EAVEX Weekly
Trading in Kyiv-listed stocks remained subdued last week, as Ukrainian companies will not be publishing their financial results for 4Q18 until March, leaving local investors with no clear stimulus for reshaping their portfolios. In major topics for the week, NaftoGaz CEO Andriy Kobolev warned that Russia may refuse to sign a new natural gas transit contract with Ukraine when the current 10-year deal expires at the end of this year. The situation also previously occurred in 2006 and 2009 - in January of both those years - putting gas supply pressure on both Europe and Ukraine. Two contracts are currently in effect between Gazprom and Naftogaz, on gas supplies to Ukraine and its transit to Europe. It appears that Moscow may cut much, if not all, of its gas transit via Ukraine if and when the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine entirely, can be successfully launched. Some 370km of this pipeline has been laid, the pipeline construction operator said in December. Gazprom CEO A
