Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Jan 3

                                
 PRAGUE, Jan 3 (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 + 1 hours)

=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
                                
 Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for December due out at
0830 GMT.
                                
 End-December budget balance data at 1300 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===========================
                                
 FOREIGN DEBT: The Czech Republic's total foreign
indebtedness rose to 67.93 billion euros at end-September from a
revised 65.42 billion euros at the end of June, the central bank
said on Friday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6BU04Z] Related news; [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The Polish zloty hit one-month highs on Friday
on buying by a state bank designed to keep government debt
levels within legal limits, while other currencies in the region
tracked the euro higher.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6BU0EZ] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency    Latest     Prev   Pct change Pct change
                                
                                 close    on day     in 2010
 vs Euro    <EURCZK=>     25.056     25.045    -0.04      -0.22
 vs Dollar     <CZK=>     18.794     18.692    -0.55      -0.67
 Czech Equities <.PX>  1,224.8    1,224.8      -0.82       0
 U.S. Equities <.DJI> 11,577.51  11,569.71      0.07       0
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
 ==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 CORPORATE OUTLOOK FOR 2011: Czech managers are moderately
optimistic about 2011 although they say impacts from the
economic crisis will persist, a survey of 56 large companies
showed. Companies have no ambitious hiring plans or plans for
raising wages. Only 40 percent expect a rise in revenues this
year and 29 percent said they expected stagnation. Sixteen
percent said they expected a drop in sales.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 CEZ AMONG COMPANIES ASKING FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST HUNGARY:
Czech power group CEZ joined thirteen other European companies
in asking the European Commission to apply sanctions against
Hungarian government. The companies are against plans by the
Hunbgarian government to impose special taxes on large foreign
investors.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 15
                                
 
                                
 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