Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Feb 29

                                
 BRATISLAVA, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Friday.
                                
 
                                
 JAN EU-NORM INFLATION
                                
 The Statistics Office will publish January EU-norm inflation
data, 0800 GMT. Analysts had expected inflation of 0.8 percent
month-on-month and 2.8 percent year-on-year.
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK ON INFLATION
                                
 The central bank (NBS) will comment on January EU-norm
inflation data, by 1500 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 FOREX RESERVES
                                
 The central bank will release its regular weekly foreign
currency reserves data, 1300 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 FINMIN DOES NOT RULE OUT CROWN REVALUATION
                                
 Slovakia's Finance Minister Jan Pociatek said on Thursday he
was not ruling out a "revaluation" of the country's crown
currency, sending the unit to record highs against the euro.
                                
 [ID:nL28881484] [RTRS-FRX-EUR-MMT-SK]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN FIRMS TO RECORD ON FINMIN COMMENTS
                                
 The Slovak crown firmed to a record high to the euro on
Thursday after comments by the finance minister that revaluation
of the unit's peg to the single currency cannot be excluded,
traders said.
                                
 [ID:nL28880341] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-EUR-SK]
                                
 
                                
 JAN PPI HITS 13-MONTH HIGH, RATES SEEN FLAT
                                
 Slovakia's January annual producer price inflation was above
forecasts and hit a 13-month high, data showed on Thursday, but
the jump was seen unlikely to affect consumer inflation and
trigger a monetary policy change.
                                
 [ID:nL28190733] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-CEN-SK]
                                
 [ID:nL2814147]  [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 SMER KEEPS LEAD
                                
 The Smer party of Prime Minister Robert Fico has maintained
the popularity lead, obtaining 39 percent public support in a
poll conducted by the private polling agency MVK in February.
The strongest opposition party SDKU had 15.6 percent.
                                
 Sme, page 2
                                
 
                                
 U.S. STEEL KOSICE HEAD
                                
 George Babcoke will replace David Lohr as the Chairman of
U.S. Steel Kosice, the Slovak unit of United States Steel Corp
<X.N>, effective from March.
 Sme, page 8
                                
 
                                
 CONVERSION RATE
                                
 The optimal conversion rate against the euro is seen at 31.1
per euro, the median of a poll conducted by the Club of Economic
Analysts showed.
                                
 Pravda, page 22
                                
 
                                
 NUCLEAR PLANT
                                
 The Economy Ministry will debate construction alternatives
for the planned fifth block at the nuclear power plant Jaslovske
Bohunice. The project is worth some 100 billion crowns ($4.61
billion) and the ministry is considering a state-private
consortium or a fully state financed version.
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 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
                                
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