Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on March 5

                                
 PRAGUE, March 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 ========================
                                
 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 - 52-week T-bill auction.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 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-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - The Czech cabinet to hold an extraordinary session
on bankruptcy law (0900 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-LAW]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) and Prague Energy
Exchange (PXE) hold a joint news briefing at 1130 GMT. PSE chief
Petr Koblic and Vienna Stock Exchange chief Michael Buhl to
attend.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
============================NEWS================================
                                
 E.EUROPE BANK SUPERVISORS COMPLAIN: East European banking
supervisors complained on Wednesday about negative press over
their financial sectors, while the region's biggest foreign
lender said its situation was "much better" than has been
suggested.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL42235] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 INVESTORS BET AGAINST FORINT: The Hungarian forint fell to a
record low on Wednesday as investors short sold it against
emerging European peers, in a sign that investors may be
starting to single out the region's weaker economies.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4210818] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN EXTENDS GAINS: The Czech crown extended gains against
the euro in late Wednesday trading, gaining as much as 2.2
percent on the day as investors bet on the Czech and Polish
currencies against the Hungarian forint.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG001295] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 ERSTE SECURES PRIVATE CAPITAL: Austrian Erste Group Bank
<ERST.VI>, emerging Europe's No.2 lender, has secured enough
private sector interest for its planned capital injection to cap
government aid at 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion).
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4200731] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 UNICREDIT BACKS CEE UNITS: Italian bank UniCredit SpA
<CRDI.MI> will support its units in central and eastern Europe
and no country defaults are foreseen there, Chief Executive
Alessandro Profumo said on Wednesday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL4359620] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEEU]
                                
 
                                
 FLOATER DEMAND UP, PRICE WORSENS: The Czech Republic sold
more than expected in an auction for its 8-year floating rate
bond on Wednesday, but pricing worsened and signalled the
central European state was ready to accept higher costs as
borrowing needs rise.
                                
 Story: [IDnL4309424] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   646.4    646.4   +0.00          N/A 
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  27.330   27.360   +0.11         -1.98
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  21.662   21.680   +0.07        -11.79
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   6,876    6,726   +2.23        -21.66
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT

=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
 PIPELINE CONNECTION TO AUSTRIA: Germany's RWE <RWEG.DE>
plans an 60-kilometre, 80 million euro gas pipeline connecting
the Czech Republic and Austria, which would help the Czechs
connect up to Nabucco.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 13
                                
 
                                
 SPORITELNA PAYING 100 PCT DIVIDEND: Ceska Sporitelna will
pay all its 2008 profit in dividend, giving a 15.5 billion crown
($712.6 million) payment to its mother group Erste Bank
<ERSTsp.PR> <ERST.VI> of Austria.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 13
                                
 
                                
 SKODA SEES DEMAND UP: Volkswagen <VOWG.DE> unit Skoda Auto's
chief said he expected scrap subsidies in Germany and other
countries will help keep demand for Skoda cars up this year.
                                
 Mlada Front 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 Jason Hovet)