Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Aug 1

...   The government will hold regular weekly meeting 
     
    BUDGET DATA 
    The finance ministry will publish central state budget data 
for January-July. 
     
    RATES FLAT FOR 3RD MONTH, CBANK HAWKISH 
    The central bank (NBS) left key interest rates unchanged at 
its monthly policy meeting on Tuesday but struck a slightly 
hawkish tone. 
    The decision, which was in line with market expectations, 
left the two-week repo rate at 4.25 percent for a third 
successive month, maintaining a 25 basis point premium over the 
main euro zone rate. 
    [ID:nL31159335] [RTRS-FRX-CEN-INT-PLCY-SK] 
 
    JAN-MAY CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT SKK 12.4 BLN 
    The current account showed a preliminary deficit of 12.4 
billion crowns ($509 million) in the January-May period, 
compared with a gap of 54.4 billion in the first five months of 
2006. 
    [ID:nPRG000439] [RTRS-FRX-CEN-SK] 
     
    END-APRIL FOREIGN DEBT RISES TO $37.03 BLN 
    The gross foreign debt rose to $37.028 billion at the end of 
April, from $35.230 billion at the end of March. 
    [ID:nL31892244] [CEN-GVD-DBT-SK] 
       
    YUKOS DUTCH UNIT QUESTIONS LEGALITY OF ASSET SALE 
    The Dutch unit of bankrupt Russian oil firm YUKOS warned on 
Tuesday that Dutch law may not recognise the sale of YUKOS's 
foreign assets but Moscow's receiver said he would go ahead with 
the sale next month. 
    [ID:nL31903577] [RU-ENR-EMRG-BKRT-JUDIC-SK-NL-POL-OILI] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    PENSION DISPUTE 
    Several government MPs said they would prefer the social 
affairs ministry to withdraw its plan to change the pension 
system, but they expect the final fate of the draft to be 
decided by the three ruling calition leaders. 
    Sme 
     
    GRAIN HARVEST 
    Slovakia's 2007 grain harvest will be below original 
projections and also smaller than in the previous year. Slovak 
Farmers are warning that rising grain prices will push costs of 
basic food up. 
    Pravda 
     
    For news on upcoming events in the United States and other 
Group of Seven countries, see . For a diary of 
`forthcoming Slovak events, double click [SK/DIARY], and a 
calendar of east European economic indicators, see [CONV/DIARY]. 
     
    News editor of the day: Peter Laca on +421 2 5341 8402; fax: 
+421 2 5341 8403 
    E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: peter.laca.reuters.com@reuters.net 
     
    For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets: 
    Warsaw WIG20   Budapest BUX   Prague PX50 
 
 Other related news: 
 Slovak equities      [SK-E]  E.Europe equities           [.CEE] 
 Slovak money         [SK-M]  Czech debt                  [CZ-D] 
 Slovak Indicators  [SK-ECI]  Emerging forex          [EMRG/FRX] 
 Eastern European     [EEU]   All emerging markets        [EMRG] 
 Hot stocks           [HOT]   Stock markets                [STX] 
 Market debt news     [DBT]   Forex news                   [FRX] 
 TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets                         [TOP/EMRG] 
 TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch                        [TOP/EAST] 
  
  
 ($1=24.24 Slovak Crown) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]