Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Aug 16

...INFLATION 
    The Statistics Office will release EU-norm inflation data 
for July, 0700 GMT. Analysts had expected monthly EU-norm 
inflation of 0.0 percent, and an annual rate of 1.4 percent in 
July. 
     
    SLOVAKIA SEES 2008 FISCAL GAP CAP AT 2.3 PCT/GDP 
    The Slovak Finance Ministry proposed on Wednesday a 2008 
state budget draft with the public finance deficit ceiling at 
2.3 percent of gross domestic product, the ministry's web page 
(www.finance.gov.sk) showed. 
    [ID:nL15515560] [RTRS-ISU-GVD-DBT-SK] 
    [ID:nL15217647] [RTRS-ISU-GVD-DBT-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK C.BANK CHIEF POSITIVE ON Q2 GROWTH 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) would consider an acceleration 
in second-quarter economic expansion healthy if the growth 
structure remains similar to the previous quarter, NBS chief 
Ivan Sramko said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL15177310] [RTRS-CFEN-GVD-DBT-PLCY-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKS TO STEP UP TALKS WITH EU, ECB ON EURO PLAN 
    Slovakia wants to intensify communication with the European 
Union and the European Central Bank to win over their approval 
of the country's bid to adopt the euro in 2009, a government 
document showed on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL15867311] [RTRS-POL-EUR-SK] 
     
    FARM CHAMBER SEES 2007 CROP BELOW AVERAGE 
    Slovakia's harvest will increase year-on-year due to a 
larger sown area, but severe weather conditions over the summer 
will keep the rise to a minimum, the Agriculture and Food 
Chamber said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL15308815] [RTRS-MEAL-GRA-SK] 
     
    GOVT AGREES BILL TO DRAW MORE FDI INFLOWS 
    The Slovak government approved on Wednesday a draft law 
designed to attract more strategic investors in the coming 
years. 
    [ID:nL15866808] [RTRS-CHIP-APL-ELC-SK] 
     
    RUSSIA SELLS YUKOS FOREIGN ASSETS TO MYSTERY BUYER 
    Russia sold the last big asset of bankrupt oil firm YUKOS on 
Wednesday but the buyer's identity was a mystery after state 
major Rosneft  first said the winning bidder was its 
unit and soon after denied any link. 
    [ID:nL1580999] [RTRS-JUDIC-BKRT-CRU-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    EU FUNDS 
    Slovakia risks to loose 500 million crowns ($20.02 million) 
from the European Union's structural funds due to a lack of 
projects. 
    Pravda, page 4 
     
    HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION 
    The Slovak government, which wants private capital to 
co-finance highway projects worth 121.6 billion crowns ($4.87 
billion) by 2010, backed Transport Ministry's proposal to use 
public-private partnership (PPP) projects. 
    Sme, page 8 
     
    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: Alan Crosby on +421 2 5341 8402; 
fax: +421 2 5341 8403 
    E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.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=24.98 Slovak Crown) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]