Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Dec 23

                                
 PRAGUE, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Tuesday.
                                
 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 - Minutes from Dec 17 c.bank meeting at 0800 GMT. 
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
===================== TOP NEWS ================================
                                
 OPPOSITION THREATENS: The main Czech opposition party
threatened on Monday to try topple the centre-right minority
cabinet as political tension in the central European country
grew days before it takes the EU presidency.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLM3864] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]

                                
 IBM WINS CZECH DEAL: The Czech Republic signed a $113.5
million deal with IBM's local unit <IBM.N> on Monday for
building an electronic state treasury system, the Finance
Ministry said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLM81641] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELC]
                                
 
                                
 AIRPORT SALE: Prague Airport has acquired land
needed to build a new runway, removing a barrier to boosting its
capacity and value ahead of privatisation next year, the company
said.
                                
  Story: [ID:nLM572812] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  26.230   26.260   +0.11         +1.03
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  18.697   18.863   +0.76         -2.94
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  08,520   08,579   -0.69        -35.77
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
====================== PRESS DIGEST ===========================
                                
 ECM: Privately-owned ECM Group, controlled by businessman
Milan Janku, bought new shares in its real-estate affiliate ECM
Real Estate Investments <ECMPsp.PR> worth 24 million euros,
hiking Janku's stake in the developer to 84.2 percent. Analysts
expect the developer to be delisted.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 22
                                
 
                                
 AIRPORT: The number of passengers travelling through Prague
Airport, which is slated for privatisation next year, dipped by
15 percent in November.
                                
 Mlada fronta Dnes, page A10
                                
 
                                
 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)