUR 395m. The net profit declined 47% to EUR 149m. OMV's CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer said he was optimistic for the full 2010 business as the company managed to continue its solid operating performance between July and September 2010.
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Bookmaker Betbull has relocated its headquarters from London to Vienna as of November 6. As of November 25, Betbull's shares will start trading on the "other securities" segment of the Vienna bourse.
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German finance services provider AWD said its EBIT-loss decreased to EUR 4.1m in the first three quarters of 2010 from EUR 16.8m a year earlier in the region of Austria and CEE. Revenue rose 1.7% to EUR 53m. The company said its aim is to return to profitability.
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A consortium with the participation of Strabag has won a motorway construction order in Romania worth EUR 220.6m. The contract concerns a 33 km stretch between Deva and Orastie in central Romania.
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Erste Group is considering the takeover of another bank in Serbia in order to boost its presence there, CEO Andreas Treichl told a local daily. He, however, gave no concrete details.
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Austrian economic news in a flash - 9 November 2010

Top Story
Vaccine developer Intercell said it doubled its net loss to EUR 50.9m in the first nine months of 2010, from EUR 25.9m a year earlier. Sales decreased 28.4% to EUR 21.1m. The increase in losses was due to the increasing R&D costs and currency effects. Intercell projects a loss of EUR 40m for full 2010.
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Top Story
Vienna Insurance Group said its net profit rose 10.6% to EUR 291m for the first three quarters of the year. Premium income went up 7.1% to EUR 6.5bn. The insurer confirmed its outlook of at least 10% increase in pretax profit for full 2010. For 2011 Vienna Insurance projects the same growth in pretax profit as well as a one-digit rise in premiums.
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Top Story
PC game developer JoWooD said both its net loss and loss from ordinary operations stood at EUR 20.6m for the first half of 2010. Sales came in at 2.596m. The results are under the Austrian regulations and not under the International Financial Reporting Standards. The latter will be published at the end of November. JoWooD is before a capital reduction aiming to cover the high losses.
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Top Story
Austrian Airlines raised the number of transported passengers by 10.2% in the first ten months of 2010. In October alone AUA serviced 990,100 passengers, up 8.4% in annual terms. The development has shown that the company's focus on regular flights has paid off, AUA said.
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Top Story
Verbund has officially started its capital increase of EUR 1bn. With the proceeds the country's largest utility aims to finance investments of up to EUR 1.9bn in the next five years. The sum will be spent for power generation and grid improvement in Austria and Germany, in addition further EUR 500m will flow for foreign subsidiaries like those in Turkey and India.
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The launched capital increase at Verbund is expected to raise the company's free float by 1% to 2%, CEO  Wolfgang Anzengruber said. This will come as a result of the decision of the regional group of utilities (Wienstrom, EVN and Tiwag) not to use their subscription rights in full.
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Vienna-listed US Century Casinos said its net gaming revenue grew 20% to USD 45.06m in the first nine months of 2010. The adjusted EBITDA was 5% higher at USD 6.53m. The revenue was boosted by the newly-launched casino in Calgary (Canada) and the new ship casinos of the company.
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Austria's exports stood at EUR 69.59bn for the first eight months of 2010, while imports came in at EUR 71.71bn, Statistics Austria said. This resulted in a foreign trade deficit of EUR 2.12bn for the period.
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Wiener Privatbank said it plans to reduce its core capital to EUR 9.07m in two stages, from EUR 33.5m currently. Via the move, the bank aims to return excess funds to the shareholders and to boost the profitability of its own capital.
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Vienna Insurance Group plans to issue a bond with a volume of up to EUR 500m. CEO Günter Geyer said that there have already been talks with the Austrian financial market authorities and the bank partner, Erste Group. He, however, gave no further details.

German chart comments in brief

"Barbra Streisand", the dance smash of Duck Sauce, becomes with ease the highest new entry in the German singles chart after storming the UK charts and the dance countdowns all over Europe.


Kid Rock also returns to the Top 100 outside the top 30, with (extremely boring) "Born Free", while Adam Lambert's sophomore single stumbles at #36. The latter should have been released earlier... 


