Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on July 31

                                
 PRAGUE, July 31 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Friday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 Preliminary June industrial output data.
                                
 June money supply 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 CEE currencies.............................[CEE/]
 
==========================TOP NEWS============================
                                
 CEE FX RIDE HIGHER: Hungary's forint firmed on Thursday,
driven by another successful round of debt tenders, as further
gains for global stocks pushed central Europe's currencies
broadly higher.
                                
 Story [ID:nLU571327] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 FULL HOUSE: The Czech central bank said on Thursday all
seven members of the bank's governing board will attend an Aug.
6 policy meeting that will shed more light on whether interest
rates have hit bottom.
                                
 Story [ID:nLU175475] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-CEN]
                                
 
                                
 SKODA FALL: Profit at the largest Czech exporter, Volkswagen
<VOWG.DE> unit Skoda Auto, sank 61.7 percent and revenue fell
19.7 percent in the first half, mirroring a fall in the
country's manufacturing sector.
                                
 Story [ID:nLU734649] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-AUT]
                                
 
                                
 ERSTE TRADE WINDFALL: Erste Group Bank, emerging Europe's
third-biggest lender, beat forecasts for second-quarter net
profit on Thursday, with a trading result that helped offset a
sharp rise in bad debt provisions.
                                
 Story [ID:nLT72713] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-BNK]
                                
 
                                
 CEZ SHUTDOWN: Czech power group CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> said it will
switch off unit 1 at nuclear power plant Temelin from Friday for
a planned 71-day refuelling shutdown.
                                
 Story [ID:nPRG003541] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ENR]
                                
 
                                
 AIPORT TRAFFIC DOWN: Passenger traffic at Prague Airport
slumped 13.5 percent in the first six months of 2009 as the
economic crisis took its toll on air travel.
                                
 Story [ID:nLU509427] Related news [RTRS-LEN-CZ-AIR]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities <.PX>    --      1030.2    --           --
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>  25.520    25.537   -0.07       -4.61
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>  18.069    18.158   -0.49       -5.47
 U.S. Equities <.DJI> 9154.46   9070.72    0.92        4.31
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
 
==========================PRESS DIGEST========================
                                
 CESKA SPORITELNA: The largest Czech retail bank, Erste
<ERSTsp.PR> unit Ceska Sporitelna, saw net profit dip 4.4
percent in the first half to 6.31 billion crowns ($347.8
million).
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 18
                                
 
                                
 CZECHINVEST: The value of foreign investment projects
registered by state business agency CzechInvest fell about half
to 10.5 billion crowns in the first half, although the number of
projects rose by 16 to 140.
                                
 Lidove Noviny, page 13
                                
 
 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)