Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Aug 25

                                
 BRATISLAVA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 BOND AUCTION
                                
 The finance ministry's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency
(ARDAL) will auction a 9-year, 4.2 percent coupon state bond.
It's the third tranche of the paper.
                                
 
                                
 FINMIN SLAMS HEALTHCARE BILLS IN GOVT CLASH
                                
 The Slovak finance minister opposes a series of draft laws
put forward by his healthcare counterpart, documents said on
Friday, showing a clash within the government over healthcare
financing.
                                
 [ID:nLM669609] [RTRS-POL-HEA-LAW-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 CBANK SEEN HOLDING KEY RATE FLAT BEFORE EURO
                                
 The Slovak central bank is likely to keep interest rates on
hold next week and will probably track the European Central
Bank's monetary policy steps ahead of euro adoption in 2009, a
Reuters survey showed on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nLM197617] [RTRS-CEN-INT-PLCY-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK FOREX RESERVES DROP TO $18.7 BLN
                                
 The Slovak central bank's (NBS) foreign currency reserves
dropped to $18.717 billion as of August 20, from annual $18.953
billion on Aug 13, the bank said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nLM33551] [RTRS-CEN-FRX-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 FICO TO MEET GYURCSANY
                                
 Prime Minister Robert Fico will meet, during an informal
meeting, his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany in
September, Slovakia's and Hungary's Vice Prime Ministers said.
                                
 Pravda, page 4
                                
 
                                
 FUEL PRICES
                                
 Market watchers said Slovakia's prices of gasoline and
diesel fuels could ease further in the short term, in case
prices of oil would not rise above 125 dollar a barrel.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 MINIMUM WAGE
                                
 Trade Unions' and Prime Minister Robert Fico's aim to raise
minimum wage top 9,000 crowns ($441.4), next year, could
threaten some businesses and boost unemployment, said Jozef
Spirko, Vice-President of Slovakia's Employers Association.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 16
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy
                                
 
                                
 News editor of the day: Martin Santa on +421 2 5341 8402;
fax: +421 2 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk,
martin.santa@thomsonreuters.com
                                
 
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
<.PX50>
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