PRAGUE, Feb 28 (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 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
January money supply data at 0900 GMT.
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]Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
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PRAGUE - Power firm CEZ <
> to release fourth quarter results. The firm unexpectedly released earnings for the full year on Feb 24. [ ]Related news: [
] ============================TOP NEWS===========================CZECH WRITER LUSTIG DIED: Czech author and journalist Arnost Lustig, best known for stories about the Holocaust, died on Saturday at the age of 84 from cancer, Czech Television reported.
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LOOSER PENSION FUND REGULATION: The Czech Finance Ministry is proposing looser regulation for existing pension funds, as part of government pension reform, including ending a breakeven requirement, a deputy minister said on Friday.
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CSSD MAY ALTER PENSION REFORM: The leading Czech opposition party may make changes to planned pension system reforms if it were to come to power, but it would not entirely scrap the scheme as some had thought, its party chief said on Friday.
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VAT HIKE MAY COME AS SOON AS Q4: The Czech government will try to raise the value-added tax (VAT) as soon as the fourth quarter of this year, faster than the earlier mentioned January 2012 date, Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Friday.
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PENTA SELLS POLISH RETAIL CHAIN: Private equity firm Penta Investments sold one of Poland's largest retail chains, Zabka, to regional rvial Mid Europa Partners for about 400 million euros ($553 million), it said on Friday.
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FORTUNA PROFIT NEAR ESTIMATES: Czech betting firm Fortuna <FOREsp.PR> will post 2010 net profit between the median and average analyst estimate of 17.51 million and 18.3 million euros, a company source who has seen the results said on Friday.
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CEE MARKETS: Emerging European currencies shed some of their early gains on Friday as they tracked a weaker euro, although they held firmer on the day, lead by the zloty.
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CEE POWER: Czech power for the next working day rose on Friday due to a forecast for low wind generation in the region even as temperatures were expected to climb above freezing after a cold spell, traders said.
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] Related news: [ ]---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2011 vs Euro <EURCZK=> 24.467 24.503 0.15 2.13 vs Dollar <CZK=> 17.781 17.836 0.31 4.75 Czech Equities <
> 1,241.2 1,241.2 0.26 1.34 U.S. Equities < > 12,130.45 12,068.5 0.51 4.78 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT ==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================VAT HIKE: Junior coalition partner Public Affairs is considering to propose that books and heating costs are taxed by the lower 10 percent value added tax rate in the future, in addition to some food items. The cabinet aims to tax most goods by the upper 20 percent rate to finance the pension reform.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.
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