Slovak crown breaks key level on dovish U.S. tone

    The Slovak crown firmed 
through a psychological level of 35.0 per euro on Thursday, as 
emerging currencies benefited from dovish comments by the U.S. 
Federal Reserve, traders said. 
    The crown was at 34.890 against the euro  as of 
0930 GMT, from 35.010 per euro late on Wednesday. 
    "Central European currencies profit from a benign FOMC 
statement," CSOB Bank, a unit of Belgium KBC bank, wrote in a  
note. 
    Traders said the crown's moves in the near future would 
depend on mood in the region, which will be influenced by U.S. 
statistics and dollar swings. 
    "If the data do not bring any negative surprise, the 
(Slovak) currency should stabilise close to current levels," 
CSOB said. 
    The Fed held rates on hold on Wednesday and did not signal 
new concerns over inflation, which suggested no near term need 
for monetary policy tightening in the U.S. 
------------------ MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0845 GMT ----------------- 
 Crown/euro  at 34.900 vs 35.010 on Tuesday (+0.30 pct) 
 Crown/dollar   26.795 vs 26.905 (+0.41 pct) 
5-yr govt bond  yield 4.300/4.100 vs 4.316/3.214 pct 
7-yr govt bond  yield 4.398/4.198 vs 4.345/4.200 pct 
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[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]