Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Dec 12

...The Statistics Office will publish October foreign trade 
data, 0800 GMT. The market forecast a trade deficit of 0.9 
billion crowns. 
     
    GOVERNMENT MEETING 
    The government will hold its regular weekly meeting, 0900 
GMT. 
     
    CPI SLOWS IN NOVEMBER, RATES SEEN ON HOLD 
    Slovakia's annual inflation slowed in November from a 
10-month peak the previous month, as the fading effect of energy 
price increases last year offset a continued rise in food costs, 
data showed on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL11388359] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-CEN-SK] 
    [ID:nL11335445] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK] 
     
    POWER FIRM HELPS GOVT KEEP PRICES DOWN 
    Slovakia's key power firm Slovenske Elektrarne (SE) helped 
the government keep household electricity prices down next year 
with a subsidy worth 800 million crowns ($35.48 million), an 
executive said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL11232072] [RTRS-ENR-ELG-UTIL-SK] 
     
    POWER FIRM SEEKS HIGHER CO2 EMISSIONS CAP 
    Slovakia's dominant power firm Slovenske Elektrarne (SE) is 
seeking a higher carbon emissions limit for 2008-2012 to 
compensate for the planned shutdown of a nuclear block, a 
company executive said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL11254611] [RTRS-CO2-ENV-ELG-SK] 
     
    C.BANK DRAINS SKK 147.1 BLN IN REPO TENDER 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) accepted all bids in a regular 
two-week repo tender on Tuesday, draining 147.102 billion crowns 
($6.52 billion) from the market, NBS data showed. 
    [ID:nL11571096] [RTRS-MMT-CEN-INT-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    SPP PRIVATISATION DEAL 
    The parliament has asked the government to produce a report 
on the sale of the 49 percent state of natural gas company 
Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP) to a consortium of Gaz de 
France  and E.ON Ruhrgas . 
    Sme, page 2 
     
    PRESIDENT SIGNS BUDGET 
    President Ivan Gasparovic signed on Tuesday the 2008 state 
budget, which was approved by the parliament on Dec. 4. The 
budget cuts the fiscal deficit to 2.3 percent of GDP and brings 
Slovakia closer to the planned 2009 euro adoption. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 4 
     
    HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION 
    The parliament approved on Tuesday a disputed law allowing 
construction of highways on private land. Opposition says the 
draft violates the Constitution. 
    Pravda, page 2 
     
    FOOD PRICES 
    Slovakia is witnessing the fastest rise of food prices in 
the past six years. Some food items rose by 90 percent year on 
year. Rising food prices boosted inflation in October, and 
analysts saw further rise, albeit softer, in the coming months. 
    Pravda, page 3 
     
    PENSION SAVINGS 
    The volume of private savings in the private pension funds 
was 49.8 billion crowns ($2.21 billion) as of Dec. 7. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 4 
     
    KOSICE AIRPORT 
    Passenger volume at Kosice Airport rose by 88 percent 
year-on-year in November. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 16 
     
    CAR REGISTRATIONS UP 
    Registration of new passenger and small-business cars rose 
by 7.2 percent year-on-year to 75,130 cars in the first eleven 
months. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 16 
     
    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 
 
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 Market debt news     [DBT]   Forex news                   [FRX] 
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[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]