Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on March 9

                                
 PRAGUE, March 9 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Monday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hour)

======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
                                
 January foreign trade, Q4 real wage and February inflation
data at 0800 GMT.
                                
 February unemployment 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 - The Czech cabinet to hold a regular session. News
conference to follow. 
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg to meet
European Union (EU) High Representative for the Common Foreign
and Security Policy Javier Solana. News conference at 1240 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]
                                
 
============================NEWS================================
                                
 EU FACES UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION: The European Union is
facing an unprecedented situation due to the economic crisis and
it needs to work at different levels to restore credit flows,
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL6102699] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 CEE FX REBOUND: Central European currencies rebounded from
early losses on Friday as investors' appetite for risk in global
markets increased after the U.S. published February job data.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL6702180] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 AUSTRIAN BANKS' CREDITWORTHINESS: The creditworthiness of
Austria and its banks is beyond doubt, Austrian central bank
Governor Ewald Nowotny said on Friday, aiming to calm worries
about the exposure of domestic banks to emerging Europe.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL6944358] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 RUSSIAN CONCERNS ON SHIELD: Russia called on the United
States on Saturday to take Moscow's concerns into account when
it reviews plans to deploy a missile defence shield in Eastern
Europe to counter nuclear threats.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL7385311] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]
                                
 
                                
 FORMIN BACKS SWISS: Czech foreign minister Karel
Schwarzenberg backed Switzerland in the row with other European
countries over Swiss banking secrecy, Sunday newspaper NZZ am
Sonntag reported.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL8651566] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]
                                
 
                                
 CZECHS ADVANCE IN DAVIS CUP: World number 18 Radek Stepanek
beat number eight Gilles Simon 7-6 6-3 7-6 on Sunday to secure a
win for the Czechs over France in their Davis Cup world group
first-round tie.
                                
 Atory: [ID:nL8673620] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-TENN]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   643.4    643.4   +0.00           n/a
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  27.450   27.900   +1.64         -2.40
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  21.643   22.058   +1.90        -11.72
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   6,627    6,594   +0.49        -24.49
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT
=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
 GOVT PARTY SACKS FOUR MEMBERS: Coalition party the Greens
expelled four of its members on Sunday after they created a
faction within the party and criticised its leadership. Two of
the ousted party members that are also members of the parliament
said they would keep their parliamentary mandates.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 INCOME TAX: Finance Ministry is working on a new income tax
bill that would cancel so called super-gross salary which
includes the social security and health tax paid by the
employer. The move would reduce the effective tax rate to 15
percent from 23.1 percent.
                                
 Pravo, page 4
                                
 
                                
 GRIPEN FIGHTERS: Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova said the
Czech Republic may buy the Gripen fighters, produced by a
consortium of Britain's BAE Systems <BAES.L> and Sweden's Saab
<SABb.ST>, when the lease expires in 2014.
                                
 E15, page 5
                                
 
                                
 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)