Slovak crown softens, mkt eyes c.bank rate meeting

    BRATISLAVA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The Slovak crown traded 
softer against the euro on Monday, within sight of last week's 
record highs, as investors awaited the central bank's decision 
on interest rates later this week. 
    The crown was quoted at 36.440 per euro as of 0840 GMT, 
compared with Friday's all-time high of 36.250 and a close of 
36.330. 
    Most analysts polled by Reuters forecast the central bank to 
lift its key two-week repo rate by 25 basis points from 4.75 
percent on Oct. 31, which may provide a new firming impulse for 
the currency. 
    "Each hike is positive for the crown and it will confirm 
both domestic but mainly foreign investors' interest in the 
crown," said Slovenska Sporitelna dealer Vladimir Gajdos. 
    The crown had been breaking records on a daily basis over 
the past month, driven by approval of the state budget draft, 
Slovakia's ratings upgrade and buoyant sentiment in emerging 
markets. 
    Some analysts said, however, the bank might raise lending 
costs later in the year due to the crown's strength, which 
tightened monetary conditions and is supportive in the bank's 
fight against inflation. 
----------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0840 GMT------------------- 
Crown/Euro <EURSKK=> 36.440 vs 36.330 on Friday (-0.31 pct) 
Crown/Dollar <SKK=>  28.646 vs 28.550 (-0.33 pct) 
5-yr govt bond <SK5YT=RR> yield unchanged at 4.649/449 
8-yr govt bond <SK8YT=RR> yield 4.499/300 vs 4.499/4.299 
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 ((Reporting by Martin Santa; editing by David 
Christian-Edwards; Reuters Messaging: 
martin.santa.reuters.com@reuters.net; +421 5341 8402)) 
  Keywords: MARKETS SLOVAKIA CROWN OPEN