Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Aug 19

                                
 PRAGUE, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Thursday.
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
                                
 Previous stories on Czech data.............[CZ-RTRS-LEN-ECI]
                                
 Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
                                
 Updates on CEE currencies............................[CEE/]
                                
 
=========================EVENTS=================================
                                
 PRAGUE - 13-week T-bill auction.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
=========================TOP NEWS===============================
                                
 STRONG BOND: Investors bid for more than twice the amount on
offer at a Czech 15-year bond auction on Wednesday, sending
yields to a lifetime low as markets braced for an expected
reduction in the supply of longer-dated local debt.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE67H1EX]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The Polish zloty and Hungarian forint rose on
Wednesday, helped by gains in the euro -- Central Europe's
reference currency -- after a solid German bond auction, but
ended off early highs.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE67H0AC]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 EPH'S GERMAN BID: German chemicals, power and real estate
group Evonik [EVON.UL] has received at least three bids for its
power plants division, Germany's fifth-largest power producer,
three people with knowledge of the transaction told Reuters. 
                                
 A group of eight German municipal utilities, Czech utility
investor Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding (EPH) and German waste
disposal company Remondis have made an offer for Evonik's energy
unit, formerly called Steag, three people said.  
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE67H1OR]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2010
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>     24.744     24.77     0.1        5.98
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>     19.326     19.284   -0.22      -5.16
 Czech Equities <.PX>  1,184.6    1,184.6     -1.01       6.02
 U.S. Equities <.DJI> 10,415.54  10,405.85     0.09      -0.12
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT

=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
 CEZ SPENDING PLANS: A CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> plan to 2015 calls for
capital expenses of 350 billione-370 billion crowns ($19.21
billion), down from a previous figure of 430 billion.
                                
 Lidove Noviny, page 13
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.

                                
 For Instant Views of key economic data click on
                                
[CZ/INSTANT]
 For summary of economic data and forecasts          <CZ/ECON01>
 For diary of forthcoming Czech events                [CZ/DIARY]
 For calendar of east European economic indicators  [CONV/DIARY]
 TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets                         [TOP/EMRG]
 TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch                        [TOP/EAST]

 For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United
 States and other Group of Seven countries see         <G7TODAY>

 For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets:
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX <.PX>

                                
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