Slovak crown hits 1-wk low vs euro on region

    The Slovak crown hit one-week 
lows against the euro on Thursday, following losses in other 
emerging markets, and dealers said the bearish regional 
sentiment might push the unit to even weaker levels. 
     The crown was quoted at 34.525 to the euro  as of 
1550 GMT, 0.6 percent down from 34.355 late on Wednesday. 
    "The crown eased alongside other emerging markets," said 
Tatra Banka dealer Boris Somorovsky. "The weakening was mainly 
sparked by the Polish zloty and Hungary's forint, and this trend 
might continue." 
    The zloty hit a two-month low the euro on Thursday, falling 
more than 1 percent due to a wider emerging market sell-off, 
while the forint eased to a one-week low. 
    The crown, the fastest rising currency in central Europe 
last year, is well off its record high of 34.050 per euro seen 
last week, also dented by the central bank's (NBS) intervention. 
    The bank left a part of excess liquidity in the money market 
earlier this week to stem firming pressure on the unit, which 
has gained 9.2 percent over the past year. 
    Somorovsky saw the crown moving towards the 34.700 per euro 
level in the coming days. 
----------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 1550 GMT ----------------- 
 Crown/euro  34.525 vs 34.335 on Wednesday (-0.55 pct) 
 Crown/dollar   26.355 vs 25.966 (-1.48 pct) 
5-yr govt bond  yield 4.299/4.101 vs 4.374/4.173 
8-yr govt bond  yield 4.206/4.005 vs 4.176/3.975 
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[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]