Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Jan 7

                                
  PRAGUE, Jan 7 (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=========================
                                
 November foreign trade data 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 - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Car Importers' Association (SDA) to hold a news
conference on fourth quarter passenger car registrations (1300
GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
============================TOP NEWS============================
                                
 INTEREST RATES: Czechs will be among the first countries in
the world to raise interest rates, central bank Vice-Governor
Miroslav Singer was cited as saying on Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG003864] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 HUNGARIAN POWER: The Power Exchange Central Europe began
trading daily and hourly Hungarian spot power on Wednesday,
registering a few deals as the Prague-based bourse looks to
widen its reach across central Europe.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE605156] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ENG]
                                
 
                                
 TEMELIN RESTART: CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> said on Wednesday block 2
at its Temelin nuclear power plant was operating at full
capacity after the Czech utility took the 1,013 MW unit offline
for six hours a day earlier.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6050TT] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-NUC]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The Romanian leu rose to a more than six-month
high on Wednesday, extending gains past technical levels on
increased demand from local banks, while other emerging European
currencies changed little. 
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE60509X] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities <.PX>   1156,7      1156,7    0,61       3,53
vs Euro   <EURCZK=>    26,258    26,21    -0,18      0,23
vs Dollar    <CZK=>    18,249     18,197   -0,29       0,7
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>  10573,68  10572,02  0,02      1,4
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600
============================PRESS DIGEST========================
                                
 BUDGET: The Constitution could include a stipulation that
public budgets must be balanced over the long term, taking into
account their cyclicality, central bank board member Robert
Holman said. Such a requirement would help avoid excessive
deficits and a rising debt financing costs, which make monetary
policy less effective.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 8
                                
 
                                
 SKODA: Volkswagen's Skoda's <VOWG.DE> domestic sales fell
2.6 percent to 56.504 cars while its share on the Czech market
rose to 31.2 percent from 28.5 percent.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 13
                                
       
 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>

                                
 (Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)
                                
 News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 474;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com