PRAGUE, March 16 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Wednesday.
ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)
=========================ECONOMIC DATA=========================
January retail sales data at 0800 GMT.
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on CEE currencies............................[]
============================EVENTS=============================== PRAGUE -The lower house of parliament to hold a session
(until March 25).
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech President Vaclav Klaus to meet his Slovenian
counterpart Danilo Turk. News conference at 1010 GMT.
Related news: []
============================TOP NEWS===========================
CEZ PROFIT: An unexpected upturn in power prices might keep
earnings and dividends of CEZ <>, central Europe's
biggest utility, stable next year, an executive told Reuters on
Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
ORCO IN CROATIA: Czech developer Orco Property Group
<ORCO.PA> said it had reached an agreement with the Croatian
privatisation fund, resolving disputes and cutting debt in its
unit Suncani Hvar <SUHV.ZA>.
Story: [] Related news: []
CBANKER COMMENTS: Three Czech central bankers said this week
they thought interest rates should go up, although one of them
noted that the lack of demand pressures still put the timing of
the move in question.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE MARKETS: Central European currencies slipped on Tuesday,
under pressure after an overnight drop as Japan's nuclear crisis
drove sales of riskier assets and lower Polish CPI raised doubt
over an April rate hike.
Story: [] Related news: []
REFINERY STAKE: Italy's Eni <ENI.MI> is in talks with
Russia's Gazprom <GAZP.MM> to sell its stake in top Czech
refinery Ceska Rafinerska, a spokesman for the refiner's
majority shareholder Unipetrol <> said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
KBC CANCELS PRIVATE BANK SALE: Belgian bancassurer KBC Group
NV <KBC.BR> cancelled the proposed 1.35 billion euro ($1.9
billion) sale of its private banking arm to Indian group Hinduja
after failing to win regulatory approval for the deal.
KBC is also expected to float a share of Czech unit CSOB.
Story: [] Related news: []
EU BUDGET RULES: Six central and eastern European countries
may block a reform of European Union budget rules unless euro
zone countries agree to adopt a new capital structure for the
region's permanent bailout fund, EU sources said.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE POWER: Czech power futures soared on Tuesday for a
second consecutive day due to the Japanese nuclear crisis and
Germany's decision in response to temporarily shutter a number
of nuclear plants, traders said.
Story: [] Related news: []
SOLAR TAX APPEAL: A group of Czech senators has appealed at
the constitutional court against a law placing a 26 percent
retroactive tax on solar power producers, a court spokeswoman
said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2011
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 24.363 24.372 0.04 2.55
vs Dollar <CZK=> 17.404 17.453 0.28 6.77
Czech Equities <> 1,206.4 1,206.4 -0.14 -1.5
U.S. Equities <> 11,855.42 11,993.16 -1.15 2.4
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
==========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
CSOB IPO: According to a source with knowledge of the deal,
KBC <KBC.BR> has delayed the float of Czech unit CSOB.
Lidove Noviny, page 13
SAZKA PAYOUTS: Indebted lottery firm Sazka has requested to
temporarily stop its lottery duties. It missed a jackpot payout
of 100 million crowns ($5.73 million), and is only paying
winnings of up to half a million crowns.
Its revenue last week dropped an annual 30 percent.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
NWR AGM: New World Resources <NWRS.L> <NWRSsp.PR> set its
annual shareholders meeting for April 28. The agenda includes
allowing management to buyback or issue shares.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 19
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
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For summary of economic data and forecasts <CZ/ECON01>
For diary of forthcoming Czech events []
For calendar of east European economic indicators []
TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets []
TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch []
For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United
States and other Group of Seven countries see <G7TODAY>
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