EMERGING EUROPE STOCKS-Factors to Watch Jan 8

                                
 WARSAW, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Central/Eastern
Europe's financial markets on Thursday.
                                
 
                                
 RUSSIA-UKRAINE GAS DISPUTE
                                
 Russia and Ukraine argue their case to Europe on Thursday in
a gas price dispute that has choked off energy supplies to EU
countries beset by bitter winter weather.
                                
 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Ukrainian leader
Viktor Yushchenko gas supplies had become hostage to squabbling
in the Kiev leadership. Russia would insist that Ukraine, which
has enjoyed low-price deliveries since the collapse of the
Soviet Union, pay full market rates.
                                
 Gas supplies from Russia to the Czech Republic via Ukraine
remained halted on Thursday, the country's main supplier said.
                                
                                              [ID:nPRA002302]
                                
 For more on the gas row, click on [ID:nL7385606]
                                
 
                                
 UNICREDIT PLANS
                                
 Italy's bank UniCredit <CRDI.MI> will set up a back office
centre in the Polish north-western city of Szczecin to process
banking transactions in Germany and Austria and plans to hire
500 workers, Puls Biznesu reports.
                                
 
                                
 ASSECO
                                
 Poland's largest software maker Asseco Poland <SOBK.WA>
could pay 30 percent of last year's profit as dividend, the
company's supervisory board head was quoted as saying by
Parkiet.
                                
 
                                
 TAKATA PETRI
                                
 Takata Petri, Romania's third largest producer of car parts,
is considering plans to cut its working week by one day due to a
fall in demand on the European and U.S. markets, Ziarul
Financiar writes.
                                
 
                                
 ARCELORMITTAL ArcelorMittal's <ISPA.AS> Czech unit will lay
off up to 350 employees out of 7,450 due to the global economic
crisis, writes Hospodarske Noviny.
                                
 
                                
 PGNIG
                                
 Profit at Poland's gas monopoly PGNiG <PGNI.WA> is set to
rise due to the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine as it will
cut loss-generating imports in the first quarter, analysts said.
                                
                                              [ID:nL7344651]
                                
 The fall in the sales of imported gas will not have a
negative impact on PGNiG results, its deputy chief executive
Radoslaw Dudzinski told Parkiet newspaper.
                                
 
                                
 BPH RESULTS
                                
 General Electric's <GE.N> Polish lender Bank BPH <BPHW.WA>
earned more than 100 million zlotys ($34.4 million) last year
and made profit in each quarter, its chief executive said on
Wednesday.                                        [ID:nL7636870]

                                
 EUROPEAN MARKETS
                                
 European stock index futures pointed to a drop on Thursday,
mirroring steep losses on Wall Street after a revenue warning
from Intel Corp <INTC.O> and a gloomy U.S. private sector jobs
report that reignited economic worries.
                                
 For the latest news on European markets, double click [.EU]

                                
 WALL STREET
                                
 U.S. stocks suffered their worst decline in more than a
month on Wednesday after a grim private-sector jobs report
coupled with a revenue warning from top chip maker Intel Corp
<INTC.O> revived deep concerns about the economy.
                                
 For latest Wall Street news, double click [.N] 
                                
 
                                
 OTHER EQUITY NEWS
 Stocks on the move      [HOT-RTRS] Real-time Equity News    [E]
 Emerging markets equities [EMRG-E] E.Europe equities     [.CEE]
 Hot stocks                   [HOT] Stock markets          [STX]
 Emerging Europe diaries [EMRG-EUROPE-DIARY]

 European stocks report  [.EU]
 Major world stock market performance     [.STX]
 FTSE Eurotop 300 index...................<.FTEU3>
 DJ STOXX index...........................<.STOXX>
 Eurotop 300 sector gainers/losers...<.PGL.FTEU3S>
 Top 25 European pct gainers............<.PG.PEUR>
 Top 25 European pct losers.............<.PL.PEUR>
 European Equities speed guide.............<EUR/EQUITY>
 Pan European indices.....................<EUR/INDICES1>
 Pan European analysis.....................<EUR/STATS1>
 
 REGIONAL INDICES
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>     Istanbul ISE National 100 <.XU100>
 Budapest SE Index <.BUX>  Bucharest Beti <.BETI>
 Prague PX <.PX>           Zagreb Crobex <.CRBEX>
 Sofia Sofix <.SOFIX>      Ljubljana SBI20 <.SBI>
 
 MSCI Global Emerging Markets <.MSCIEF>
 FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3>