Slovakia - Factors To Watch on May 26

                                
 BRATISLAVA, May 26 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 STATE BOND AUCTION
                                
 The finance ministry's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency
(ARDAL) will auction a 18-year, 4.5 percent-coupon, state bond.
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK SAYS PACE OF CROWN FIRMING SURPRISING
                                
 A rise in the Slovak crown helps to tame inflation but a
strong currency also hurts exporters and curbs economic growth,
Slovak central bank Governor Ivan Sramko was quoted on Monday as
saying.
                                
 [ID:nL26202873] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-EUR-SK]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN HITS FRESH RECORD HIGH 31.101 VS EURO
                                
 The Slovak crown rose to a fresh all-time high of 31.101 to
the euro on Friday morning on investors' expectations that the
country would seek a strong conversion rate for swapping the
crown for the euro next year.
                                
 [ID:nL23548138] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-EUR-SK]
                                
 
                                
 CBANK FOREX RESERVES RISE TO $19.9 BLN
                                
 The Slovak central bank's (NBS) foreign currency reserves
rose to $19.933 billion on May 21 from $19.712 billion on May
14, the bank said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL23886951] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-CEN-SK]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 CONVERSION RATE
                                
 The conversion rate for euro adoption is expected to be
30.70 <EURSKK=>, a survey by an association of bank and
think-tank analysts showed. Analysts said 29.70 crowns per euro
was the theoretically optimal exchange rate for the economy.
                                
 Sme, page 6 
                                
 
                                
 NUCLEAR PLANT SHUTDOWN
                                
 Slovakia will shut down the second block of its oldest
nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice as originally agreed
with the European Union despite Prime Minister Robert Fico's
call for a delay, Energy Commissioner office said.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 HEALTHCARE DEBT
                                
 Debt of Slovak hospitals reached 6 billion crowns last year
and it will continue to rising this year, Healthcare minister
Ivan Valentovic said.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 2
                                
 
                                
 ELECTRICITY IMPORTS
                                
 Ukraine is ready to start exporting electricity to Slovakia
next year, Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko said after a
meeting with Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 4
                                
 
                                
 GAMBLING UP 24.5 PCT
                                
 Slovaks spent almost 54 billion crowns ($2.73 billion) on
gambling last year, up from 39.9 billion crowns in 2006.
                                
 Pravda, page 3
                                
 
                                
 EX-FIRST LADY DIES
                                
 Irena Schusterova, the wife of former President Rudolf
Schuster, died on Saturday after a sudden heart attack.
                                
 Pravda, page 2
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy
                                
 
                                
 News editor of the day: Peter Laca, +421 2 5341 8402; fax
+421 2 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
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