Slovak crown hits new highs again, seen strong

    BRATISLAVA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Slovak crown rose to new 
record highs on Thursday as investors continued to pour money 
into central European markets and dealers said the unit was 
likely to stay strong in the near future. 
    The crown has gained 3 percent against the euro in the past 
month thanks to bullish sentiment in the region and a series of 
positive domestic news, such as a ratings upgrade and a 
government approval of the 2007 state budget draft. 
    The Slovak unit hit a new record of 36.255 to the euro 
<EURSKK=> on Thursday, before easing back slightly to close at 
36.295. It was quoted at 36.455 late on Wednesday. 
    "Today's move was surprisingly quick, although fundamentals 
speak in favour of crown appreciation," said Lucia Steklacova, 
the senior analyst at ING Bank in Bratislava. "The crown is 
supported by positive mood in the region." 
    Steklacova said she did not expect any major crown 
correction before the Slovak central bank holds its monthly 
monetary policy meeting on Oct. 31. 
    A Reuters poll showed earlier this week that most analysts 
forecast the central bank to raise the key two-week repo rate by 
25 basis points in October, after a similar hike in September. 
    The monetary authority has been fighting off inflationary 
risks that could endanger Slovakia's ambition to adopt the euro 
in 2009. 
----------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 1430 GMT------------------- 
Crown/Euro <EURSKK=> 36.295 vs 36.455 on Wednesday (+0.44 pct) 
Crown/Dollar <SKK=>  28.650 vs 28.977 (+1.14) 
5-yr govt bond <SK5YT=RR> yield 4.597/4.397 vs 4.600/4.400 
8-yr govt bond <SK8YT=RR> yield 4.450/4.300 vs 4.552/4.311 
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  ((Reporting by Martin Santa, editing by Ian Jones; Reuters 
Messaging: martin.santa.reuters.com@reuters.net; +421 5341 
8402)) 
  Keywords: MARKETS SLOVAKIA CROWN CLOSE