Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Jan 2

    Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Tuesday. 
     
    2006 BUDGET DATA 
    The finance ministry will release central state budget data 
for 2006. 
     
    TWO-WEEK REPO TENDER 
    The central bank will hold a regular two-week repo tender to 
drain crown liquidity from the market. 
     
    CROWN FLAT AFTER INTERVENTION, UPSIDE SEEN 
    The Slovak crown was quiet  on Friday after central bank 
interventions knocked it off its record highs versus the euro in 
the previous session, but dealers expected more upward pressure 
early in 2007. 
    [ID:nL29809960] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK-LEN] 
     
    C.BANK FOREX RESERVES DIP TO $13.39 BLN 
    The Slovak central bank's foreign currency reserves dropped 
to $13.394 billion as of Dec. 27, from $13.402 billion one week 
earlier, the bank said on Friday. 
    [ID:nL29917455] [RTRS-CEN-FRX-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    FIRST BLOCK OF BOHUNICE NUCLEAR PLANT SHUT DOWN 
    Slovakia shut down the first block of the country's oldest 
nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice on Sunday. Slovakia 
had pledged to decommission the soviet-style nuclear power plant 
in the accession treaty with the European Union. 
    Sme, page 4 
     
    TAX CHANGES 
    Changes to the tax system, such as introduction of lower VAT 
on drugs and selected medical goods or cuts in relief measures 
for highest earners, became effective on January 1. 
    Sme, page 7 
     
    SPAR EYES SLOVAKIA 
    Dutch retailer Spar has asked for trademark registration in 
Slovakia, bud declined to comment on any further plans, daily 
Hospodarske Noviny reported. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 13 
     
    For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the 
United States and other Group of Seven countries, see . 
For a diary of forthcoming Slovak events, double click 
[SK/DIARY], and 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: bratislava.newsroom@reuters.com 
    Reuters Messaging: peter.laca.reuters.com@reuters.net 
     
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets: 
 Warsaw WIG20   Budapest BUX   Prague 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: bratislava.newsroom@reuters.com; 
+421-905-602-847)) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]