PRAGUE, Feb 17 (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 ========================
December retail sales data at 0800 GMT.
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on Czech currency.............................[]
=========================== EVENTS =============================
PRAGUE - Power firm CEZ <> CEO Martin Roman to hold
a news conference "CEZ against the crisis" at 0900 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr
Vondra to meet French Minister of State responsible for European
Affairs Bruno Le Maire and Minister for Economic Recovery
Patrick Devedjian. Press point at 0940 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue debate on
Lisbon treaty.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Ministerial Conference on e-Communications "Next
Steps in EU Telecoms" with EU commissioner for information
society and media Viviane Reding. News conference at 1330 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg to meet
his Chinese counterpart Wu Hongbo.
Related news: []
============================NEWS================================
STIMULUS PACKAGE: The Czech cabinet approved on Monday a
package of tax cuts and spending which, together with earlier
measures, totals 1.9 percent of GDP, and Hungary also unveiled
new plans to support its economy.
Story: [] Related news: []
KOMERCNI RESULTS FCAST: Czech Komercni Banka <> is
expected to show an 8 percent increase in fourth quarter net
profit led by one-off gains but the bank begins to feel the
country's sharp economic downturn, a Reuters poll showed
Story: [] Related news: []
EURO ZONE: A leading European industry lobby group said on
Monday it saw the euro zone economy shrinking by 1.9 percent
this year and called for improving companies' access to credit
to help them overcome the crisis.
Story: [] Related news: []
PRAGUE SHARES AT 5YR LOW: Prague shares plunged 3.4 percent
on Monday closing at a five-year low as investors dumped
emerging markets assets.
Story: [] Related news: []
FORINT HITS NEW LOW: Investors dumped emerging assets on
Monday after Japan fell deeper into recession and a G7 meeting
failed to calm nerves, denting risk appetite and sending the
Polish zloty and the Hungarian forint to new lows.
Story: [] Related news: []
CZECHS, HUNGARIAN UNVEIL STIMULUS: EU newcomers Hungary and
the Czech Republic announced new stimulus measures to fight the
economic crisis on Monday while Romania said it would soon
decide if it needed an International Monetary Fund rescue.
Story: [] Related news: []
GOVT APPROVES STIMULS PLAN: The Czech government approved a
fiscal stimulus package on Monday aimed to ease the impact of
the central European country's sharply worsening economic
downturn through tax cuts for businesses.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2009
Czech Equities <> 699.0 699.0 +0.00 n/a
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 29.420 28.630 -2.69 -8.94
vs Dollar <CZK=> 23.265 22.138 -4.84 -17.86
U.S. Equities <> 7,850 7,850 n/a -10.55
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT
=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
POWER PRICES: Power group CEZ <> may decrease power
prices by up to 13 percent next year due to a global drop in
energy prices. CEZ will announce the move at a news conference
on Tuesday.
Mlada Fronta Dnes, page 1
BIRD FLU: Several ferrets died after a bird flu vaccine made
by Austrian company Baxter <BAX.N> was tested on them. The
vaccine included the deadly H5N1 flu virus, the paper reports,
citing Czech veterinaries.
Mlada Fronta Dnes, page 1
PENSIONS: Labour and Social Affairs Minister and Finance
Minister will work out a plan by July for implementing so called
opt-out in Czech pension system under which people would be able
to send 4 percentage points from their monthly pension payments
to private pension funds.
Mlada Fronta Dnes, B1
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 Jana Mlcochova)
