Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on May 16

                                
 PRAGUE, May 16 (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 + 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 Czech currency.............................[CZK/]
                                
 
========================= EVENTS ===============================
                                
 PRAGUE - Minutes from the May 7 governing board meeting at
0700 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - April producer prices and March foreign trade price
data at 0700 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
======================= TOP NEWS ===============================
                                
 CZECH GDP GROWTH SLOWS - Two of emerging Europe's biggest
economies -- Slovakia and the Czech Republic -- saw their rapid
expansions slow in the first quarter, but laggard Hungary showed
better than expected numbers in its slow march to recovery.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15903221] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
        [ID:nL15896181]
                                
 
                                
 CEZ BEATS FCAST: Net attributable profit at Czech power firm
CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> rose 22.3 percent in the first quarter to 15.52
billion crowns ($962.2 million), on higher output and prices,
beating market expectations.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15896254] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 UNIPETROL DISAPPOINTS: Czech oil processor Unipetrol
<UNPEsp.PR> disappointed the market as higher raw material
prices hit first-quarter results, but confirmed its full-year
profit guidance despite forecasting a tough market environment.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15872502] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 C/A DEFICIT SURPRISE: The Czech current account posted a
0.57 billion crown ($35.34 million) deficit in March, against a
8.3 billion surplus expected by the market, data released on
Thursday showed.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15778801] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 AIRPORT PROFIT UP: Prague Airport's net profit jumped by
14.4 percent to 1.1 billion crowns ($68.8 million) last year,
fuelled by rising passenger traffic, the company said on
Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15329479] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-AIR]
                                
 
                                
 SKODA WINS TENDER: Volkswagen AG's <VOWG.DE> Czech unit
Skoda Auto won a tender on Thursday to deliver up to 3,500 cars
for Czech police with a lowest bid of 1.1 billion crowns ($68
million), police said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15809110] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-AUT]
                                
 
                                
 TELEFONICA SELLS BUILDINGS: Telefonica 02 Czech Republic
<SPTTsp.PR><TEF.MC> sold part of its real estate portfolio to
Bohemia Real Estate Investments for more than 4 billion crowns
($247.5 million), the company said on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15731517] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-TEL]
                                
 
                                
 CEE INCOMES RISE: Rapid productivity growth has boosted
incomes in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union by more
than 50 percent over the last decade, lifting about 50 million
people out of poverty, the World Bank said on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15765361] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]

==================== ELSEWHERE IN NEWS =========================
                                
 T-BILL AUCTION: Czech 39-week Treasury bills <CZ130209T=>
yield 4.04 pct in an auction on Thursday, up from 3.83 percent
in the previous sale in January.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRA001918] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
====================== PRESS DIGEST ============================
                                
 GAS-FIRED PLANTS: CEZ Commercial Director Alan Svoboda sees
maximum feasible output of gas-fired power plants in the Czech
Republic at 1,500-2,000 megawatts. The power firm plans to build
gas-fired plants with a combined output of 1,200 MW, he said.
                                
 E15, page 8
                                
 
                                
 INTERNET MALL DEAL: Investment funds Intel Capital and 3TS
Capital Partners bought a minority stake in Czech internet
retail group Internet Mall for 28 million euros ($43.40
million).
                                
 E15, page 11
                                
 
                                
 CSOB PROFIT: Czech CSOB Bank, a unit of Belgium's KBC
<KBC.BR>, posted a 3.7 percent rise in the first quarter net
profit to 2.53 billion crowns.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny page, 19
 
                                
 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 +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
 (Reporting by Martin Dokoupil)