Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Sept 17

                                
 PRAGUE, Sept 17 (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 - President Vaclav Klaus to meet Civic Democrats
(ODS) chief Mirek Topolanek at 0900 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - 52-week T-bill auction.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
==========================TOP NEWS============================
                                
 CEE FX: A delay to early Czech elections that analysts say
may speed fiscal tightening sent the crown currency to a
nine-month high on Wednesday, while stocks and other of the
region's currencies also gained.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG276703] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 RATE MEETING: All seven members of the Czech central bank's
governing board will take part in the Sept. 24 meeting on
monetary policy, the bank said on Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA004766] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 FLOATER: The Czech government sold more  3-year
floating-rate debt <CZ1002505=> thank planned at an auction on
Wednesday, drawing solid demand despite poltical chaos and
uncertainty around the 2010 budget.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG397248] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 Second Round: [ID:nPRA04767]
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET: Czech parties have a widely different approach to
proposed budget savings for next year and reaching a compromise
will be very difficult, Finance Minister Eduard Janota said on
Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG101256] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN AT 9-MTH HIGH: The Czech crown firmed 1 percent on
Wednesday to hit a 9-month high against the euro.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG003628] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 UNILEVER SCRAPS CZECH UNIT: Unilever Group <ULVR.L> plans to
gradually dampen production in its Czech unit and eventually
shut it by the second quarter of 2010, the company said in a
statement on Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG554492] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]

 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities <.PX>   1154,8   1154,8    1,88       34,56
vs Euro   <EURCZK=>     25,14    25,145    0,02        6,03
vs Dollar    <CZK=>    17,032     17,11    0,46       10,89
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>  9791,71    9683,41  1,12       11,57
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600

==========================PRESS DIGEST========================
                                
 RADAR: The U.S. administration froze plans to build missile
shield defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland as the
Obama administration wants to develop short-range and mid-range
missile defence systems instead.
                                
 www.ihned.cz
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET: The leading Czech parties the leftist Social
Democrats and the rightist Civic Democrats argue over plans how
to cut the budget gap to 170 billion crowns ($9.84 billion). The
rightist party calls for VAT hikes, while the Social Democrats
want to raise corporate taxes and taxes for the rich.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 INTEREST RATES: Czech central bank board member Pavel
Rezabek said big fiscal deficits could force the bank to raise
interest rates before the recession ends.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 27
                                
    
                                
 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>

                                
 News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 474;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
 (Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)