Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 25

                                
 PRAGUE, April 25 (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 ========================
                                
 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 - OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria is scheduled to
meet uper and lower house of parliament members to discuss Czech
economy perspectives (0915 GMT) and to attend an economic
seminar (1400 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Defence ministers of the Visegrad Four group of
countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) meet
their Ukrainian counterpart. News conference at 1230 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DEF]
                                
 
                                
 HAARLEMMERMEER, Netherlands - Used car dealer AAA Auto
<AAAAsp.PR> to hold an annual shareholders' meeting.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-AUT]
                                
 
========================== TOP NEWS ============================
                                
 CZECH GROWTH FIRM: The Czech economy has remained largely
insulated from the global financial crisis and it is expected to
speed up slightly next year, although weaker growth elsewhere
may have some impact, the OECD said on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL24154057] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 ZENTIVA SALES BELOW FCAST: Net sales at Czech generic drugs
maker Zentiva <ZNTVsp.PR> grew 30 percent year-on-year in the
first quarter to around 4.4 billion crowns ($279.8 million),
below market forecast of 4.48 billion.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL24900125] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRU]
                                
 
                                
 TRANSGAS DIVIDEND: RWE Transgas, the dominant Czech natural
gas supplier, paid a 12.8 billion crown ($801.2 million)
dividend to its parent RWE AG <RWEG.DE> earlier this week, the
company said on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL24122414] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 EU TREATY: The upper house of the Czech parliament referred
the European Union's Lisbon treaty to the country's top court on
Thursday to rule if it is in line with the constitution,
delaying the ratification process.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL24167895] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BEV]
                                
 
================= ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS ========================
                                
 VOTER SUPPORT: The Czech Republic's ruling right-wing Civic
Democrats (ODS) kept trailing the main leftist opposition party
this month, an opinion poll showed on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2458352] 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> 1,564.1  1,555.1   +0.58        -13.83
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  25.180   25.090   -0.36         +5.24
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  16.019   15.970   -0.31        +13.42
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  12,849   12,763   +0.67         -3.14
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500

================== PRESS DIGEST ================================
                                
 CORPORATE LOANS: A Czech unit of Citigroup <C.N> is selling
large corporate loans worth billions of crowns, mainly those
provided in co-operation with other banks, bankers said.
                                
 E15, page 1
                                
 
                                
 NEW POWER PLANT: Czech energy trader Moravia Energo plans to
spend 2 billion crowns ($125.2 million) to build a new 80
megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired power plant, which should be
launched between 2010 and 2011.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 18
                                
 
                                
 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 +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
 (Reporting by Martin Dokoupil)