Between January and March, GDP at current prices amounted to BGN 24,656 million, the National Statistical Institute. In euro, GDP totalled EUR 12,606 million or EUR 1,801 per person. According to seasonally adjusted data, GDP grew by 3.5% year-on-year and by 1.2% compared with the fourth quarter of 2018. Gross value added (GVA) at current prices amounted to BGN 20, 950 million. In the first quarter of 2019, the relative share of the agricultural sector in the value added of the economy preserved its level from the first quarter of 2018. The share of the industrial sector decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 29.4%. The relative share of value added from services increased from 67.9% in first quarter of 2018, to 68.3% in first quarter of 2019. Final consumption expenditure accounted for 83.2% of GDP. Investments (gross fixed capital formation) accounted for 15.4% of GDP. The external balance (exports-imports) was positive. According to seasonally adjusted data, in the first quarter of 2019 GDP increased by 1.2 %compared with the previous quarter. Between January and March, gross value added of the total economy grew by 0.7%.

The gross domestic product (GDP) per person employed in Bulgaria rose by an annual 4.6% to BGN 7160.2 in the first quarter of 2019, preliminary data from NSI show. Gross value added (GVA) per person employed increased in real terms by 2.6%, while GVA per hour worked increased by 2.5% in real terms in the first three months of the year compared to the corresponding quarter of 2018. GVA per person employed in the industrial sector was BGN 6878.1 in the review period. In the services sector, an average of BGN 6181 gross value added was produced by a person employed. The lowest labour productivity was in the agricultural sector – BGN 874.5. In terms of GVA per hour worked the industrial sector led by BGN 16.2 followed by services with BGN 14.5 and agriculture with just BGN 2.9. A total of 3.4 million people were employed in the country's economy at the end of the first quarter. The total number of hours worked was 1.39 billion.

French producer Bic, producer of pens, shavers and lighters, will create 400 new digital workplaces, nearly half of which will be in Bulgaria, France's press agency quoted the Monde newspaper as saying. With this move, Bic aims to achieve greater efficiency and be closer to end-users with the help of new technologies, said Sophie Palie-Capian, director of the company's foreign affairs. That's why Bic will hire data analysts specializing in digital marketing and online marketing. A service center will be established in Sofia. In addition, Bic will close about 450 administrative jobs from the end of this year by 2022. The company employs 13,600 workers worldwide, of which 1,800 in France. Its plants will not be affected by this restructuring.

The Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom intends to file a request for an independent participation in the construction of the Belene NPP, the executive director of the company, Alexey Lihachov, said during the economic forum in St. Petersburg. Rosatom, however, has not yet submitted the tender documents. "We have not yet officially. We intend to participate on our own at least at this stage," Lihachov explained. Earlier, the deputy executive director of the corporation announced that Rosatom would cooperate with Bulgaria in any possible way for the construction and maintenance of Belene NPP. Lihachov added that the company is ready to participate in the project, but only if it has guarantees.

Bulgarian steel manufacturer Stomana Industry is planning to absorb its wholly-owned subsidiary Prosal Tubes. Stomana Industry's capital will not be increased as a result of the merger and will remain at BGN 66.9 million. Stomana Industry, a unit of Belgium's Viohalco, generated revenue of BGN 748 million in 2017 and closed the year with a net profit of BGN 14.6 million. Earlier this year, another local unit of Viohalco - Etem Bulgaria, separated part of its activities into two new subsidiaries - Etem Automotive Bulgaria and Etem Aluminium Extrusions. Subsequently, Spain-based Gestamp North Europe Services acquired a 49% stake in Etem Gestamp Aluminium Extrusions and a 51% stake in Gestamp Etem Automotive Bulgaria, by increasing the registered capital of the two companies. Viohalco is listed on Euronext Brussels and the Athens Stock Exchange. Its subsidiaries specialise in the manufacture of aluminium, copper, cables, steel and steel pipes products. With production facilities in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Australia, North Macedonia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Viohalco companies collectively generate annual revenue of EUR 3.7 billion.

Kronospan Bulgaria, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cyprus-based Konikato Holdings, has increased its capital to BGN 213.1 million from BGN 195.5 million. The capital increase was entered into the commercial register last month. In March, Kronospan Bulgaria increased its capital to BGN 195.5 million from BGN 177.9 million. Burgas-based Kronospan manufacturers wood products for the furniture industry.

