Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Oct 16

    BRATISLAVA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Monday. 
     
    CROWN HITS ALL-TIME PEAK, SEEN STRONG 
    The Slovak crown climbed to a new all-time peak of 36.755 
against the euro on Friday as players opened new positions in 
central Europe, and dealers expected gradual gains to continue 
next week. 
    [ID:nL13234209] [RTRS-MMT-FRX] 
     
    FX RESERVES FALL TO $13.1 BLN IN LATEST WEEK 
    The Slovak central bank's foreign currency reserves fell to 
$13.082 billion in the week to Oct 11, from $13.230 billion one 
week earlier, the bank said on Friday. 
    [ID:nL13268458] [RTRS-MMT-CEN-FRX] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    FARMERS SUBSIDIES 
    The government plans to allocate 19.54 billion crowns 
($665.3 million) for Slovak farmers in 2007, raising the 
subsidies to 70 percent of the EU average, the daily Sme 
reports. Analysts said Slovakia planned to raise the subsidies 
more than the EU requires. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    HEALTHCARE FUNDS 
    The healthcare system is expected to loose some 600 million 
crowns due to the government's decision to cancel fees for 
doctors visits and because of introduction of several other 
measures, the daily Sme quoted analysts from the Health Policy 
Institute as saying. 
    Sme, page 5 
     
    LABOUR FORCE SHORTAGE 
    Slovakia lacked skilled workforce, which represented the 
biggest threat for possible future foreign investors, the daily 
Pravda quoted Jaroslav Holecek, a board member at Volkswagen's 
Slovak plant, as saying. 
    Pravda, page 1 
     
    OPPOSITION STILL SEES THREAT TO EURO 
    The former Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda said Prime 
Minister Robert Fico has toned down his anti-reform rhetoric, 
but added that fulfilment of all election promises would 
threaten euro adoption in 2009. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 1 
     
    For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the ed 
States and other Group of Seven countries, see <G7TODAY>. For a 
diary of forthcoming Slovak events, double click [SK/DIARY], and 
for 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: reuters@editorial.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: martin.santa.reuters.com@reuters.net 
     
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets: 
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50 <.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] 
 ((Bratislava Newsroom; Email: editorial@reuters.sk; 
+421-905-602-847)) 
 ($1=29.37 Slovak Crown)