Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Dec 12

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OCTOBER INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT

Analysts expect October production to have risen 11 percent year-on-year. data due out at 0800 GMT.

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FINANCE MINISTRY NEWS CONFERENCE

Finance Minister Vlastimil Tlusty holds a news conference at 1100 GMT.

[RTRS-CZ-POL-GVD-LEN]

BUDGET DEBATE

The parliament may start third reading of the 2007 state budget.

[RTRS-CZ-POL-GVD-LEN]

CABINET MEETS

The government meets. Agenda includes definition of social housing for tax purposes. News conference at 1100 GMT.

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GOVERNMENT TALKS MOVE AHEAD

The right-wing Civic Democrats, the leftist Social Democrats and the centrist Christian Democrats have agreed to reform the pension system if they form government together. The parties' leaders are expected to meet to try resolve a number of divisive issues which stand in the way of forming a government.

Hospodarske Noviny, page 1 [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]

CENTRAL BANK CHIEF SEES RATE HIKE

The Czech central bank (CNB) is poised to continue tightening policy next year to keep inflation under wraps, but interest rates may rise somewhat less or later than previously thought, Governor Zdenek Tuma told Reuters.

The central bank (CNB) will also consider lowering its inflation target to 2.5 or 2.0 percent regardless of what date the EU member country's politicians choose for euro adoption.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN] [ID:nL11602090] [ID:nL11609351]

LUKOIL BUYS CONOCO ASSETS

Russia's top oil producer LUKOIL plans to buy European retail assets from its U.S. shareholder ConocoPhillips and is also hoping to buy Czech refining capacity, the firm said on Monday.

[RTRS-LEN-RU-ENR] [ID:N11233677]

DEUTSCHE RAISES CEZ

Deutsche Bank raised its target price for shares of Czech power generator CEZ to 1,170 crowns from a previous 998 crowns due to a faster than forecast convergence with electricity prices with western Europe.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-RCH] [ID:nL11713913]

NIEDERMAYER IN CHARGE OF C.BANK POLICY DEPARTMENT

The Czech National Bank (CNB) put Vice-Governor Ludek Niedermayer in charge of the key monetary and statistics department which draws up inflation forecasts and monthly recommendations for interest rate changes.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN] [ID:nL11733555]

Overview of past economic data and market forecasts For Instant Views of key economic data click on [CZ/INSTANT] For summary of economic data and forecasts 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

For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX

News editor of the day: Alan Crosby on +420 224 190 477; fax: +420 224 229 935

E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com

Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]