Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on July 17

                                
 PRAGUE, July 17 (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=========================
                                
 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: Central European currencies regained part of the
morning losses on Thursday, helped by the success of Hungarian
debt auctions which offset  poor regional wage data and budget
worries in Latvia.
                                
 Story [ID:nLG686654] related news [RTRS-FRX-MMT-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 EASTERN APPEAL: Former leaders and officials from
ex-communist eastern Europe have appealed to U.S. President
Barack Obama to boost American involvement in European security
and to resist what they call Russia's "creeping intimidation". 
                                
 Story [ID:nLG9816] related news [RTRS-FRX-MMT-DIP]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities <.PX>  0         948,4     0          n/a
vs Euro   <EURCZK=>    25,985    25,969    0,06      -2,87
vs Dollar    <CZK=>    18,395    18,286    0,6       -3,76
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>  8711,82   8616,21   1,11      -0,74
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500

=========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
                                
 TAXES: If the leading opposition party Social Democrats wins
the October elections it plans to introduce a 76 percent tax for
those who cannot prove the origin of money used to buy a real
estate property worth more than 10 billion crowns ($543.8
million) or other assets worth more than 2 billion. 
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 NOWAKO: The price offered by bidders for chilled and frozen
food company Nowako Central Europe exceeds 300 million euros.
Final bids are due by July 27. The company is owned by private
equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors and buyout firm Bancroft
Private Equity.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 19
                                
 
                                
 BEER: The deadline for bidding in Anheuser-Busch InBev's
<ABI.BR> central European assets, including Czech Staropramen,
was delayed until the end of July.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 18

                                
 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)