Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Feb 28

    Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Wednesday. 
     
    EU-NORM INFLATION 
    The Statistics Office will publish EU-norm inflation data for 
January. Analysts forecast inflation of 0.5 percent on the 
month, and annual inflation rate at 2.1 percent, 9 a.m. (0800 
GMT) 
     
    PRODUCER PRICES 
    The Statistics Office will publish producer prices data for 
January. Analysts forecast producer prices to have risen by 0.3 
percent on the month, for an annual rate of 4.3 percent, 9 a.m. 
(0800 GMT) 
     
    GOVERNMENT MEETING 
    The government will hold its regular meeting. 
     
    C.BANK HOLDS INTEREST RATES, BUT MULLED CUT 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) kept its main two-week 
interest rate at 4.75 percent on Tuesday but debated a 25 basis 
point cut, reinforcing market expectations of a policy easing 
later this year. 
    [ID:nL27672013] [RTRS-CEN-INT-PLCY-SK] 
     
    CBANK ACCEPTS ALL BIDS IN 2-WK REPO TENDER 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) accepted all bids at its 
regular two-week repo tender on Tuesday, draining 169.284 
billion crowns ($6.49 billion) from the market, NBS data showed. 
    [ID:nL27568948] [RTRS-MMT-CEN-FGRX-SK] 
     
    CROWN HITS 2-WK LOW AS CBANK STAYS PUT 
    The Slovak crown briefly touched a two-week low against the 
euro on Tuesday after the central bank (NBS) left interest rates 
unchanged for the fifth month running, dealers said. 
    [ID:nL27500649] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    REGULATOR SEES ROOM FOR LOWER GAS PRICES 
    The Slovak energy market regulator said on Tuesday prices of 
natural gas for households could decline by up to 5.6 percent in 
the second half of 2007. 
    [ID:nL27251590] [RTRS-ENR-ELG-SK] 
     
    U.S. STEEL SLOVAKIA SUES EU OVER CO2 EMISSION CAPS 
    A Slovak unit of United States Steel Corp , U.S. Steel 
Kosice, has sued the European Commission over proposed carbon 
dioxide (CO2) emissions cap for 2008-2012, its spokesman said. 
    [ID:nL27436684] [RTRS-ENR-CO2-LAW-EU-SK] 
     
    KIA MOTORS MULLS ADDING NEW MODEL IN SLOVAKIA 
    South Korea's Kia Motors  is considering adding a 
new model at its Slovak plant by the end of this decade, 
Myung-Chul Chung, the factory's vice-president for purchasing 
and procurement said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL27713037] [RTRS-AUT-EMRG-SK] 
     
    PEUGEOT TO BOOST SLOVAK OUTPUT TO 180,000 IN 2007 
    PSA Peugeot Citroen  will more than triple output 
at its Slovak plant to 180,000 vehicles this year and will 
launch a new model in 2010 at the latest, the factory's chief 
Alain Baldeyrou said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL27681036] [RTRS-AUT-EUROPE-SK] 
     
    AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS END STRIKE 
    Air traffic controllers in Slovakia ended a strike on 
Tuesday after the Transport Ministry promised to review safety 
procedures at the state-run navigation provider, the 
controllers' association (ATCA) said. 
    [ID:nL27375314] [RTRS-AIR-JOB-LEI-SK] 
     
    CURRENT ACCOUNT GAP WIDENS IN 2006 
    Slovakia's current account showed a preliminary deficit of 
129.6 billion crowns in 2006, up from a 126.9 billion crown gap 
the previous year, the central bank said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL27355189] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-CEN-SK] 
     
    END-NOV FOREIGN DEBT UP TO $31.5 BLN 
    Slovakia's gross foreign debt edged up to $31.521 billion at 
the end of November from $30.459 billion at the end of October, 
the central bank said on Tuesday. 
    [ID:nL27197936] [RTRS-GVD-DBT-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGETS 
    ------------ 
    ARCHIBISHOP ADMITS SECRET POLICE MEETINGS 
    Slovakia's Archibishop Jan Sokol has admitted he had 
meetings with agents of the communists secret police. Sokol, who 
previously denied any contacts with the secret police, said he 
had been coerced into the meetings, and that he always tried to 
protect the Church. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    LABOUR CODE DEBATE 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico has asked the public to 
contribute to the debate on prepared labour code changes. Fico 
wants to increase protection of workers, while the suggested 
amendments have sparked criticism from economic analysts and 
employers for their negative impact on the labour market. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 4 
     
    For news on upcoming events in 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: editorial@reuters.sk 
    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] 
 
 ((Compiled by Martin Santa; Bratislava Newsroom; Email: 
editorial@reuters.sk; +421-2-5341-8402)) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]