CEE MARKETS 1-FX mixed, concerns over Greek aid weigh

                                
 WARSAW, March 23 (Reuters) - Central Europe's currencies
opened mixed on Tuesday, but uncertainty over EU financial
support for debt-stricken Greece weighed on the region and
threatened to weaken exchange rates in the short term.
                                
 Germany and its European Union partners clashed on Monday
over whether to provide a financial safety net for Greece, with
Chancellor Angela Merkel continuing to rebuff calls for an
agreement this week [ID:nLDE62L0HG]
                                
 The dispute has put pressure on the euro, central Europe's
main reference currency.<EUR=>
                                
 "Certainly worries over a possible Greek bailout don't help
the region," said one Warsaw-based dealer. "And given the fact
that there are no local factors that can impact currencies right
now, it is still the key issue for the region."
                                
 By 0817 GMT the zloty <EURPLN> and the forint <EURHUF=> had
edged down by less than 0.1 percent each against the euro, while
the Czech crown <EURCZK=> was almost unchanged versus the common
currency and Romania's leu <EURRON=> was up 0.2 percent.
                                
 The zloty and the forint shot to 15-month highs last week
while the crown jumped to a five-month peak on the region's
improving economic outlook and lower debt levels.
                                
 But comments by monetary policymakers who raised concerns
over their currencies' sharp rise and a worsening in overall
sentiment halted the gains. Some market players have predicted
range-bound trading in the coming days.
                                
 In the Czech Republic, analysts expect the central bank to
keep rates at their current record low at its next meeting on
Thursday. Although rates are seen rising later this year or in
early 2011, some see risk on the easing side.
                                
 Similarly, in Poland the market is pricing in two small
hikes by the end of the year from an all-time low of 3.5 percent
but the question is about the timing of monetary tightening.
                                
 Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said on Tuesday the
country's economy would grow only slightly this year, by a
moderate 1.2-1.3 percent, while inflation could be at about 2
percent. [ID:nPRC003359]
                                
 Poland is the only European Union member to have avoided
recession last year and its economy is expected to grow by 2.8
percent in 2010, up from 1.7 percent in 2009.
--------------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT--------------------
Currency                    Latest   Previous Local    Local
                                
                                  close    currency currency
                                
                                           change   change
                                
                                           today    in 2010 
Czech crown      <EURCZK=>  25.44    25.432   -0.03%   +3.45%
Polish zloty     <EURPLN=>   3.897    3.894   -0.08%   +5.31%
Hungarian forint <EURHUF=> 264.11   263.99    -0.05%   +2.36%
Croatian kuna    <EURHRK=>   7.26     7.26     0%      +0.68%
Romanian leu     <EURRON=>   4.077    4.083   +0.15%   +3.93%
Serbian dinar    <EURRSD=>  99.409   99.577   +0.17%   -3.55%
All data taken from Reuters at 0917 CET.
Currency percent change calculated from the daily domestic 
close at 1600 GMT.
                                
 
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 (Reporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Dagmara
Leszkowicz; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)