The index of industrial production in Bulgaria increased by 14.3% in December 2021 compared to the same month last year, according to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). This is the fifth consecutive month of growth for the indicator. The monthly increase is 0.7%, according to the statistics of the calendar adjusted index. On an annual basis, the growth of industrial production, calculated from the calendar adjusted data, was reported in the production and distribution of electricity and heat and gas - by 37%, in the mining industry - by 21.4%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 8.9 %. In December an increase was registered in the manufacturing industry - by 1.6%, and a decrease in the production and distribution of electricity and heat and gas - by 2.4%, and in the mining and quarrying industry - by 0.8%, according to the NSI.

The National Statistical Institute reported another improvement in the retail trade in Bulgaria in December. For the fourth consecutive month the turnover of traders in Bulgaria is growing, as the indicator calculated on the basis of calendar adjusted data is 9.4% above the level of December 2020. According to preliminary seasonally adjusted data in December 2021 the turnover in the section "Trade retail trade, excluding trade in cars and motorcycles ”at constant prices increased by 1% compared to November. On an annual basis, the statistics report an increase in December in the turnover of: retail sale of automotive fuel and lubricants (by 13.5%), retail sale of non-food goods, except of motor fuels and lubricants (by 13%) and retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco (by 2.9%). In December, the turnover in the retail trade of automotive fuels and lubricants remained at the level of November. 

Bulgarian Posts not only does not provide a competitive service, but actually reports losses and loses market share from year to year. While the market of postal and courier services grows from BGN 571 million in 2018 to a total of BGN 678 million in 2020, Bulgarian Posts generated a loss for 2021 of BGN 13 million according to preliminary data and is progressively losing market share, which in 2020 is only 7.5%. The vision for Bulgarian Posts is to turn it into a "one-stop shop", thus offering administrative services in the company's branches. The goal is that residents of smaller towns and villages do not need to travel to the district center. According to the draft budget voted on the first reading in the parliament, almost BGN 90 million are provided for Bulgarian Posts in 2022. The state policy in the field of post offices for the period 2022-2024 is aimed at the implementation of several priorities, among which is ensuring the provision of the universal postal service and its preservation in the conditions of a liberalized market of postal services and strong growth of the use of digital achievements, at the expense of traditional postal services.

Businessmap - one of the companies in the investment portfolio of Eleven Capital, has paid a dividend to the public company in the amount of BGN 437,939.27. The company is paying a dividend to the public company for the second year in a row, the announcement said. Businessmap operates under the trademark Kanbanize, which is registered in the European Union (EU) and the US. The company operates in the field of high technology - SaaS (software as a service) and its business is B2B (business to business). The company develops and offers project management software, using the popular 'kanban' approach, which is a visual process management system that emphasizes on 'on-time delivery'. The system is used by corporate clients for their IT and other needs. According to Eleven Capital, Businessmap is one of the companies with the greatest potential for future development and increasing the value of its participation.

On February 11, 2022, the flag of the third of the new series of eight 32,150-ton bulk carriers ordered by the BMF Shipping was lifted (Laker type) at the Chinese shipyard Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding Co. This was announced by the press center of BMF Shipping. The third ship (after Kom and Bogdan) was named Perelik, making it the third in the history of the company with this name. The construction of the ship was financed with the help of the Bank of China, and the supervising classification organization is DNV. In a few days it will sail for his first cargo port - Caofeidian (China), where it will accept cargo for ports in the Great Lakes of North America. The first two ships of the new series of BMF Shipping show excellent performance and low nitrogen and carbon emissions in the exhaust gases, which is a step forward in protecting the environment and water of the planet.

The State Agency Road Safety (SARS) insists in its official statement that the state take over the toll system. Bulgaria is the only country in Europe where the collection of tolls is a loss-making activity. SARS believes that the reason is rooted in the vicious "architecture" of the system, which is overgrown with expensive intermediaries. The toll system was developed by Kapsch, operated and managed by Kapsch. The Austrian company, through a consortium of subsidiaries, won the contract for the Bulgarian electronic toll collection system. The construction of the toll network cost BGN 180 million. The amount also includes the provision of the most modern technical means for video surveillance and satellite control. The state administration (National Toll Administration) to "service" the toll system includes over 900 people. Initial training of IT experts of the National Toll Administration cost an additional BGN 140 million.

PPF Group, owner of bTV and Telenor Bulgaria, is acquiring the Croatian private media group RTL for EUR 50 million through its media division CME, the company said. The deal represents the return of CME to the Croatian market after the group sold its assets (Nova TV) in the country to Slovenia Broadband in 2018. The latter is owned by United Group, which now owns Nova TV and Vivacom in Bulgaria. The transaction is due to be approved by Croatian regulators and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.

The Spanish economy is facing one of the strangest problems that can be seen across Europe - a large number of new jobs without a significant change in gross domestic product (GDP). According to different economists, the reasons are different, but all agree on one thesis - at the moment the economic recovery is going much better than in previous crises. According to initial data from the National Statistical Institute, the Spanish economy grew by 5% in 2021, which is just under half of the decline it experienced in 2020. The government expected GDP growth to be 6.5%, but they did not come true. Most economists forecast growth of no more than 4.6%, as forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Unemployment is a problem that has traditionally plagued the local economy. Its levels from the end of 2021 are 13%, which is 10 percentage points less than in 2020. However, this figure is extremely high compared to the average for the European Union (EU) - 4.8%.

Elon Musk has repeatedly bragged (or, perhaps, complained) that he'll pay more in federal taxes for 2021 than anyone has ever paid — about $11 billion. But Tesla apparently won't pay a cent. Tesla may not plan to pay federal taxes any time in the foreseeable future -- even though the company just reported by far its most profitable year ever. In 2021, Tesla recorded net income of $5.5 billion, and adjusted income of $7.6 billion. But buried in a footnote of its recent annual financial filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla reports that its US operations lost $130 million last year on a pre-tax basis. It claims that all of its pre-tax profits — more than $6 billion worth — came from overseas operations, even though 45% of its revenue came from US sales. Although Tesla indicates its foreign tax bill came to $839 million, its state tax bill was only $9 million. And its federal tax bill was zero. "That defies common sense, but it does not defy the US tax code," said Martin Sullivan, chief economist for Tax Analysts, a nonprofit tax publisher, and an expert on US corporate tax practices.

Imagine this: the metaverse with Chinese characteristics. That’s how the virtual world that everyone’s talking about will likely look in the world’s second-largest economy. China’s technology giants are beginning to invest in the metaverse — the latest buzzword in internet technology. It’s a term with no concrete definition, but largely taken to mean virtual worlds that people will be playing and living in. Censorship will likely be rife and regulation tight as Beijing continues to keep a close check on the practices of its domestic technology firms. U.S. firms like Facebook parent Meta are going all-in on the metaverse concept, while Microsoft has positioned its proposed acquisition of gaming company Activision as a play on this theme. Chinese firms are taking a more cautious approach. In China, the total addressable market for the metaverse could be 52 trillion yuan, or around $8 trillion, Morgan Stanley said in a note published last month. Companies like Tencent, NetEase, TikTok owner ByteDance and Alibaba could be the front-runners in this space among China’s internet companies.