Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on March 7

                                
 PRAGUE, March 7 (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 hours)

 ======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
                                
 Updated fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth figures
due out at 0800.
                                
 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 ===============================
                                
 COALITION TALKS: Leaders of the three-party ruling coalition
are due to meet to discuss a controversial plan to appoint
Christian Democrat leader Jiri Cunek to the cabinet (TBC).
                                
 
                                
 PRESIDENT STARTS NEW TERM: Vaclav Klaus will be appointed
for a second presidential term.
                                
 
                                
 GREENS MEET: Green Party chief will address calls for his
resignation at a party leadership meeting (1700).
                                
 
========================= TOP NEWS =============================
                                
 TRADE SURPLUS: The Czech foreign trade balance posted a 12.2
billion crown ($747.1 million) surplus in January, the
highest-ever for the first month of the year.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL06255020] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 INFLATION SLOWS REAL WAGES: Czech real average wages rose
1.9 percent year-on-year in October-December last year, slowing
to the lowest pace in two years as inflation picked up.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL06409414] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
====================== ELSEWHERE IN NEWS =======================
                                
 ORCO UPBEAT: Real-estate developer Orco Property Group
<ORCOsp.PR> <ORCO.PA> will easily meet its sales target despite
the global credit crunch, the Czech firm's Chief Executive
Officer Jean-Francois Ott said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL06862442] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-REA]
                                
 
                                
 COALITION ROW: A junior Czech government party demanded a
spot for its chairman in the cabinet on Thursday, a request that
may rattle the centre-right coalition.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL06882732] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 Czech Equities  <.PX> 1,496.3  1,511.5   -1.01        -17.56
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  25.200   25.050   -0.60         +5.16
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  16.333   16.299   -0.26        +11.19
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  12,040   12,255   -1.75         -9.23
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
                                
 
                                
 (Reuters has not verified any of the newspaper reports that
may be quoted above and does not 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