Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 4

                                
 PRAGUE, April 4 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 February retail sales data at 0700 GMT.
                                
 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/]
                                
 
============================TOP NEWS===========================
                                
 
                                
 CZECH PMI DIPS, STILL STRONG: The Czech Purchasing Managers'
Index (PMI) dipped for the second month in a row in March to
58.6 in from February's 59.8 and a record high in January,
reflecting weaker contributions from the two main components,
new orders and output.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE72U0RD]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 EAST EU PMI STRONG: Manufacturing increased in Poland and
dipped slightly in the Czech Republic and Hungary in March, with
countries remaining solidly in positive territory on the back of
export-led growth in the euro zone.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE7300AP] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PMI]
                                
 
                                
 MINUTES: NO DOMESTIC DEMAND-PULL PRESSURES: The Czech
central bank board mostly agreed at its March 24 meeting that
risks were balanced and there were no signals of demand-pull
pressures from the domestic economy, minutes from the meeting
showed on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG004831] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 Text: [ID:nLDE730062]
                                
 
                                
 DUKOVANY TO SHUT UNIT 4: Czech power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR>
said on Friday it would shut down the 456 megawatt Unit 4 of its
Dukovany nuclear power station due to leaking piping in the
containment area.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG004832] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-NUC]
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET SHOWS DEFICIT THOUGH SMALLER THAN A YEAR AGO: The
Czech central state budget showed a 25.2 billion crown ($1.46
billion) deficit at the end of March, the Finance Ministry said
on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE7300JP] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The Polish zloty dipped on Friday on
uncertainty over the country's balance of payments, while the
Czech crown rose as Prague appeared on track to meet its
year-end deficit target. 
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE7300KB] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE POWER: Electricity for 2012 delivery hit a fresh
two-year high on Friday as market participants anticipated
Germany might permanently shut down a number of nuclear plants
now temporarily suspended, traders said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE7301QC ] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRV]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2011
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>     24.435     24.447    0.05       2.26
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>     17.169     17.267    0.57       8.03
 Czech Equities <.PX>  1,257.3    1,257.3      0          2.65
 U.S. Equities <.DJI> 12,376.72  12,319.73     0.46       6.9
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT

==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 FINMIN INVESTIGATING SAZKA: Finance Minister Miroslav
Kalousek sent officials from the tax office to indebted lottery
company Sazka to find out whether documents have been falsified
and whether CEO Ales Husak has illegally taken money out of the
company.
                                
 Hospodarske noviny, page 17
                                
 
                                
 KYOCERA TO EXPAND CZECH OPS: Japanese tech company Kyocera
<6971.T> will expand its production of solar panels based in the
northern Czech town of Kadan. It will invest 700 million crowns
and add 400 workers to its current 600. The demand for solar
panels has risen after the Fukushima disaster and Germany's
decision to curb power production from nuclear plants.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 21

                                
 CENTRAL BANK CUTS PIIGS BOND EXPOSURE: The Czech central
bank cuts last its holdings of Irish, Italy's, Greek, and
Spanish bonds to 35.7 billion crowns from 143.3 billion.
                                
 E15, page 1
                                
 
                                
 CZECHS AGAINST EURO: An opinion poll by Sanep agency found
that 74 percent of Czechs are against adopting the euro and 73
percent are against providing any kind of loans to indebted EU
countries, the poll showed.
                                
 Pravo, 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
                                
 [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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