Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Jan 14

                                
 BRATISLAVA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 NOVEMBER RETAIL SALES
                                
 The Statistics Office will release November retail sales
data, 0800 GMT. Analysts had forecast an annual increase by 3.3
percent in November.
                                
 
                                
 NOVEMBER AVG INDUSTRIAL WAGE
                                
 The Statistics Office will release November average real
industrial wage data.
                                
 
                                
 STATE BOND AUCTION
                                
 The Debt and Liquidity Management Agency will issue a
3-year, zero-coupon state bond on behalf of the Finance
Ministry.
                                
 
                                
 PM SEES NO MORE CROWN PARITY SHIFTS
                                
 Slovakia will likely not need another revaluation of the
central parity of its crown currency against the euro before
joining the euro zone, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on
Saturday.
                                
 [ID:nL12235552] [RTRS-POL-EUR-FRX-SK]
                                
 
                                
 2008 BUDGET SHOULD BE TIGHTER - CBANKER
                                
 The Slovak state budget plan for 2008 is acceptable but the
central bank would have liked an even smaller deficit to help
contain inflation risks, a central bank vice-governor was quoted
on Monday as saying.
                                
 [ID:nLA717687]
                                
 
                                
 CPI AT 1-YR HIGH, RATES SEEN STAYING FLAT
                                
 Slovak annual inflation hit a one-year high in December on
strong food and fuel costs, but analysts predicted interest
rates would stay unchanged in the near future as meeting euro
adoption criteria was not at risk.
                                
 [ID:nL11779188] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK]
                                
 
                                
 DEC CPI SLIGHTLY ABOVE FORECASTS
                                
 Slovak consumer prices rose 0.3 percent month-on-month in
December, putting the annual inflation rate at 3.4 percent, the
Statistics Office said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL11411340] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK]
                                
 
                                
 NOV TRADE GAP WORSE THAN EXPECTED
                                
 Slovakia's foreign trade balance showed a deficit of 7.7
billion crowns ($342.2 million) in November compared with a
revised surplus of 3.5 billion crowns in October, the Statistics
Office said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL11594262] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-TRD-SK]
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK FOREX RESERVES RISE TO $19.1 BLN
                                
 The Slovak central bank's (NBS) foreign currency reserves
edged up to $19.109 billion as of Jan. 9, from $19.002 billion
on Jan. 2, the bank said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL11647743] [RTRS-CEN-MMT-FRX-SK]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 FOOD PRICES
                                
 Food prices are expected to rise by 4 percent this year,
analysts said, slowing down from an 8 percent jump in 2007.
                                
 Pravda, page 21
                                
 
                                
 ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION
                                
 Slovakia's electricity consumption of 29.8 terawatt hours
(TWh) outpaced production of 26.2 TWh in 2007, due to shutdown
of the country's oldest nuclear power plant in Jaslovske
Bohunice. Consumption is expected to rise further.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 5
                                
 
                                
 For news on upcoming events in the United States and other
Group  of Seven countries, see <G7TODAY>. 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
                                
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