Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Feb 28

                                
 PRAGUE, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 January money supply data at 0900 GMT.
                                
 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 CEE currencies............................[CEE/]
                                
 
=============================EVENTS============================
                                
 PRAGUE - Power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> to release fourth
quarter results. The firm unexpectedly released earnings for the
full year on Feb 24. [ID:nLDE71N0Z9]
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
============================TOP NEWS===========================
                                
 CZECH WRITER LUSTIG DIED: Czech author and journalist Arnost
Lustig, best known for stories about the Holocaust, died on
Saturday at the age of 84 from cancer, Czech Television
reported.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71P029] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-READ]
                                
 
                                
 LOOSER PENSION FUND REGULATION: The Czech Finance Ministry
is proposing looser regulation for existing pension funds, as
part of government pension reform, including ending a breakeven
requirement, a deputy minister said on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71O1UZ] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-REGS]
                                
 
                                
 CSSD MAY ALTER PENSION REFORM: The leading Czech opposition
 party may make changes to planned pension system reforms if it
were to come to power, but it would not entirely scrap the
scheme as some had thought, its party chief said on Friday. 
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71N1Q4] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 VAT HIKE MAY COME AS SOON AS Q4: The Czech government will
try to raise the value-added tax (VAT) as soon as the fourth
quarter of this year, faster than the earlier mentioned January
2012 date, Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Friday. 
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71O1A6] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 PENTA SELLS POLISH RETAIL CHAIN: Private equity firm Penta
Investments sold one of Poland's largest retail chains, Zabka,
to regional rvial Mid Europa Partners for about 400 million
euros ($553 million), it said on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71O0TI] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
                                
 FORTUNA PROFIT NEAR ESTIMATES: Czech betting firm Fortuna
<FOREsp.PR> will post 2010 net profit between the median and
average analyst estimate of 17.51 million and 18.3 million
euros, a company source who has seen the results said on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG004755] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-RESF]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: Emerging European currencies shed some of their
early gains on Friday as they tracked a weaker euro, although
they held firmer on the day, lead by the zloty.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71M0FH] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE POWER: Czech power for the next working day rose on
Friday due to a forecast for low wind generation in the region
even as temperatures were expected to climb above freezing after
a cold spell, traders said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE71O1PW] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRV]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2011
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>     24.467     24.503    0.15       2.13
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>     17.781     17.836    0.31       4.75
 Czech Equities <.PX>    1,241.2    1,241.2      0.26       1.34
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>   12,130.45  12,068.5      0.51       4.78
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 VAT HIKE: Junior coalition partner Public Affairs is
considering to propose that books and heating costs are taxed by
the lower 10 percent value added tax rate in the future, in
addition to some food items. The cabinet aims to tax most goods
by the upper 20 percent rate to finance the pension reform.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 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>

                                
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fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com