Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Nov 8

    BRATISLAVA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Wednesday. 
     
    SEPTEMBER INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT DATA 
    The Statistics Office will release September industrial 
output data (0800 GMT). Analysts polled by Reuters predicted 
industrial production to have risen by 12.7 percent year-on-year 
in September. 
     
    SEPTEMBER CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT DATA 
    The Statistics Office will release September construction 
output data (0800 GMT). 
     
    REGULAR GOVT MEETING 
    The government will hold its regular weekly meeting. The 
preliminary agenda does not include any major economic items. 
     
    CBANKER SEES MEETING EURO ENTRY CPI TARGET 
    Slovak central bank chief Ivan Sramko said on Tuesday he 
expects the European Union member to meet euro entry inflation 
criteria with room to spare, and on a sustainable basis. 
    [ID:nL07692233] [RTRS-SK-EUR-FRX-PLCY] 
     
    CBANK REPO DRAINS SKK 173 BLN FROM MKT 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) accepted all bids at its 
regular two-week repo tender on Tuesday, draining 173.135 
billion crowns ($6.11 billion) from the money market, NBS data 
showed. 
    [ID:nL07690561] [RTRS-CEN-FRX-MMT-SK] 
     
    CROWN AT RECORDS HIGHS, KEY LEVEL EYED 
    The Slovak crown touched a record high against the euro on 
Tuesday, driven by bullish sentiment on emerging markets with 
traders predicting more gains in the coming days. 
    [ID:nL07787352] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    HANDTMANN TO INVEST $21 MLN IN NEW SLOVAK PLANT 
    German aluminium group Handtmann Holding will invest around 
600 million crowns ($21.17 million) to build a new plant in 
Slovakia, the local news agency SITA reported on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL07469191] [RTRS-EU-EMRG-AUT] 
     
    PRESS DIGETS: 
    ------------- 
    STATE REGULATOR EYES 7 PCT HIKE IN ELECTRICITY PRICES 
    Slovakia's State Regulator eyes a 7 percent hike in prices 
of electricity for households from January 2007. Distribution 
companies submitted a request for a 12.4-13.5 percent increase. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 4 
     
    SLOVAKIA, RUSSIA MAY ACQUIRE TRANSPETROL STAKE 
    Slovakia's economy ministry said a 49 percent stake in the 
country's oil pipeline operator Transpetrol, hold by bankrupt 
Russian firm YUKOS, will be either bought back by Slovakia or 
acquired by Russia. 
    Sme, page 6 
     
    VOLKSWAGEN SLOVAKIA TO NAME NEW CHAIRMAN 
    A Slovak unit of Germany's car maker Volkswagen <VOWG.DE> 
will name Andreas Tostmann as its new chairman, effective from 
January 2007. He will replace Thomas Schmall, who will lead 
Volkswagen's branch in Brazil. 
    Pravda, page 8 
     
    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: peter.laca.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=28.45 Slovak Crown) 
 ($1=28.55 Slovak Crown)