EMERGING EUROPE STOCKS - Factors to Watch Dec 16

                                
 WARSAW, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Central/Eastern
Europe's financial markets on Tuesday.
                                
 
                                
 VATTENFALL
                                
 Swedish energy group Vattenfall [VATN.UL] quit talks to buy
minority stakes in Polish utilities GZE and Vattenfall Heat
Poland, threatening the already modest target for privatisation
income, daily Parkiet reported on Tuesday.       [ID:nLG539893]
                                
 
                                
 PGNIG
                                
 Gas prices in Poland may fall already in the second quarter
of the next year, Rzeczpospolita quotes a deputy economy
minister as saying. Also, the deputy head of dominant gas group
PGNiG <PGNI.WA> said gas prices cuts are possible, but rather in
the second half of the year.
                                
 
                                
 UNICREDIT, PEKAO
                                
 Italy's UniCredit <CRDI.MI> remains interested in buying the
rest of Bank Pekao <BAPE.WA> even though it walked away last
week from a deal to buy it from Poland and paid a 300 million
zlotys fine, Rzeczpospolita quotes one of its executive as
saying.
                                
 
                                
 VOLKSWAGEN
                                
 Germany's car maker Volkswagen AG <VOWG.DE> plans to invest
up to 9 billion crowns ($401.8 million) to expand its production
portfolio at the firm's Slovak factory.           [ID:nLF470453]
                                
 
                                
 TRANSELECTRICA
                                
 Romanian state-controlled power grid operator Transelectrica
<TSEL.BX> forecasts a gross profit of 126.3 million lei ($43.25
million) in 2009, up 5 percent from this year's estimate, says
Business Standard.
                                
 
                                
 PETROM, OMV
                                
 Romanian top oil firm Petrom <SNPP.BX>, owned by Austria's
OMV <OMVV.VI>, asked shareholders to agree to raising its 2008
investment budget by 285 million lei to 6.4 billion lei due to
exchange rate depreciation, news agency Agerpres reports.
                                
 
                                
 HIDROELECTRICA
                                
 Romanian state-owned hydro power producer will sell 10 micro
power units on Feb. 16 for roughly 11 million euros, Ziarul
Financiar writes. Hidroelectrica has so far sold 81 micro units
for about 60 million euros.
                                
 
                                
 EUROPEAN MARKETS
                                
 European equities were poised to inch higher on Tuesday,
snapping a three-session losing streak ahead of an interest rate
decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve and quarterly results from
Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs <GS.N>.
                                
 For the latest news on European markets, double click [.EU]
                                
 
                                
 WALL STREET
                                
 U.S. stocks stumbled on Monday, roiled by worries about how
big a bite the global financial crisis has taken from banks'
profits and fallout from a massive investment fraud scheme.
                                
 JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> was the biggest drag on the Dow
after Merrill Lynch cut the stock to an "underperform" rating
and forecast a loss for the bank's fourth quarter.
                                
 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>
 ($1=3.066 Zloty)