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 Friday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours)

======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
                                
 Q1 gross domestic product estimate data at 0700 GMT.
                                
 April producer prices and March foreign trade prices data at
0700 GMT.
                                
 March current account balance data at 0800 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 - Minutes from the May 7 governing board meeting at
0700 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue an
extraordinary session. Public health insurance law at the
schedule (0700 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 HAMILTON, Bermuda - Television group Central European Media
Enterprises <CETV.O> <CETVsp.PR> to hold an annual shareholders'
meeting.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PUB]
                                
 
========================TOP NEWS===============================
                                
 UNIPETROL SEES TOUGH YEARS: Unipetrol <UNPEsp.PR> posted a
smaller than expected first-quarter operating loss, but falling
demand and prices hit the Czech downstream oil group and it said
on Thursday it was set for two tough years.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLE40418] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-REFI]
                                
 
                                
 CEE FX DOWN: The forint fell to a two-week low after Fitch
ratings agency placed Hungary among the most vulnerable to
external financing risks, while bond yields rose across central
Europe as investors cut risk.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLE570510] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE BONDS: The European Central Bank has rejected several
Central European central banks' request to accept non-euro zone,
local currency bonds as collateral, Hungarian central bank
Deputy Governor Julia Kiraly said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLE216966] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 BOND COUPON: The Czech Finance Ministry set the coupon for a
new 15-year government bond at 5.70 percent per annum, it said
on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA002562] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 CEE OUTLOOK LOOKING BETTER: Central and eastern Europe can
look forward to a beginning of the end of the economic crisis,
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD)
president, Thomas Mirow, told a conference, according to a
report in the Financial Times.
                                
 Story: [ID:nB333282] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 RETAIL SALES DOWN: Czech retail sales fell 1.1 percent
year-on-year in March, a smaller fall than analysts forecast,
and after a revised 8.5 percent fall in February, data showed on
Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLE381778] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   884.9    884.9   +0.00          n/a 
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  26.840   26.840   +0.00         -0.19
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  19.731   19.740   +0.01         -3.19
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   8,331    8,285   +0.56         -5.07
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT

==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 POWER SALE: International Power <IPR.L> is putting up for
sale its Opatovice plant and a share in Prazska Teplarenska,
while Dalkia is selling a stake in its Czech company.
                                
 Mlada Fronta Dnes, page A10
                                
 
                                
 CSOB PROFIT UP: Net profit at CSOB bank, part of KBC
<KBC.BR>, rose 22 percent in the first quarter to 3.07 billion
crowns ($154.3 million).
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 15
                                
 
                                
 MORTGAGES DOWN: New mortgages fell around 8 billion crowns
to a volume of 17.7 billion in the first quarter.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 16
                                
 
                                
 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 Jason Hovet)