Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Feb 13

    Here are news stories, press 
repors and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Tuesday. 
     
    Q4/06 GDP FLASH ESTIMATE 
    The Statistics Office will publish its flash estimate of GDP 
growth for the fourth quarter of 2006, 9 a.m. (0800 GMT). 
Analysts polled by Reuters forecast real GDP growth of 8.1 
percent. 
     
    EURO DEBATE 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico, Central Bank Governor Ivan 
Sramko and Finance Minister Jan Pociatek will take part in a 
seminar on Slovakia's euro adoption process, 9 a.m. (0800 GMT). 
     
    C.BANK TO HOLD REGULAR 2-WK REPO TENDER 
    The central bank will hold the regular two-week, liquidity 
draining, repo tender. 
     
    INCOMING CBANKER SAYS GROWTH NON-INFLATIONARY 
    Slovakia's strong economic growth does not create inflation 
risks that endanger the country's plans to adopt the euro, 
incoming central bank board member Viliam Ostrozlik said on 
Monday. 
    [ID:nL12864860] [RTRS-MMT-PLCY-CEN-INT-SK] 
     
    GDP GROWTH SEEN SLOWING TO 8.1 PCT IN Q4 
    Slovak economic growth probably slowed in the fourth quarter 
of 2006, but the EU member looks poised to show record full-year 
expansion and prospects of further economic acceleration, 
analysts said on Monday. 
    [ID:nL12310614] [RTRS-MCE-PRE-ECI-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKIA EYES COURT RULING ON UTILITIES MANAGEMENT 
    The Slovak government is thinking of asking the 
Constitutional Court to rule whether the state can take back 
control in utilities from their minority western owners, Prime 
Minister Robert Fico said on Monday. 
    [ID:nL12918899] [RTRS-ELG-EMRG-SK] 
     
    CROWN DIPS AS REGION WEAKENS, EYES GDP 
    The Slovak crown dipped against the euro on Monday following 
the regional trend as the market awaited Tuesday's release of 
the fourth quarter GDP flash estimate. 
    [ID:nL12643279] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    HIGHER GAS PRICES 
    Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom  aims to increase gas 
prices for Slovakia's dominant gas company Slovensky Plynarensky 
Priemysel (SPP) by 10 percent in 2007. 
    Pravda, page 1 
     
    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT 
    President Ivan Gasparovic has picked nine new judges for the 
Constitutional Court. The decision will end the court's crisis 
regime, which emerged after the term of nine out of its 13 
judges had expired in January. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    SECOND PILLAR 
    New workers entering the labour market could decide whether 
to join the private pension saving system, the so-called second 
pillar, a Labour Ministry's draft showed. At present, new 
workers must join the second pillar. 
    Sme, page 2 
     
    SLOVNAFT'S 2006 NET PROFIT DOWN 
    Oil refiner Slovnaft , a unit of Hungarian oil and 
gas group MOL , said its net profit fell by 30 percent 
to 6.2 billion crowns ($232.1 million) in 2006. 
    Sme, page 7 
     
    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: editorial@reuters.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: martin.dokoupil.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] 
 
 ((Compiled by Martin Santa; Bratislava Newsroom; Email: 
editorial@reuters.sk; +421-2-5341-8402)) 
 ($1=26.92 Slovak Crown) 
 ($1=26.71 Slovak Crown) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]