Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Oct 2

    BRATISLAVA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Monday. 
     
    FINIMIN TO AUCTION 20-YR, 4.5 PCT STATE BONDS 
    The Debt and Liquidity Management Agency will auction a 
20-year, 4.5 percent state bond, on behalf of the finance 
ministry. 
    [RTRS-LEN-SK-GVD] 
     
    SERBIAN PM VOJISLAV KOSTUNICA VISITS SLOVAKIA 
    Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica starts his visit 
to Slovakia, press conference 0900 GMT. 
    [RTRS-LEN-SK-POL] 
     
    PM STEPS UP BATTLE AGAINST UTILITIES 
    Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stepped up his battle 
against dominant utilities on Saturday, saying the government 
would consider a special tax for monopolies if stricter 
regulation fails to bring down energy prices. 
    [ID:nL20612438] [RTRS-POL-ENR-GVD] 
     
    SLOVAKIA APPROVES 4.3 PCT GAS PRICE HIKE 
    The Slovak state regulator (URSO) said on Friday it had 
approved a 4.26 percent increase in prices of natural gas for 
households, less than half the amount demanded by gas 
distribution monopoly SPP. 
    [ID:nL29860130] [RTRS-ELG-NGS-REGS] 
     
    OPPOSITION SLAMS TAX CHANGES, DOUBTS EURO 
    Former Finance Minister Ivan Miklos slammed the government's 
approved tax changes on Friday, saying they will raise inflation 
pressures and fuel economic overheating, which could derail 
plans to adopt the euro in 2009. 
    [ID:nL29827714] [RTRS-TAX-GVD-PLCY] 
     
    C.BANK FOREX RESERVES EDGE UP TO $13.23 BLN 
    The Slovak central bank's foreign currency reserves edged up 
to $13.229 billion in the week to Sept 27, from $13.160 billion 
one week earlier, the bank said on Friday. 
    [ID:nL29213025] [RTRS-MMT-FRX] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    C.BANK QUESTIONS COMMERCIAL BANKS' RATES SETTINGS 
    Commercial banks' rates setting were unbalanced following a 
tightening of the central bank's monetary conditions, as credit 
interest was better than that on deposits, the daily Sme quoted 
the central bank official as saying. 
    Sme, page 5 
     
    FICO STRENGHTENS CHAIR 
    Prime Minster Robert Fico's status at chairman in his party 
Smer was strengthened by a weekend congress, as deputy chair 
Monika Benova, a major opponent of his decision to govern with 
the far-right Nationalists, was ousted, Sme quoted an analyst as 
saying. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    IKEA'S SWEDWOOD SLOVAKIA OPENS NEW $17 MLN PLANT 
    Swedwood Slovakia, a member of the world's largest furniture 
retailer, Sweden's IKEA, opened its fifth plant in Slovakia 
worth some 500 million crowns ($16.95 million), the daily 
Hospodarske Noviny reported. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 14 
     
    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: Alan Crosby 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=29.50 Slovak Crown)