Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 3

                                
 PRAGUE, April 3 (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 + 2 hour)

======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
                                
 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 - European finance ministers are meeting in Prague to
discuss the economy, results of the G20 meeting, Thursday's ECB
rate cut and proposals on financial regulation.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-EU]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Political parties will continue negotiations on
forming a new government. 
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Minutes from the March 26 governing board meeting
at 0700 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to hold an
extraordinary session. It is scheduled to discuss income taxes
and bankruptcy law (0700 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Telecoms operator Telefonica O2 Czech Republic
<SPTTsp.PR>, a unit of Spain's Telefonica <TEF.MC> to hold a
shareholders' meeting.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-TEL]
                                
 
===========================TOP NEWS===========================
                                
 CEE FX STRONGER: Central European currencies strengthened
but gave up some of its morning highs on Thursday, still led by
the Polish zloty and the Hungarian forint as hopes for further
help from the IMF as well as global macroeconomic data prompted
investors to buy more risky assets.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLI299071] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 OPPOSITION CHIEF SEES DEAL, SAYS EURO OFF: The main Czech
parties should close a deal by Sunday on forming a cabinet that
would finish the EU presidency and take the country to an early
election in October, the opposition party leader said on
Thursday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2123229] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]

                                
 PRAGUE - Czech industry likely remained weak in February and
inflation was probably steady at the lower end of the central
bank's target in March, but the data releases may show some
stabilisation, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2956974] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]

===========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 
                                
 AGRO BUSINESS TAKEOVER: The anti-monopoly office approved a
takeover of Agropol by the main Czech agrochemicals firm
Agrofert, creating the third biggest Czech firm by revenue.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 17
                                
 
                                
 SHORTER NOTICE PERIODS: The Labour Ministry is proposing to
cut the notice period for employees to one month from two
months, but the fate of the plan is unclear due to the country's
politicial crisis following the government's fall last week.
                                
 Pravo, page 1.
                                
 
                                
 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>

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