Slovak crown climbs to record high, more gains seen

    BRATISLAVA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Slovak crown <EURSKK=> 
climbed to a record peak against the euro on Thursday, fuelled 
by a strong economy, a ratings upgrade and a rally in regional 
markets, dealers said. 
    The unit stood at 36.555 per euro at 1425 GMT, its strongest 
level ever versus the single European currency. It closed at 
36.660 late on Wednesday. 
    "The crown firmed again to a new historical maximum. 
Speculators are opening new positions hoping for medium-term 
strong firming of the crown," said Tatra Banka dealer Boris 
Somorovsky. 
    The crown has broken records on a daily basis over the past 
week, driven by approval of the 2007 state budget draft, a 
ratings upgrade by Moody's on Slovak government debt and capital 
returning back to the emerging markets, dealers said. 
    Traders said players might push the crown towards a 
psychological 36.500 per euro level in the near-term if the 
positive regional sentiment holds, but added the unit was prone 
to quick profit taking. 
    The crown is trading some 5 percent above its central parity 
within the Exchange Rate Mechanism 2 (ERM-2), which Slovakia 
joined late last year. 
----------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 1425 GMT------------------- 
Crown/Euro <EURSKK=> 36.555 vs 36.660 on Wednesday (+0.27 pct) 
Crown/Dollar <SKK=>  29.034 vs 29.304 (+0.89 pct) 
5-yr govt bond <SK5YT=RR> yield 4.465/4.166 vs 4.687/4.486 
9-yr govt bond <SK9YT=RR> yield 4.514/4.314 vs 4.471/4.272 
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 ((Reporting by Martin Dokoupil, editing by Mike Peacock; 
Reuters Messaging: martin.dokoupil.reuters.com@reuters.net; +421 
5341 8402)) 
  Keywords: MARKETS SLOVAKIA CROWN CLOSE