Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on March 25

                                
 PRAGUE, March 25 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Thursday.
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 March confidence indicators 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 -The lower house of parliament to continue a session.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 LUXEMBOURG - Developer Orco Property Group <ORCOsp.PR>
<ORCO.PA> to hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-REA]
                                
 
============================TOP NEWS===========================
                                
 CENTRAL BANK KEEPS RATES FLAT: The Czech central bank left
interest rates unchanged on Thursday, saying risks to underlying
inflation are balanced although a planned tax hike and global
factors could drive up headline price indexes.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE72N18C] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 Highlights: [ID:nLDE72N1J2]
                                
 
                                
 RAFINERSKA SEES SHORTER SHUTDOWN: Czech oil refiner Ceska
Rafinerska's pending shutdown at its Kralupy refinery will be
shorter than the firm had announced, the company's main
shareholder said on Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE72N0U6] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-OILG]
                                
 
                                
  CEE POWER: A forecast fall in solar generation and demand
from neighboring Germany helped drive Czech day ahead power
higher on Thursday while Cal '12 baseload followed fuels down,
traders said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE72N1O3] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRV]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The crown fell after the Czech central bank
kept interest rates on hold as expected on Wednesday, while
Hungarian assets surged after the country finished the road
show of a dollar bond. 
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE72K0AU] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2011
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>     24,52     24,505    -0,06       1,92
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>     17,3     17,256    -0,25      7,33
 Czech Equities <.PX>  1,239,9    1,239,9       1,18       1,23
 U.S. Equities <.DJI> 12,170,56  12,086,02     0,7      5,12
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
  PROBLEMS WITHIN GOVERMENT COALITION: Coalition parties
TOP09 and Public Affairs said Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra
should resign after he failed to apologised in a parliament
speech for his role in a scandal involving overpricing of some
supply contracts during the Czech Republic's EU presidency in
2009.
                                
 
                                
 SAZKA: The Finance Ministry began the legal process of
suspending Sazka's licence for a numbers lottery after it failed
to pay out winnings on time.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 2
                                
 
                                
 ORCO: Orco showed profit of 233.4 million euros for the
whole of 2010, after a 250 million euro loss in 2009. The result
was positively affected by revaluation of the company's bonds.
Revenues rose by 25 percent year on year to 314.6 million euros.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 22
                                
    
                                
 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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