Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 2

                                
 PRAGUE, April 2 (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 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 Czech currency.............................[CZK/]
                                
 
========================= EVENTS ===============================
                                
 PRAGUE - European Banking & Financial Forum 2008 continues
with ING Bank CR CEO Rolf Jan Zweep and Commerzbank CZ General
Manager Jutta Walter.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - The Czech cabinet to hold a regular session.
Ministers to debate a proposal to withdraw a lawsuit against the
European Commission regarding CO2 emmission limits. News
conference seen at 1130 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CO2]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - 15-year government bond auction <CZ1001945>.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) to celebrate 130th
anniversary of the establishment of the party with Germany's
ex-chancellor and chairman of the Nord Stream consortium Gerhard
Schroeder and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (1400 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue a
session.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
========================= TOP NEWS =============================
                                
 EURO ZONE BETTER OFF: The euro zone economy is less
vulnerable to financial crisis than the United States and its
short-term growth outlook is better, European Central Bank
Governing Council member Christian Noyer said on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01556321] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECB]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN DEAL NEAR: The Czech Finance Ministry is fine-tuning
an agreement with the central bank on checking the firming of
the crown currency and the text may be published in days,
Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01780364] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 FISCAL GAPS DROP: The Czech public sector fiscal deficit
narrowed sharply to 1.58 percent of gross domestic product last
year, the statistical bureau (CSU) said on Tuesday, a bigger
improvement than already positive earlier estimates.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01463820] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 COALITION TENSION EASES: A junior Czech government party
leader will return to the cabinet after a five-month absence,
Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Tuesday, cooling tensions
that had threatened to destabilise the ruling coalition.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL0160865] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
================== ELSEWHERE IN NEWS ===========================
                                
 CROWN FIRMS: The Czech crown firmed almost 1 percent to
three-week highs against the euro on Tuesday on positive
regional mood and stop-loss orders, and dealers saw the unit
slowly approaching its record peak in the coming weeks.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01389465] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 PENSIONS TO RISE: The Czech parliament approved a pensions
hike on Tuesday to compensate for an unexpected inflation spike
in the past months.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01463554] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 JAN-MARCH BUDGET DEFICIT: The Czech central state budget
showed a 13.35 billion crown ($827.1 million) deficit for
January-March, up from a year ago, data showed on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA001837] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 PMI INDEX RISES: NTC Research and ABN Amro gave the
following breakdown on Tuesday of the Purchasing Manager's Index
(PMI) for the Czech manufacturing sector in March.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA001836] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PMI]
                                
 
                                
 DAVIS CUP NOMINATION: The Czech Republic nominated the same
players who helped them advance from the Davis Cup first round
for the forthcoming quarter-final against Russia, news agency
CTK said on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01479439] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-TENN]
                                
 
======================= PRESS DIGEST ===========================
                                
 CEZ DIVIDENS: The state expects to receive a
higher-than-budgeted dividend from power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR>
this year, Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 21
                                
 
                                
 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 +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
 (Compiled by Martin Dokoupil)