PRAGUE, March 12 (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 hour)
=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
January current account balance data at 0900 GMT.
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on CEE currencies............................[]
==========================EVENTS================================
PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue a
session.
Related news: []
========================MORNING NEWS==========================
INTEREST RATES: There is no need to cut Czech interest rates
further at this point, central bank Vice-Governor Miroslav
Singer was quoted as saying.
Story: [] Related news: []
==========================TOP NEWS=============================
ELECTION: The largest Czech leftist party, leading opinion
polls in the run-up to an election in May, pledged on Thursday
to impose lower prices for utilities such as electricity and
water.
Story: [] Related news: []
RENEWABLES: Financing for renewable projects in the Central
European region is picking up despite a murky regulatory
landscape in some countries that scares off potential investors,
fund managers and bankers said.
Story: [] Related news: []
GDP: The Czech statistics bureau surprisingly revised its
preliminary estimate for fourth quarter gross domestic product
on Thursday to show mild growth close to earlier market
forecasts instead of a contraction.
Story: [] Related news: []
CBANK ON GDP: Czech fourth quarter gross domestic product
data were in line with the central bank's forecast, although a
year-on-year drop in household consumption was surprising, the
bank said on Thursday.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE MARKETS: The zloty led a correction from this week's
multi-month highs in central Europe on Thursday as Poland
continued to talk down the currency, while the Czech crown was
unfazed by a revision in GDP figures.
Story: [] Related news: []
ORCO: A Paris court has extended Orco Property Group's
<> <ORCO.PA> protection against creditors until June
25, with the property developer saying it will issue a plan to
exit protection at the end of March.
Story: [] Related news: []
SKODA: Volkswagen's <VOWG.DE> Czech unit Skoda Auto plans
additional shifts on three models in the second quarter, making
up for some production lost in February due to low demand, the
carmaker's union paper said on Thursday.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2010
Czech Equities <> 1176,9 1176,9 -0,04 5,33
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 25,509 25,504 -0,02 3,07
vs Dollar <CZK=> 18,609 18,593 -0,09 -1,26
U.S. Equities <> 10611,84 10567,33 0,42 1,76
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600
=========================PRESS DIGEST===========================
FOREIGN INVESTMENT: Foreign direct investment in the Czech
Republic fell by 19 percent last year to $10 billion,
PricewaterhouseCoopers said.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 20
Hospodarske Noviny, page 17
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
(Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)
E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
