Slovakia - Factors To Watch on April 30

                                
 BRATISLAVA, April 30 (Reuters) - Here are news stories,
press reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak
financial markets on Thursday.
                                
 
                                
 INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
                                
 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will open an investment
conference during his visit to Slovakia.
                                
 
                                
 QUESTION HOUR
                                
 Prime Minister Robert Fico and government ministers to
answer queries from MPs in parliament, 1200 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 AUSTRIA'S FAYMANN VISIT
                                
 Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann will visit Slovakia. News
conference with Slovak PM Fico at 1130 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 FEB C/A DEFICIT SHRINKS TO 63 MLN EUROS
                                
 Slovakia's current account showed a preliminary deficit of
63 million euros ($83.12 million) in February, compared with a
downwardly revised 298 million euro gap in January, the central
bank said on Wednesday.
                                
 [ID:nLT459935] [RTRS-TRD-CEN-DBT-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 ECB'S SRAMKO: EURO ZONE GROWTH RISKS ON DOWNSIDE
                                
 There are risks that the European Central Bank (ECB) will
have to revise its euro zone growth forecasts down, ECB
governing council member Ivan Sramko said on Wednesday.
                                
 [ID:nPRG001396] [RTRS-ECB-INT-PLCY-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 SRAMKO ON ECONOMY
                                
 Central bank (NBS) Governor Ivan Sramko expects the updated
finance ministry forecasts, due out in June, to be closer to the
central bank's predictions. The NBS sees economy contracting by
2.4 percent this year, while the ministry currently forecasts
2.4 percent growth.
                                
 Sme, page 6
                                
 
                                
 LCD INVESTMENT
                                
 Taiwan's AU Optronics <2409.TW> is expected to invest 200
million euro in Slovakia to build an assembly plant for LCD
displays. The mayor of western Slovak town of Trencin confirmed
a large investment project was being prepared, but declined to
comment on the name of the investor.
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 SLOVAK TELEKOM FINE
                                
 The Slovak Anti-Monopoly Office confirmed its 17.5 million
euro fine levied on Slovak Telekom, a unit of Deutsche Telekom
<DTEGn.DE>, for abusing its dominant market position. Slovak
Telekom said would take the case to court.
                                
 Sme, page 6

                                
 MORTGAGE VOLUMES DOWN
                                
 The number of new mortgages fell by 80 percent in the first
quarter against the same period of last year, to 1,120 from
5,725 in the same period of the last year.
                                
 Sme, page 6
                                
 
                                
 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 5341 8402 fax:
+421 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk, peter.laca@thomsonreuters.com
                                
 Reuters Messaging: martin.santa.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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