KIEV, Jan. 22 – Consumer confidence in Ukraine in December plummeted to its lowest-recorded level, according to the International Center of Policy Studies.

"Ukraine has started feeling the consequences of the downturn. The pace of Ukrainians' consumer confidence is evidence of this.

MOSCOW, Jan 25 - Ukraine's leading PrivatBank placed five-year Eurobonds worth $500 million with an 8 percent coupon, Reuters reported Thursday citing a banking source.

BUDAPEST, Jan. 24 - Hungarian energy trader Emfesz Kft, apparently owned by Ukrainian investor Dmitry Firtash, plans to build a EUR 1.6 billion power plant in Hungary to tap the country??™s liberalized electricity market, the company announced.

KIEV, Jan. 25 ??“ Austria's Meinl European Land Ltd. developing company plans to invest around EUR 150 million in building a trade center in Odessa, according to a company press release.

KIEV, Jan. 25 ??“ Naftokhimik Prykarpattia, Ukraine??™s No. 5 oil refinery, in 2007 plans to allocate $110.6 million for the development of the enterprise, Board Chairman Oleksandr Shyliayev told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Jan. 24 ??“ The National Bank of Greece (NBG) signed a preliminary agreement to acquire Ukraine??™s commercial bank Kreditprombank for $500 million, an industry source told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Jan. 25 - ZaporizhTransformator, the world's largest manufacturer of power transformers, has opened a representative office for Kazakhstan and Middle Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the company's press service has reported.

ASTANA, Jan. 25 - Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz and Ukrainian company Naftogaz Ukrayiny signed a memorandum of mutual understanding and a confidentiality agreement on Wednesday.

KIEV, Jan. 25 - A Canadian Court finally released a Ruslan AN-124 Ukrainian cargo airplane, arrested June 2003, Ukraynski Novyny news agency reported, citing Kostiantyn Lushakov, head of the state-owned Antonov aircraft manufacturing company.

KIEV, Jan. 21 ??“ The current level of capitalization of Ukraine's largest oil producer, UkrNafta, estimated at UAH8.05 billion, is approaching the level of the company??™s value, but there is still room for the company??™s stock to grow, Volodymyr Pustovarov, the company's first deputy chairman for finance, said at an investment conference on Friday.