PRAGUE, March 18 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Wednesday:
ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hour)
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on Czech currency.............................[]
=========================== EVENTS =============================
PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue its
session.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - 10-year government bond auction.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
[]
PRAGUE - Environment Minister Martin Bursik to hold a news
conference on the EU-Japan and EU-USA negotiations on Copenhagen
climate agreement at 0830 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech Regional Development Minister Cyril Svoboda
and his Polish counterpart Elzbieta Bienkowska to hold a news
conference at 1100 GMT.
Related news: []
=========================OVERNIGHT NEWS=========================
CBANKER SEES RATE STABILITY: The Czech central bank may keep
interest rates on hold for now given the crown currency's rise
and the low nominal level of the main rate, a central bank board
member said in a newspaper interview.
Story: [] Related news: []
============================NEWS================================
NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE CALLED: The main Czech opposition party
called a no-confidence vote for next Tuesday in a new attempt to
dislodge Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek halfway through the
central European country's EU presidency.
Story: [] Related news: []
GOVT PULLS SHIELD TREATIES: The Czech government temporarily
withdrew treaties on hosting a U.S. defence radar from a
parliament ratification process on Tuesday in the face of an
opposition threat to vote them down.
Story: [] Related news: []
RULING PARTY NARROWS GAP: The Czech Republic's ruling Civic
Democrats (ODS) narrowed their gap behind the main leftist
opposition party, the Social Democrats (CSSD), an opinion poll
showed on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE FX REVERSE RALLY Poland's zloty and the Hungarian forint
fell versus the euro on Tuesday when a rally in European stocks
lost momentum, reversing some of emerging European currencies'
recent gains.
Story: [] Related news: []
NO NEED FOR AID TO ENTIRE CEE: There is no need for an
economic aid package that targets all central and eastern
European economies because some of them do not need it, Czech
central bank Vice-Governor Miroslav Singer said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
G20 MEET IN SIGHT: EU leaders will agree this week to
squeeze the most from existing recovery plans rather than launch
new measures, risking the disappointment of both financial
markets and trade partners, especially Washington.
Story: [] Related news: []
EU POWERS SAY REGULATION PRIORITY: France and Germany said
the top priority for an April G20 summit should be to agree new
rules for the global financial system, in the latest signal to
Washington that they oppose its push for new stimulus measures.
Story: [] Related news: []
W.BANK SEES ZERO GROWTH: Economic growth in eastern Europe
and central Asia is likely to grind to a halt this year as a
result of the global financial crisis, a senior World Bank
official said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
ORCO DROPS: Orco Property Group <> <ORCO.PA> fell
23.5 percent to a record low when the Prague bourse opened on
Tuesday, a day after trade was suspended when the real estate
group delayed publication of its 2008 results.
Story: [] Related news: []
ZENTIVA CALLS SANOFI EGM: Czech generic drugs maker Zentiva
<> called an extraordinary shareholders' meeting for
April 2 to discuss Sanofi-Aventis' <SASY.PA> planned takeover of
the company, it said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2009
Czech Equities <> 693.3 693.3 +0.00 N/A
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 26.660 26.670 +0.04 +0.49
vs Dollar <CZK=> 20.426 20.388 -0.20 -6.46
U.S. Equities <> 7,396 7,217 +2.48 -15.73
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT
===========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
CSA TENDER INTEREST: Nine firms have already expressed
interest in the first round of tender for state carrier Czech
Airlines (CSA) that ends next week, the paper reported. Aeroflot
and KLM-Air France have already expressed interest, and are
considered among favourites, the daily said.
A deputy finance minister said airlines from the Far East
were most preferred in his personal opinion.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 15
ORCO SHAREHOLDER WANTS MORE: Orco Property Group's
<> <ORCO.PA> new largest shareholder Prosperita said
it wanted to continue raising its stake in the developer but did
not intend to take over the company.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 17
CEZ TO SIGN SLOVAK NUCLEAR DEAL: CEZ <> energy
group will sign a deal for construction of new nuclear power
units in Slovakia in May.
E15, page 3
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
For Instant Views of key economic data click on []
For summary of economic data and forecasts <CZ/ECON01>
For diary of forthcoming Czech events []
For calendar of east European economic indicators []
TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets []
TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch []
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 <> Budapest BUX <> Prague PX <>
News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 474;
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E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
(Compiled by Jason Hovet)
