Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 16

                                
 PRAGUE, April 16 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Wednesday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)

 ======================== 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 ===============================
                                
 BOND AUCTION: The government will offer 7 billion crowns
worth of 5-year bonds in an auction <CZ1001887=>.
                                
 
                                
 COURT HEARING: Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek gives evidence
at a Constitutional Court hearing on healthcare fees. The
opposition is seeking a cancellation of fees for seeing a
doctor.
                                
 
                                
 CEZ ON FOREIGN ACTIVITIES: Power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.RR> will
hold a news conference at 0730 GMT on the performance of its
foreign affiliations.
                                
 
========================= TOP NEWS =============================
                                
 CURRENT ACCOUNT: The Czech current account posted a much
bigger-than-expected 11.78 billion crown ($748.5 million)
surplus in February.
                                
Story: [ID:nL1576884] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
================= ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS ========================
                                
 ZENTIVA PLANS: Czech drug maker Zentiva <ZNTVsp.PR> is
working on a generic version of the impotence drug Viagra to be
launched on the local market after Pfizer's <PFE.N> patent runs
out in 2011.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL15540121] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DRU]
                                
 
                                
 FOREX POLL: The monthly Reuters foreign exchange poll at
[ID:nL15782179]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 Czech Equities  <.PX> 1,526.6  1,518.0   +0.57        -15.89
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  24.770   24.755   -0.06         +6.98
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  15.630   15.655   +0.16        +16.25
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  12,362   12,302   +0.49         -6.80
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
                                
 
======================== PRESS DIGEST =========================
                                
 PPF WINS IN RUSSIA: PPF Investments has won an arbitration
case in Russia. A panel ruled that a shareholders meeting of the
Ingosstrakh insurer which approved a capital hike without PPF's
participation is invalid.
                                
 Mlada fronta Dnes, page B1
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE PESSIMISTIC ON 2016 OLYMPICS: Prague has lowered the
budget for a company running its bid for the 2016 Summer Games
because it sees little hope of succeeding. It will focus on a
bid for the 2020 Games.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 2.
                                
 
                                
 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 +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
 (Reporting by Jan Lopatka)