Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on May 15

                                
 PRAGUE, May 15 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Thursday:
                                
 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 - Q1 Gross domestic product estimate at 0700 GMT.
Analysts polled by Reuters expected GDP to have grown by a real
5.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter [ID:nL12539234].
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> to release first quarter
results. Analysts polled by Reuters expected CEZ to post an 18
percent growth in the net profit to 14.92 billion crowns
[ID:nL12322665].
                                
 News conference with CEO Martin Roman and CFO Martin Novak
at 0730 GMT. Conference call with CFO Martin Novak and Business
Director Alan Svoboda at 1500 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Chemicals group Unipetrol <UNPEsp.PR>, a unit of
Poland's PKN Orlen <PKNA.WA>, to publish first quarter results.
Analysts polled by Reuters expected the group to post a 58
percent drop in the net profit to 655 million crowns
[ID:nL13937672].
                                
 News conference with CEO Francois Vleugels and CFO Wojciech
Ostrowski at 0930 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CHE]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - March current account balance data at 0800 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - 39-week T-bill auction.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
======================= TOP NEWS ===============================
                                
 EUROBOND MATURITY: A planned Czech government Eurobond will
have a maturity of 10 to 20 years, in line with a plan to raise
duration of state debt, Deputy Finance Minister Eduard Janota
said on Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL14836369] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 KOMERCNI Q1 RESULTS: Komercni Banka <BKOMsp.PR>, the only
listed Czech bank, booked a 16.6 percent rise in first-quarter
net profit on Wednesday, helped by strong demand for loans in
the fast-growing economy.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL14779178] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 BOND AUCTION: The Czech Finance Ministry sold 2.59 billion
crowns ($160.7 million) worth of 4.10 percent coupon government
bonds <CZ1002158=> <CZ3YT=RR> in the first, competitive round of
bidding at an auction on Wednesday.
                                
 It sold 247 million crowns worth of the paper at an average
yield of 4.412 percent in the second, non-competitive round.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA001913] [ID:nL14837319] 
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CHE]
                                
 
                                
 CEZ/MOL VENTURE CLEARED: The European Commission approved on
Wednesday a plan of Czech power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> and
Hungary's oil and gas company MOL <MOLB.BU> to create a venture
aimed at developing gas-fired power plants in Slovakia, Hungary,
Croatia and Slovenia.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRWP14] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]

====================== PRESS DIGEST ============================
                                
 AIRPORT LAND DEAL: The state will probably buy 73.5 hectares
of land near the Prague airport from private equity group Penta
for around 4 billion crowns ($248.1 million). Both sides
declined to comment.
                                
 Ekonom, page 32
                                
 
                                
 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)