KIEV, Sept. 30 – Ukrainian confectionaries could loose around $50 million due to duties on imports of sweets being introduced by Kazakhstan, according to Oleksandr Baldyniuk, president of the Ukrkondprom Association.

KIEV, Sept. 30 - The National Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) has increased the ceiling price for natural gas for industrial consumers and budget-funded organizations by 11.9%, from UAH 3,026 to UAH 3,024 per 1,000 cubic meters (VAT, extra charges, transportation and supply tariffs not included).

KIEV, Sept. 29 - Russia is interested in building new pipelines and does not consider participation in the modernization of the Ukrainian gas transport system a priority, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov said at an economic forum in Kiev on Thursday.

KIEV, Sept. 29 – The opportunity to export duty-free up to 100,000 tons of bio-ethanol to the European Union if a free trade zone agreement is signed will boost its production in the future, Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk said.

KIEV, Oct. 1 - Ukraine's steel industry reduced finished roll output 1% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2008 to 26.601 million tons, the Industrial Policy Ministry told Interfax.

Roll production continues to slow: it jumped 6% year-on-year in the first half of 2008, but 4% in the first seven months and just 2% in the first eight months.

KIEV, Oct. 1 - Moody's Investors Service has placed the Ba2 long-term local currency deposit rating of Prominvestbank on review for possible downgrade.

According to Moody's, this relates to the lowering of the bank's Baseline Credit Assessment from B1 to B2. At the same time, Moody's affirmed the B2 foreign currency bank deposit rating, which remains constrained by the country ceiling, the Aa1.ua National Scale Rating and E+ Bank Financial Strength Rating.

MOSCOW, Oct. 2 – Austria's Siemens VAI Metals Technologies has received an order from Dniprovsky Dzerzhynsky Steel Mill to conduct a major upgrade of two sorting lines at its mill in Dniprodzerzhynsk, Siemens has reported.

KIEV, Oct. 2 – The surplus of the financial account of Ukraine's balance of payments in 2009 is expected at $22.7 billion, while the deficit of the current account will be $22.6 billion, according to the head of the group of advisers for the NBU chairman, Valeriy Lytvytsky.

MOSCOW, Oct. 2 – Russia and Ukraine on Thursday signed a memorandum setting a three-year period for switching to market-based prices for natural gas, but failed to agree on prices that will be charged in 2009.

KIEV, Sept. 29 – Ukraine’s strong economic performance supports its sovereign ratings in a time of political uncertainty, Fitch Ratings commented ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections.