Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Jan 4

                                
 PRAGUE, Jan 4 (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 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 CEE currencies............................[CEE/]
=============================TOP NEWS===========================
                                
 2010 BUDGET BEATS TARGET: The 2010 Czech central state
budget deficit beat the government target by 6.6 billion crowns
($353.1 million), thanks to lower debt costs and a freeze on
spending, data showed on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6BU04Z] Related news; [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 Instant View: [ID:nLDE7020QJ]
                                
 
                                
 DUKOVANY MEETS 2010 PLAN: Czech utility CEZ's <CEZPsp.PR>
Dukovany nuclear power plant met its production goal for 2010
while its Temelin facility fell just short of plan due to an
extended refueling, CEZ said on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nDOELDE7020UG] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 CZECH, POLISH PMI SOARS: Rising new orders and a surge in
exports to Germany and other central European states boosted
Czech and Polish manufacturing in December, raising hopes the
region may avert a 2011 slowdown expected by some economists.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE70208Y] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEEU]
                                
 
                                
 PMI BEST IN MORE THAN 3 YEARS: The Czech Purchasing
Managers' Index (PMI) showed the best industrial sector
performance since August 2007 in December, rising to 58.4 from
November's 57.3.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE70208R] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 PLANNED OUTAGES AT CEZ PLANTS: Czech power group CEZ
<CEZPsp.PR>, central Europe's biggest utility, has published its
list of planned outages for its production units in 2011.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE702089] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: Emerging European currencies were mixed on
Monday and Polish bonds eased after a finance ministry inflation
forecast and comments by central bankers raised expectations for
an early interest rate rise.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE7020EE] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE POWER: Czech day-ahead prices eased slightly on Monday
as wind production in the region was forecast to increase, while
prices further along the curve were mixed, traders said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE70213C] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRV]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2010
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>  25,046     25,042    -0,02      -0,18
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>  18,769     18,802     0,18      -0,54
 Czech Equities <.PX>   1,243,4    1,243,4   1,52       1,52
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>  11,670,75  11,577,51  0,81       0,81
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
 ==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 CZECH, POLISH RAILWAYS MERGER PLANS: A Czech-Polish task
force has been formed to study the possibility of merging the
Czech railways cargo unit and its Polish counterpart PKP Cargo.
                                
 Mlada Fronta Dnes, page C3
                                
 
                                
 BANKRUPTCIES PEAK: Czech corporate bankruptcies reached a
7-year high last year as 1,601 companies went bust, a
Creditreform research showed. The situation should improve at
the end of this year.
                                
 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