WARSAW, June 18 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Central/Eastern Europe's financial markets on Wednesday.
ZENTIVA
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis <SASY.PA> plans a rival $2.6 billion bid for Czech drugmaker Zentiva <
>. [ ]
CEZ
Merrill Lynch ups its price target for CEZ <
> to 1,510 crowns from 1,491 crowns and maintains its 'buy' rating for the Czech power utility, citing bullish outlook for power market fundamentals and higher power price assumptions.For more research news double click [
]
PKO BP, PEKAO, MILLENNIUM
JP Morgan raises Poland's biggest listed bank PKO BP <PKOB.WA> to 'overweight' from 'neutral' and cut largest bank by assets, Pekao <BAPE.WA>, to 'underweight' from 'neutral'. The investment bank starts Millennium <BIGW.WA> at 'underweight' with a price target of 8 zlotys.
For more research news double click [
]
OTP
OTP Bank <OTPB.BU> has completed its 15 million euros capital increase at Crnogorska Komercijalna Banka (CKB), its subsidiary in Montenegro, the bank says. CKB now has 46.8 million euros in capital.
For more news on OTP double click [
]
LOTOS
Refiner Lotos <LTOS.WA> may consider floating its Petrobaltic unit to help finance its ambitious development programme, local newspapers write.
For more news on Lotos double click [
]
PKO BP
Former deputy head of the central bank Jerzy Pruski gets permission from the financial regulator to take the helm at PKO BP, Dziennik writes.
FIBANK
Bulgaria's First Investment Bank (FIBank) <FIB.BB> takes 65 million euros ($100.8 million) one-year syndicated loan to boost its operations.
KREMIKOVTZI
A Bulgarian court postponed on Tuesday an insolvency case of steel maker Kremikovtzi <KMKV.BB> until July 29. Creditors asked for legal action against the indebted plant, writes daily Dnevnik.
TARNOW
Polish chemicals group Tarnow is unlikely to raise the 307.5 million zlotys ($141.1 million) in its IPO as many local funds balked at the price, daily Parkiet reports. Several state-owned companies will likely buy shares in the state-owned Tarnow.
For more IPO news double click [
]
NWR
Mining group New World Resources <NWRSsp.PR><NWRS.L> will get permission to reopen the Debiensko mine in Poland very soon, an environment ministry official says. [
]For more news on NWR double click [
]
EUROPEAN MARKETS
European shares were set to open lower on Wednesday, with investors focusing on banking stocks ahead of results from Morgan Stanley <MS.N>.
Bookmakers expected Britain's FTSE 100 <
> to open down 12 to 20 points, Germany's DAX < > down 5 to 20 points and France's CAC < > down 6 to 14 points.For the latest news on European markets, double click [
]
WALL STREET
U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday after a major brokerage warned that U.S. banks would have to raise as much as $65 billion in capital to shore up balance sheets weakened by the mortgage crisis.
Raising capital could dilute the equity stakes of current shareholders, and shares of U.S. banks sold off across the board. The KBW <.BKX> bank index, which encompasses U.S. banks, fell 3.7 percent.
For latest Wall Street news, double click [
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