Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on July 2

                                
 PRAGUE, July 2 (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 + 2 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 ===============================
                                
 PRAGUE - The Czech cabinet to hold a regular session, to
discuss energy bill. News conference to follow.
                                
 
====================== TOP NEWS ===============================
                                
 NWR SEES CONVERGENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL COAL PRICES:  Czech
hard coal miner New World Resources <NWRS.L> <NWRSsp.PR> expects
its prices to grow next year as they converge with international
markets, NWR Executive Chairman Miklos Salamon said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01663175]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 EAST EUROPE MANUFACTURING TRACKS EURO ZONE DIP: The global
economic slowdown tightened its grip on Eastern Europe in June,
as strong currencies and weak euro zone demand put the squeeze
on manufacturing, the engine of the region's growth.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01672003]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 CROWN HITS NEW RECORD VERSUS EURO: The Czech crown extended
its gains versus the euro on Tuesday, hitting new record high of
23.815 <EURCZK=>, according to the Reuters dealing system.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPR000880]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
                                
 JAN-JUNE BUDGET GAP SHRINKS: The Czech central state budget
showed a 5.65 billion crown ($372.6 million) deficit for
January-June, versus a 1.27 billion crown surplus a year ago.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01732900]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]
                                
 
====================== OTHER NEWS =============================
                                
 ERSTE MAKES ACQUISITION: Austrian lender Erste Bank
<ERST.VI> <ERSTsp.PR> bought a 9.8 percent stake in Russia's
Center Invest Bank for an undisclosed amount, Erste said.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]

                                
 MOL MAKES DEAL WITH CEZ: Hungarian oil group MOL <MOLB.BU>
has bought all the shares of Czech engineering and system
integration company I&C Energo a.s. from Czech utility CEZ
<CEZPsp.PR>.
                                
 Story: [ID:nnL0197623]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
                                
 
                                
 CEZ WINS TURKISH DEAL: Czech power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> and
Turkish Akenerji <AKENR.IS> made the top bid of $600 million for
the Sakarya distribution grid in northwest Turkey.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL01635862]  Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ELG]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 Czech Equities  <.PX> 1,458.5  1,483.5   -1.69        -19.65
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  23.775   23.792   +0.07        +11.46
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  15.042   15.089   +0.35        +20.84
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  11,382   11,350   +0.28        -14.19
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
====================== PRESS DIGEST ===========================
                                
 
                                
 NO DECISION ON NUCLEAR POWER: The Czech government has no
mandate to make irreversible steps in developing nucelar power
and it will not make any such steps, Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek said.
                                
 Mlada Fronta Dnes, page B2
                                
 
                                
 CZECHS TO SELL EMISSIONS IN TENDER: The environment ministry
will sell 10 million tones of surplus greenhouse gas emissions
rights under the UN-run Kyoto Protocol in an inaugural auction.
                                
 E15, page 1
                                
 
                                
 LOWER STATE BUDGET GAP: This year's state budget deficit
coulD be 20 billion crowns lower than the planned 70.8 billion
crown gap, deputy finance minister Eduard Janota said.
                                
 E15, 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
 (Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)