Slovak crown weakens to 3-mo lows,more losses seen

...more weakening was on the cards in the 
near term due to bearish regional sentiment. 
    At 1510 GMT, the crown stood at 34.319 per euro , 
compared with 34.345 seen earlier in the session, which was its 
softest level since March 6. It closed at 34.200 on Wednesday. 
    "The trend from the previous session continued with mainly 
London-based banks interested in buying euros," said Patrik 
Malec, dealer at UniCredit in Bratislava. 
    The Slovak currency has been on the retreat in the past two 
months, shedding 2.7 percent against the euro due to shaky 
global sentiment. Sound economic data failed to lift the unit. 
    Traders saw the crown losing more ground in the coming days, 
towards 34.350 or even 34.500 per euro, as the regional mood 
remains sour. 
    "It seems that the interest in the euro continues. I see 
34.500 as the next level to be tested," Malec said. 
    The market will watch the release of key economic data on 
Friday, including retail sales and industrial output for April, 
which will provide clues about the strength of economic growth 
in the second quarter. 
    A Reuters survey showed earlier this week analysts expecting 
retail sales to have risen by 6.2 percent in April, compared 
with a 6.0 percent increase in March. 
    Industrial output growth was seen accelerating to 15.1 
percent on an annual basis in April, from 12.5 percent in the 
previous month. 
----------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 1510 GMT------------------- 
Crown/Euro  34.319 vs 34.200 on Wednesday (-0.35 pct) 
Crown/Dollar  25.471 vs 25.300 (-0.67 pct)  
5-yr govt bond  yield 4.631/4.411 vs 4.441/4.140 pct 
7-yr govt bond  yield 4.698/4.478 vs 4.569/4.369 pct 
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