Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Feb 6

                                
 PRAGUE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Friday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hour)

======================== 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 - The lower house of parliament to continue a
session.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - January foreign exchange reserves data at 0900 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
============================NEWS================================
                                
 C.BANK SLASHES RATES: The Czech central bank slashed
interest rates by another half a percentage point on Thursday
and predicted the small European Union newcomer would slide into
recession this year for the first time in a decade.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL6543226] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 FHIGHLIGHTS: The following are selected quotes form Czech
central bank Governor Zdenek Tuma's news conference following
the bank's monetary policy meeting on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL5191629] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN JUMPS: The Czech crown firmed 1.3 percent to below 28
to the euro on Thursday after the central bank released
forecasts that saw the average crown rate in 2009 at much
stronger levels.
                                
 Story: [ID:nWLA6784] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CSA SALE: Czech Finance Ministry opened a tender for the
sale of national air carrier Czech Airlines (CSA) and said it
aimed to pick a winner by the end of September.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL5576496] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
                                
 TRADE GAP JUMPS: Czech foreign trade posted the worst
monthly gap in five years in December as the export-dependent
country suffered from a tumble in demand in western Europe.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL5531824] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   729.1    729.1   +0.00          n/a 
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  27.910   27.750   -0.57         -4.01
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  21.843   21.414   -1.83        -12.39
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   8,063    7,957   +1.34         -8.13
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600
GMT
=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
GOVT RESCUE PACKAGE: Czech Industry and Trade Minister Martin
Riman said the government could spend at most 30 billion Czech
crowns ($1.37 billion) on a package of measures aimed to offset
impacts from an economic crisis.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 10
                                
 
                                
 TAX BREAKS: Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said he
rejected the idea of providing tax breaks to small businesses as
a way of lessening the impact from the economic crisis,
describing it as discriminatory.

                                
 SKODA: Volkswagen's <VOWG.DE> Czech unit Skoda Auto will
return to a five-day work week for the Fabia car thanks to a
pick up in demand in Germany for that type of Skoda cars.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
   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 +420 224 190 474;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
                                
  (Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)