Slovakia - Factors To Watch on March 3

                                
 BRATISLAVA, March 3 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 EURO CONFERENCE
                                
 Central Bank Governor Ivan Sramko and Deputy Finance
Minister Frantisek Palko will address a conference on euro
adoption, 1515 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 STATE BUDGET
                                
 The finance ministry will publish January-February central
state budget data.
                                
 
                                
 CROWN AT NEW RECORD ON EURO ADOPTION DRIVE
                                
 The Slovak crown extended its gains and firmed to a new
all-time high against the euro on Friday as recent comments from
state officials on the prospects of euro adoption continued to
drive the market, traders said.
                                
 [ID:nL29260704] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK]
                                
 
                                
 INFLATION JUMPS, NO DANGER TO EURO TEST SEEN
                                
 The Slovak inflation rate jumped to a 13-month high in
January on rising energy and food costs, data showed on Friday,
but analysts saw no risk of breaching the price growth limit for
euro adoption.
                                
 [ID:nL29621063] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-INT-SK]
                                
 [ID:nL29582954] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK]
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK SAYS JAN INFLATION ABOVE FORECAST
                                
 Slovakia's January EU-norm inflation was above the central
bank's forecasts mainly because state-regulated heating,
transport and healthcare prices rose faster than expected, the
bank said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nBSD000042] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-CEN-SK]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
                                
 The opposition Christian Democrats have set conditions under
which they would support Iveta Radicova of the main opposition
party, SDKU, as the joint candidate in presidential election.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 HIGH WINDS
                                
 Gale-force winds, which hammered part of central Europe and
killed at least eight people, cut power lines in western
Slovakia and some interrupted some traffic routes. Only minor
injuries were reported.
                                
 Pravda, page 6
                                
 
                                
 CANADA CANCELS VISAS
                                
 Canada has lifted the visa duty for Slovaks, along with
Poland, Lithuania and Hungary, effective from March 1.
                                
 Sme, page 2
                                
 
                                
 PAPER FIRE
                                
 A man set a stogare at the paper maker Tento Zilina on fire
on Sunday, causing property damage of 250 million crowns ($11.7
million). Tento is a unit of Finland's Metsa Tissue. Police said
the man was fired by Tento last week.
                                
 http://www.ta3.com
                                
 
                                
 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 +421 905 602 847; 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 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50 <.PX50>
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