CROATIA'S CENTRAL BANK HOLDS 100TH SESSION

ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Council of the National Bank of Croatia held its 100th session on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Governor Marko Skreb. The Council considered this year's economic and monetary trends, concluding that there was no need for any changes in monetary policy. A more lively economic activity was recorded, with an increase in investment spending as well as in a foreign trade deficit in the balance of payments on current account, said a statement from the session. Despite an increase in monetary aggregates and satisfactory money supply, the value of the domestic currency remained stable. September retail prices rose by 0.3 per cent in comparison to the previous month, while an overall nine-month increase totalled 3.7 per cent as against the same period last year. The international reserves managed by the central bank reached $2.49 billion at the end of September. The Council drew attention to growing domestic currency savings, particularly time deposits, and favourable indicators of the movement of interest rates. (hina) vm jn 011944 MET oct 97