Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Feb 5

                                
 (adds a calendar item on CSA tender)
                                
 PRAGUE, Feb 5 (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 ========================
                                
 December 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 Czech currency.............................[CZK/]
=========================== EVENTS =============================
                                
 PRAGUE - Finance Ministry expected to open tender for Czech
airline CSA sale.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - 26-week T-bill auction.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-GVD]
                                
 
                                
 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. Markets
expect a 50 bps cut in the main rate to 1.75 pct. [ID:nLS36071]
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - EU and Ukraine Ministerial Meeting (Troika) with EU
General Affairs and External Relations Council President Karel
Schwarzenberg, European Commissioner for External Relations and
European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Policy
Unit of the General Secretariat of the EU Council Director Helga
Schmid and Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko.
News conference at 1330 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]
                                
 
============================NEWS================================
                                
 PPF PRESSURES ZENTIVA: Czech investment group PPF has
launched an attempt to replace the management of Zentiva
<ZNTVsp.PR>, undermining a bid for the Czech generic drugs
company by French Sanofi-Aventis <SASY.PA>.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4616448] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
                                
 LISBON VOTE DELAYED: The Czech parliament postponed a vote
on the European Union's reform treaty on Wednesday, showing the
key document faces further hurdles before approval in the
country which holds the rotating EU presidency.
                                
 
                                
 CEE FX STAY WEAK: Fleeing foreign investors drove the Polish
zloty to its lowest since June 2004 on Wednesday, and central
Europe's currencies stayed weak under the weight of recession
fears and a collapse in fund flows.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4580785] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE ECONOMIC WOES BUILD: Ex-communist eastern Europe's
currencies crumbled, Romania cut interest rates and a ratings
agency warned of risks facing Hungary on Wednesday as the impact
of global recession intensified across the once-booming region.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4586380] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 WORST YET TO COME: Increasingly dire growth outlooks for
central and eastern Europe are actually still too rosy, and the
region will not only probably face a recession this year but
take years to return to its rapid expansion.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL3685314] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 UNIPETROL TO SHOW OPERATING LOSS: The 2008 fourth quarter
operating profit (EBIT) at Czech oil refiner Unipetrol
<UNPEsp.PR> will likely be negative, the company said in a
statement released late on Tuesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4593628] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CHE]
                                
 
                                
 C.BANKERS' REMARKS: The Czech central bank (CNB) is expected
to cut interest rates by half a percentage point on Thursday to
counter declining growth as the export-driven central European
economy buckles under faltering demand.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL3219753] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   749.4    749.4   +0.00          n/a 
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  28.350   27.750   -2.12         -5.50
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  22.063   21.414   -2.94        -13.38
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   7,957    8,078   -1.51         -9.34
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600
GMT
=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
 RADAR: Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said he
had no information about the role of the planned U.S. missile
shield in the Czech Republic in U.S. plans to strike a deal with
Russia that would lead to a reduction of nuclear weapons.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 6
                                
 
                                
 CRISIS PROPOSAL: Social and Labour Affairs Minister Petr
Necas proposes to reduce a social security tax by up to 700
crowns ($32.02) for persons earning the minimum wage of 8,000
crowns per months as a way of mitigating negative effects from
an economic crisis on companies and individuals.
                                
 Mlada Fronta Dnes, page B1

                                
   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 Jana Mlcochova)