Bulgaria's Investbank turned to a net profit of BGN 22.6 million in 2018 from a net loss of BGN 29.3 million in 2017. Investbank's total operating revenue increased to BGN 88.9 million last year from BGN 69.1 million in 2017. Net interest income fell to BGN 30.1 million in 2018 from BGN 33.1 million the year before, while net fee and commission income edged up to BGN 24.9 million from BGN 24.4 million. The bank's administrative expenses decreased slightly to BGN 39.3 million in 2018 from BGN 39.8 million a year earlier. Financial assets impairments dropped to BGN 30.3 million last year from BGN 59.4 million in 2017. Investbank's loans to customers fell to BGN 762.8 million at the end of 2018 from BGN 779.4 million a year earlier, while deposits from clients grew to BGN 1.89 billion from BGN 1.73 billion at the end of 2017. The bank's total assets increased to BGN 2.12 billion at the end of last year from BGN 1.95 billion at the end of 2017. Investbank was Bulgaria's 14th largest lender by assets at the end of April.

Ford Motor Co. is planning to close a U.K. engine factory as part of an overhaul of its unprofitable European operations in an $11 billion global restructuring. The Bridgend, South Wales plant, which employs about 1,700 workers, builds engines for several Ford models in Europe, including the Fiesta and B-Max. Its future became uncertain 18 months ago when Jaguar Land Rover said it would end a contract to make motors for its vehicles. “Changing customer demand and cost disadvantages, plus an absence of additional engine models for Bridgend going forward, make the plant economically unsustainable in the years ahead,” Stuart Rowley, head of Ford Europe, said in an emailed statement on Thursday. While Ford reiterated its commitment to other U.K. plants such as Dagenham and the remainder of an almost 9,000-strong British workforce, the planned closure of Bridgend by September 2020 was condemned by labor groups.

The Trump administration's expansion of the global trade war to Mexico could have harsh economic consequences for American workers — especially in Texas. If the 5% US tariff on all goods from Mexico takes effect and is maintained, more than 400,000 jobs in the United States could be lost, an analysis released this week found. The tariffs on Mexico, set to go in effect on Monday, would cost Texas alone more than 117,000 jobs, according to the analysis by The Perryman Group, an economic consulting firm. Texas is Mexico's largest export market, making the two economies closely intertwined. The findings underscore the economic gamble President Donald Trump would be taking by imposing tariffs on Mexico, which is now America's largest trading partner, after taking into consideration the recent China tariffs. Trump threatened to escalate tariffs on Mexico if the country does not step up its immigration enforcement actions. "To impose tariffs on all goods from our largest trading partner will cause significant cost increases and other harms to the economy," Ray Perryman, the CEO of the Perryman Group, wrote in the report. "The fallout could be much greater over time." Perryman, who has a PhD in economics from Rice University, has advised dozens of America's largest companies, including big banks and energy companies. He has authored hundreds of academic papers over the past four decades. Major Wall Street firms have not yet released estimates on job losses from the tariffs on Mexico, reflecting the surprise nature of the trade tensions.

China's leading sport utility vehicles (SUV) and pickup maker Great Wall Motors has seen its plant in Russia's Tula region put into operation. The operation of the factory officially started on Wednesday. Great Wall Motors' first "global car", the HAVAL F7, was rolled off the production line in the newly-launched factory. According to the company, the Tula factory is the first overseas complete vehicle manufacturing factory of Chinese automobile enterprises, which covers the production processes of stamping, welding, painting and assembling. With an investment of 500 million U.S. dollars, the factory has an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles and its construction lasted for four years. It is estimated that the total output value of the factory will exceed 18 billion yuan (2.6 billion U. S. dollars), and about 4,000 jobs will be created in Russia. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the factory's products will also enter nearby countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, according to the company. Headquartered in the city of Baoding, north China's Hebei Province, the company owns several SUV and car brands like Haval, Great Wall, WEY and ORA. So far, the company has sold over 600,000 vehicles overseas. It exported 46,995 vehicles in 2018, up 20 percent year on year.