MOSCOW, May 13 - Risky lending strategies are one of the key contributors to the high level of mortgage default rates in the Commonwealth of Independent States during the global economic crisis, Moody's Investors Service said in a special comment.

KIEV, May 13 – The stabilization of wholesale prices on the domestic market and prices on the international markets during April and a plunge in the prices on the foreign markets in early May create preconditions for the retaining of retail prices of fuel (mainly A-95 and diesel fuel) in Ukraine, according to Serhiy Kuyun, the director of the A-95 consulting group.

KIEV, May 16 - Ukraine's steel industry could increase roll production 6% this year compared with 2006 to 36.33 million tonnes, Serhiy Hryschenko, vice-president of Ukrmet, the Ukrainian steel industry association, told Interfax.

Hryschenko said crude steel production was forecast to grow 6% to 43.25 million tonnes and pig iron - 9% to 35.79 million tonnes.

WARSAW, May 16 - Poland's Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement with PFTS, its Ukrainian counterpart, officials said.

KIEV, May 16 ??“ As of the end of April, Ukrainian banks had attracted $1.7 billion worth of syndicated loans, including $999 million of syndicates organized by Standard bank Plc (Britain), director of the capital market department of the bank Robert Scott reported during a press conference on Tuesday.

KIEV, May 16 ??“ The stockholders of Interpipe company, controlled by Viktor Pinchuk, the son-in-law of former President Leonid Kuchma and the second richest man in Ukraine, seeks to prepare the company for IPO, an official said.

KIEV, May 15 ??“ Winner Automotive Group, a major car dealership, invested $10 million in the construction of the Winner Automotive multi-brand center in Kiev, Winner board head and owner of the group of companies Ivan Hyniansky said.

KIEV, May 16 ??“ Ukraine will participate in the International Airspace Exhibition in Berlin this week, a representative of the Ukrainian delegation led by Industrial Policy Minister Volodymyr Shandra has told Interfax-Ukraine.

KHARKIV, May 13 ??“ Iran is interested in producing the new Ukrainian An-148 aircraft at its HESA aircraft building plant, the Managing Director of HESA Abbas Fallah said at a Thursday press conference in Kharkiv, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

KHARKIV, May 13 ??“ Aircraft-building companies of Ukraine, Iran and Russia, which work in close cooperation on production of An-140 aircraft, are planning to become the world's biggest supplier of regional turboprop aircraft with a capacity of around 50 seats.