PRAGUE, March 26 (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 hour)
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
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 - European Banking & Financial Forum (EB&FF) with
Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr
Vondra. Detailed programme on www.ebff.cz.
Related news: []]
PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue its
session.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek expected to formally
resign following a no-confidence vote.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to meet on
interest rates. An announcement is expected sometime after 1100
GMT with a news conference to follow at around 1430 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Used car dealer AAA Auto <> should release
2008 results.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - International Energy Regulation Forum with Czech
Regulatory Office (ERU) chairman Josef Firt (0840 GMT), Prague
Stock Exchange CEO Petr Koblic (1230 GMT), power firm CEZ
<> head of sales Alan Svoboda (1415 GMT) and Deputy
Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra (1615 GMT).
Related news: []
===========================TOP NEWS===========================
RADAR: Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on
Wednesday he will ask U.S. President Barack Obama to clarify his
stance on plans for a missile defence shield in central Europe,
but he did not expect it to be killed.
Story: [] Related news: []
GOVT FALL KNOCKS CROWN: The ousting of the Czech government
upped political nerves in the EU's eastern members on Wednesday,
putting regional currencies on a weaker footing as markets also
watched the search for a new government in Hungary.
Story: [] Related news: []
NWR WILL NOT BUY FERREXPO: Mining group New World Resources
(NWR) <NWRSsp.PR> <NWRS.L> will not proceed in buying a 24.99
percent stake in Ukraine iron ore producer Ferrexpo <FXPO.L>
from its biggest shareholder, it said on Wednesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
OPPOS WANTS TO STOP PRIVATISATION: The Czech leftist
opposition proposed to halt privatisation of the Prague Airport
on Wednesday and called for an extraordinary parliament session
for next week to debate measures to battle the financial crisis.
Story: [] Related news: []
TPCA DELAYS EXPANSION: Czech carmaker TPCA delayed a
plan to boost production capacity to 340,000 cars this year due
to a global downturn, but its output should still grow slightly
on higher demand for smaller cars, its head said on Wednesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
STRONG DEMAND FOR BONDS: The Czech Republic sold a robust
13.6 billion crowns ($670.6 million) <CZ1002158=> of its 4.1
percent coupon bonds due in 2011 at an auction on Wednesday,
indicating investor appetite for shorter-dated debt.
Story: [] Related news: []
GOVERNMENT: The Czech left-wing opposition will not support
any bid to form a new government led by the outgoing Prime
Minister Mirek Topolanek, a senior party official said on
Wednesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
C.BANKERS' REMARKS: The Czech central bank is expected to
take a breather in its policy easing cycle on Thursday as a weak
crown currency threatens to fuel inflation pressure.
Story: [] Related news: []
UKRAINE WILL NOT DEFAULT: Ukraine expects to resume talks
with the International Monetary Fund soon and hopes to clinch an
agreement on receiving the second tranche of its loan in two to
three weeks, President Viktor Yushchenko said on Wednesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2008
Czech Equities <> 0,000.0 0,807.0 +0.00 -100.00
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 27.340 27.235 -0.38 -3.07
vs Dollar <CZK=> 20.161 20.266 +0.51 -9.88
U.S. Equities <> 07,750 07,660 +1.17 -41.58
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
===========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
BUSINESSES: Most Czech companies say the fall of Mirek
Topolanek's government is bad news and what would be even worse
is a potential installation of a Social Democrat government, a
Czech economic chamber research showed.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
NEW GOVERNMENT: President Vaclav Klaus does not intend to
give Mirek Topolanek another chance to assemble a new
government, the paper reported citing unnamed sources. Topolanek
had said he expected Klaus to name him a new prime minister.
ORCO: Some shareholders in Orco Property Group <>
call for resignation of the developer's chief executive Jean
Francois Ott.
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 []
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>
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E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
(Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)