A record 4.8 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of 2019 reported the Finance Ministry in its latest economic analysis. 3% growth was recorded in the last quarter of last year. Two factors are mentioned as a reason for the record - exports and public consumption, which rose by 6.9% and 8.3%, respectively. An overview of NSI's gross domestic product data, which has already been adjusted, shows that such high growth on an annual basis has not been reported in the third quarter since pre-crisis 2008. GDP growthin Q3’2008 compared to the third quarter of the previous year was 6.1%. Over the next two years, growth exceeded 4.1% in two other occasions - once in 2013 and once in 2014, but most often its values are between 3 and 4 percent.

The Bloomberg agency has made a ranking of countries according to the price of the gasoline A-95. Bulgaria has the cheapest but at the same time the most inaccessible fuel in the whole European Union. The lowest gasoline price is in Venezuela and it is just 1 US cent per liter of A-95. The most expensive one is in Hong Kong, where the liter costs USD 2.10. Bulgaria has the cheapest fuel in the EU with an average price of A-95 of USD 1.33 per liter, which means the country ranks 25th in the world. In the Accessibility Index, however, Bulgaria lags behind all European countries, even those outside the EU, and ranks 53th out of a total of 61 countries. According to the agency, the average Bulgarian should spend as much as 5.46% of his daily wage of USD 24.26 in order to afford a liter of petrol.

Trakya Glass Bulgaria, a unit of Turkey's Sisecam, has finalised a EUR 42 million overhaul of the flat glass furnace at its plant in Targovishte. The new production facility is among the three largest of its kind in the world, economy minister Emil Karanikolov said at the inauguration ceremony. In July 2015, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, said it is providing USD 75 million in long-term financing to Trakya Cam, another unit of Sisecam, and to its subsidiary Trakya Glass Bulgaria to boost energy efficiency investments and help mitigate climate change. Trakya Glass Bulgaria was founded in 2003 in Targovishte, in northeastern Bulgaria. It is specialised in the production of flat glass and glassware. The Sisecam Group owns several glass and chemicals companies in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition launched proceedings regarding possible unfair competition practices by telecommunications company A1 Bulgaria, a unit of A1 Telekom Austria Group. The competition regulator initiated the probe on its own initiative. No further details were immediately available. On the local market, A1 Bulgaria competes with the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC), which operates under the brand name Vivacom, and Telenor Bulgaria - a unit of Czech Republic-owned investment group PPF.

Bulgarian brewer Zagorka, a unit of Dutch-based Heineken International, said that its net profit edged up to BGN 23.1 million in 2018 from BGN 22.5 million the year before. The company's sales revenue fell to BGN 140.6 million last year from BGN 150.5 million in 2017. In terms of volume, however, Zagorka's sales added 0.2% to 1.495 million hectolitres. Bulgaria's beer market shrank by 1% in 2018, Zagorka said, quoting data from British information, data and measurement company Nielsen. In 2019, Zagorka expects the Bulgarian beer market to remain unchanged compared to 2018. The company's expenses for materials rose to BGN 60.3 million in 2018 from BGN 58.7 million in 2017, while expenses for hired services dropped to BGN 30.6 million from BGN 40.5 million. Personnel costs remained unchanged at BGN 15.5 million. Zagorka's assets increased to BGN 104.1 million at the end of 2018 from BGN 101.0 million a year earlier. Zagorka's capital expenditure amounted to BGN 10.4 million in 2018. In 2019, the company intends to invest mainly in new refrigerated showcases, draft beer systems, and the maintenance and modernisation of its production base in Stara Zagora.

A fast road link between the renovated Western industrial zone in Veliko Tarnovo and the route of the future Rousse - Veliko Turnovo highway is being planned to be built. This was stated by the deputy mayor of construction on the occasion of the completion of the large-scale project for the repair of the industrial zone. There are about 500 business entities in the area, employing over 3,000 people. Large and medium-sized enterprises are about 30. Approximately BGN 1 625 972  are invested in improving the business environment in the Western Industrial Zone, of which BGN 1.4 million are under Operational Program ‘Regions in Growth’ and the others over BGN 243,000 are from the state budget. The technical infrastructure was rehabilitated and completed. The contractor is Road Construction - Veliko Tarnovo.

Bulgarian battery manufacturer Monbat said that its shareholders have approved the company's proposal for a gross dividend distribution of BGN 0.1026 per share for 2018. The company distributed BGN 7.5 million, or 0.BGN 1923 per share, for 2017. Monbat will distribute a total of BGN 4 million as dividend for 2018. Monbat shares last traded on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange on Friday, when they closed at BGN 6.80. The battery maker's non-consolidated net profit rose to BGN 9.9 million in 2018 from BGN 6.4 million in 2017.

Italy’s populist government lowered its 2019 budget deficit in a bid to avoid European Union sanctions for failing to rein in debt, pushing bond yields to the lowest in a year. The deficit is now expected to be 2.04% of economic output, according to a person familiar with the issue who asked not to be identified. A draft budget in April envisaged a shortfall of 2.4%. Italian bonds rallied for a fifth day, with 10-year yields dropping five basis points to 1.91% while two-year borrowing costs fell below zero. The 10-year spread over German bunds, a key gauge of risk in the country, fell to 227 basis points, the lowest level since September, when the nation’s budget plans started to roil markets. Ministers meeting in Rome on Monday agreed that deficit would fall by EUR 7.6 billion this year, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. That’s due to higher revenues and lower spending, including EUR 1.5 billion previously set aside for social programs in which demand has been lower than expected.

Walmart is pouring more than a billion dollars into its China business as it faces growing competition from local rivals and online retailers. The US retail giant plans to invest around 8 billion yuan (USD 1.2 billion) in distribution centers in China over the next two decades, it said in a statement sent to CNN Business. Walmart is planning to spend the money to boost grocery deliveries. "Walmart continues to increase investment in supply-chain logistics in order to ... provide our Chinese customers with great fresh products, and improve our service," Ryan McDaniel, Walmart's head of international logistics, said in the statement. Walmart has already invested 700 million yuan (USD 102 million) in building a distribution center for perishables in the south of China as it tries to cater to customers who are increasingly shopping online. The Arkansas-based retailer, which has been in China since 1996, faces competition from local supermarkets and online rivals like Alibaba, which has grown its grocery business in recent years. Walmart partnered with another big Chinese tech firm, JD.com, in 2016, and has also invested more than USD 300 million in a Chinese delivery firm Dada-JD Daojia.

Sony has joined hands with Daiwa Securities Group to launch a venture capital fund of over 20 billion yen (USD 184.7 million) that will help the consumer electronics company tap into promising technology being developed by startups. The fund will allow Sony to invest in more emerging companies and take larger stakes than it would be able to afford on its own. Investment targets will include mainly information technology startups in Japan and abroad. The fund will be established through a joint venture between Sony and Daiwa. It is rare for Japanese manufacturers to set up investment funds. Sony envisions investment periods of about a decade. It expects to buy stakes of several hundred million yen to several billion yen in companies involved in robotics, artificial intelligence, fintech and other sectors. Overseas investment targets will be selected by Sony's international operations. Sony will screen investment targets for their technological promise. Daiwa will provide IPO underwriting and other financial services.