Crown hits this year's high at CZK 25.65/EUR

Prague, July 1 (CTK) - The Czech crown firmed further to the euro and the dollar and gains in the currency accelerated to Kc25.65 per euro at the close of trading, the highest level this year, and vis-a-vis the dollar the unit strengthened to Kc18.15, the server Patria Online said.

European stock markets and a lower degree of unwillingness for risk taking are behind the developments in the region, analysts have said.

The Polish zloty and the Hungarian forint also gained markedly. Even the news about a decrease in jobs in the USA which was notably higher than expected did not spoil sentiment in the markets.

The US dollar has fallen to the euro to $1.4140, said Patria Finance's Tomas Vlk.

The crown did not react to a statement by central bank governor Zdenek Tuma that the currency is a positive factor for the economy as it is much weaker compared with last year's record highs, analysts said.

State budget data have also been ignored by the market.

No important events are scheduled in the region for tomorrow. Sentiment towards riskier assets is, however, more important for the regional currencies, said Jiri Skop of Komercni banka.