PRAGUE, May 14 (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 + 2 hours)
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
March retail sales data at 0700 GMT.
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on CEE currencies.............................[]
============================EVENTS==============================
PRAGUE - 52-week T-bill auction.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Ministerial meeting EU - Rio Group in attendance of
27 European Union's Foreign Ministers and 23 Foreign Ministers
from Latin America and the Caribbean. News conferences at 0830,
1030, 1200 1330 and 1500 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech President Vaclav Klaus to meet his Austrian
counterpart Heinz Fischer. News conference at 0935 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Congress of Eurochambres (Association of European
Chambers of Commerce and Industry) "Doing Business without
Barriers" with Prime Minister Jan Fischer and European
Commission Vice-President responsible for Enterprises and
Industry Gunter Verheugen (0700 GMT). News conference at 1500
GMT.
Related news: []
=====================MORNING NEWS===============================
UNIPETROL OPERATING LOSS: Czech downstream oil group
Unipetrol <> showed a smaller than expected operating
loss of 127 million crowns ($6.48 million) in the first quarter,
it said on Thursday.
Story: [] Related news: []
========================TOP NEWS===============================
HOLDING OUTLOOK: The world's largest utility and a smaller
peer upheld their expectations for 2009 profits on Wednesday,
but added they were struggling with more uncertainty over
earnings than ever before.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEZ PROFIT UP: Czech electricity maker CEZ <> said
on Wednesday that first-quarter net attributable profit rose 23
percent, beating analysts' estimates, on the back of higher
wholesale prices and one-off gains.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEZ DIVIDEND APPROVED: Shareholders of Czech power company
CEZ <> approved a 50 crown per share dividend on
Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE FX SLIDE: Central Europe's currencies weakened on
Wednesday after poor U.S. sales data hurt regional sentiment,
with the zloty hit hard after a minister said Poland would not
enter the euro adoption mechanism in the first half of 2009 as
planned.
Story: [] Related news: []
EARLY ELECTION VOTE PASSED: The Czech lower house of
parliament voted on Wednesday to hold an early election in
October, which will end the brief rule of a caretaker cabinet
and pit free-market right-wingers against tax-and-spend
leftists.
Story: [] Related news: []
EU SUMMIT LEAD: Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus on
Wednesday proposed his new caretaker prime minister lead the
June EU summit, removing fears he could disrupt efforts to
complete the EU's reform treaty.
DIVERGENCE: Following two decades of unprecedented
prosperity, Europe's emerging economic powers are at a
crossroads that could take some on a path to further growth and
cripple others.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2009
Czech Equities <> 902.5 902.5 +0.00 N/A
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 26.980 26.980 +0.00 -0.70
vs Dollar <CZK=> 19.865 19.792 -0.01 -3.45
U.S. Equities <> 8,285 8,469 -2.18 -5.60
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT
==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
AUTO PRODUCTION DOWN: Czech automobile production fell an
annual 23 percent fall in the first quarter to 205,000 vehicles.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 16
UNION DEMO: Up to 25,000 union members are planning a
Saturday demonstration in Prague against misusing crisis against
workers.
Pravo, page 4
TV REPAIR: Panasonic <6752.T> is considering television
production in a site being closed by Hitachi <6501.T>.
E15, page 11
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
For Instant Views of key economic data click on []
For summary of economic data and forecasts <CZ/ECON01>
For diary of forthcoming Czech events []
For calendar of east European economic indicators []
TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets []
TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch []
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 <> Budapest BUX <> Prague 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 Jason Hovet)
