Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Fri, 4th Jun -- Confident in the revival of the Kazakh economy on the back of rising commodity prices and strong government support, the mood among delegates at the Annual Fitch Ratings Conference on Kazakhstan was optimistic, despite lingering worries about the banking sector.

Nicholas Watson in Prague
Thu, 10th Jun -- Dacia's success is actually the most visible symbol of a resurgent car industry in emerging Europe and beyond.

Guy Norton in Moscow
Thu, 27th May -- Having previously spent five years at the helm of the National Bank of Kazakhstan from 1999-2004, Grigory Marchenko returned to head the country's central bank at the end of January 2009 and restore confidence to a sector that had been brought to its knees by the financial crisis.

Natalia Corobco in Baku
Wed, 26th May -- Young fashionistas in Baku go on biannual pilgrimages to Dubai and Istanbul to hunt for the latest affordable fast fashion reproductions of designer pieces. Now they no longer have to go that far: on May 28, Baku Plaza, a company of Azersun Holding, will open the doors of Park Bulvar - Azerbaijan's first modern shopping mall.

bne
Tue, 25th May --

Guy Norton in Zagreb
Mon, 17th May -- In every life a little rain must fall. But the authorities in Zagreb must no doubt be wishing that on the occasion of the annual general meeting of the EBRD in the Croatian capital, the weather gods had looked more favourably on them.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Thu, 13th May -- The revolution in Kyrgyzstan that ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev has lost some of its gloss. Since the interim administration took over on April 7, the state's takeover of the biggest bank and some shabby instances of revenge against former officials and their associates have raised more concerns about stability in the country.

Kester Eddy in Budapest
Wed, 12th May -- When the leaders of Baltic business schools meet in Riga this month there will be little time for genteel talk in five-star hotel ambience. Instead, it's off to meet companies and find out how they really coped - or otherwise - with the recession.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Wed, 12th May -- Kazakhstan is planning to export up to 3m tonnes of grain to East and Southeast Asia this year after China lifted a ban on such exports through its territory.

Clare Nuttall in Baku
Tue, 18th May -- After more than 150 years of producing and processing of oil, Azerbaijan is one of the world's most polluted countries. Now some large Azeri companies are starting to address this poisonous legacy and invest in modern environmentally friendly technologies.

Samantha Shields in Batumi, Georgia
Mon, 17th May -- Georgia has raised its growth forecast for this year after first-quarter indicators showed industrial production and exports returning to levels not seen since the country was hit first by the August 2008 war against Russia and then the world economic crisis, Finance Minister Kakha Baindurashvili tells bne in an interview.

Gunter Deuber of DB Research
Fri, 14th May -- Economic recovery under way, no revival in credit growth. Most Central and Eastern European countries have left recession and will record modest positive growth rates this year. But we do not expect any significant growth stimulus to come from credit.