Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Nov 29

    BRATISLAVA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Wednesday. 
     
    REGULAR GOVERNMENT MEETING 
    The government will hold its regular weekly meeting. 
     
    C.BANK HOLDS RATES, HELPED BY STRONG CROWN 
    The strength of the Slovak crown allowed the country's 
central bank to keep interest rates steady again on Tuesday as 
it dampened inflation risks linked to runaway economic growth. 
    [ID:nL28138076] [RTRS-CEN-PLCY-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    C.BANK UNANIMOUS IN HOLDING RATES 
    All eight members of the Slovak central bank's (NBS) 
governing board agreed to hold interest rates steady at a 
monetary policy meeting on Tuesday, Governor Ivan Sramko said. 
    [ID:nPRA001051] [RTRS-EEU-EMRG-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK TELEFONICA SIGNS ROAMING DEAL WITH T-MOBILE 
    Telefonica O2 Slovakia said on Tuesday it had signed a deal 
with T-Mobile Slovakia on using its network for mobile phone 
service the unit of Spain's Telefonica <TEF.MC> plans to launch 
by end-March 2007. 
    [ID:nL28861029] [RTRS-EMRG-TEL-SK] 
     
    OECD SEES HIGHER POLISH, SLOVAK INTEREST RATES 
    Polish and Slovak central banks may have to raise interest 
rates to keep inflation from rising above target while Hungary 
needs more spending cuts to make its fiscal austerity package 
credible, the OECD said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL2875222] [RTRS-EMRG-EUROPE-OECD] 
     
    OECD COMMENTS ON CENTRAL EUROPE MEMBERS 
    Slovakia's growth will reach around 8 percent this year and 
next, boosted by exports as production builds up at new car 
factories, before tapering off in 2008. The OECD said the 
central bank may need to raise interest rates again to squeeze 
EU-norm inflation to its end-2008 target of 2.1 percent. 
    [ID:nL27774026] [RTRS-EMRG-ECI-MCE] 
     
    CROWN STEADY VS EURO AS C.BANK STAYS PUT 
    The Slovak crown held steady on Tuesday as the central 
bank's decision to keep interest rates on hold for the second 
month in a row failed to provide a fresh impetus for the market, 
dealers said. 
    [ID:nL28199551] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK-LEN] 
     
    C/A GAP JUMPS, MKT SEES POSITIVE OUTLOOK 
    Slovakia's current account showed a preliminary deficit of 
101.4 billion crowns ($3.74 billion) for the first nine months 
of this year, up from a 68.15 billion gap a year ago, the 
central bank said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL28190064] [RTRS-ECI-MCE-SK-LEN] 
     
    OCT PPI TOUCH ABOVE FCASTS 
    Slovak producer prices rose 0.1 percent month-on-month in 
October, putting the annual inflation rate for factory-gate 
costs (PPI) at 7.1 percent, data showed on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL2821682] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK-LEN] 
     
    END-AUG FOREIGN DEBT RISES TO $29.8 BLN 
    Slovakia's gross foreign debt rose to $29.783 billion at the 
end of August, from $28.270 billion at the end of July, the 
central bank said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL28440479] [RTRS-GVD-DBT-SK-LEN] 
     
    SWEDEN'S SKANSKA BUYS SLOVAK CONSTRUCTION FIRM 
    Skanska <SKAb.ST>, the Nordic region's largest construction 
group, said on Tuesday it had acquired privately owned Slovak 
construction company Stamart for an undisclosed amount. 
    [ID:nL28721686] [RTRS-CON-MRG-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    TURNOUT SEEN LOW IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS 
    Only 34 percent of registered voters are expected to vote in 
a regional election on December 2, the Statistics Office survey 
showed. 
    Pravda, page 1 
     
    RETIREMENT AGE MAY RISE 
    The government may raise the retirement age to 65 from 
current 62 to reduce deficits in the loss-making pay-as-you-go 
system. The plan to raise the retirement age was drafted by the 
previous cabinet as part of the pension system reform. 
    Pravda, page 1 
     
    CHANGES TO SPECIAL COURT 
    The government might not abolish the special court dealing 
with organised crime and corruption cases, as proposed by the 
justice ministry, but might make several changes to its 
operations. 
    Sme, page 2 
     
    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=27.49 Slovak Crown) 
 ($1=27.49 Slovak Crown)