And it's once again Israel Kamakawiwo'ole to rule them all...

(full charts to be published this Friday)

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 8

Top Story
Verbund, Austria's biggest utility, said it decided to start its EUR 1bn capital hike as of November 9. The maximum offer price is set at EUR 35 per share. Austria will have to contribute with EUR 510m to the increase in order to retain its 51% majority in the company.
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Top Story
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska will return as a shareholder in Strabag in two stages. First he will take 17% in the company but will have an option to get further 8% until July 15, 2014. In return, the Austrian builder will take a stake of 26% in road construction group Transstroy.
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Top Story
Technology group Andritz said its EBIT grew 79.4% to EUR 156.3m in the first nine months of 2010. Net profit rose to EUR 114.6m, while sales increased 5.5% to EUR 2.46bn. The company said it expects a slight rise of its 2010 sales compared to 2009, while its net profit will be positively affected by the implemented restructuring measures.
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Top Story
Caterer Do&Co has decided to launch a capital increase of 25% with an offer price of EUR 21.90. As a total, the company projects proceeds of EUR 40m from the move. Do&Co is to start a secondary listing on the Istanbul Stock Exchange as of December 2.
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Austrian Post AG celebrated on Monday the opening of its 1,000 office located at a site of one of its partners. Thus, the company has a network of 1,866 branches and plans to attract around 500 more partners in the future.
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TeleTrader Software AG posted a net loss of EUR 209,000 for the first three quarters of 2010, up from a loss of EUR 197,000 a year earlier. Sales rose 3.8% to EUR 4.99m.
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Wiener AutoBank AG said it will start trading on the entry standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as of November 19. The subscription period for the shares runs between November 8 and 16. The issue price stands at EUR 2.50. The proceeds from the move are seen at up to EUR 4.8m.
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OMV plans to finance the planned takeover of Turkish Petrol Ofisi via the issue of convertible bonds and not via new shares, Bloomberg reported quoting unnamed sources. The final decision will be taken in the next two days.
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C.A.T. oil said it plans to invest a total of EUR 150m in the next two years. Majority of the sum will be spent on the set-up of a third core business segment - onshore drilling services.
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Real estate company Immofinanz said it will buy 4.53% of its own shares as of next Friday. The share repurchasing programme will probably run until April 12, 2011.

Austrian economic news in a flash - November 5

Machinery holding company Heid AG said its sales grew to EUR 235,000 for the third quarter of 2010, from EUR 215,000 a year earlier. The order intake stood at EUR 255,000. The company projects to end 2010 with a positive performance.
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Züblin, a German subsidiary of Strabag, has received a green light from the European Commission for its joint venture with German VMT GmbH. The new company, ITC Engineering, will develop data management software for the construction sector.

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The supervisory board of Austria's biggest utility Verbund has given a green light on the firm's EUR 1bn capital increase. The Austrian state, which owns 51% in the company, as well shareholders EVN, Tiwag and Wiener Stadtwerke, will all participate in the hike. The proceeds will be used for investments in hydropower and in the grid.

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As expected German EnBW did not take part in the latest capital increase of Austrian utility EVN. Thus, the stake of EnBW was reduced to 32.5% from 35.72% before. The free float of EVN, in return, grew to 16.5% from 13%.
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Real estate company conwert said it has secured 95.76% in sector company Eco Business-Immobilien AG after the expiry of its takeover bid. For now there are three opportunities before Eco -- squeeze-out and delisting; merger with conwert or keeping of the Vienna bourse listing.
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Immofinanz opened the Gold Plaza Baia Mare shopping centre in Romania. The facility will house 100 shops and took EUR 70m in total investments.
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Road telematics specialist Kapsch TrafficCom said it has agreed on the takeover of Mark IV IVHS for USD 70m. The target company is active in North America.
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Fibre maker Lenzing said it expects EUR 1.28bn sales for the first nine months of 2010, up by 45.2%. The EBIT is seen at EUR 168.8m, an increase from EUR 54.3m a year earlier. The company will release its financial figures on 16 November.
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Austria's wholesale price index fell 0.2% month-on-month in October 2010, Statistik Austria said. In annual comparison, the index grew 7%.