Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on March 3

                                
 PRAGUE, March 3 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Tuesday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hour)

======================== 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 Czech currency.............................[CZK/]
=========================== EVENTS =============================
                                
 PRAGUE - Power firm CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> to release 2008 results.
News conference at 0830 GMT.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ENR]
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE - Online interview with CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> chief
executive Martin Roman on www.patria.cz (1200 GMT).
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ENR]

======================OVERNIGHT NEWS============================
                                
 AIR FRANCE-KLM TO BID FOR CSA: Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA> will
launch a tentative bid for Czech Airlines (CSA) within weeks as
European carriers regroup in the face of a downturn that so far
shows no signs of easing, its chief executive said on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL3871163] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MRG]
                                
 
                                
 OBAMA WRITES TO RUSSIA: U.S President Barack Obama has
offered to back off deploying a new missile defense system in
Eastern Europe if Russia helps stop Iran from building nuclear
weapons, The New York Times reported on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nN02432605] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DIP]

============================NEWS================================
                                
 CEE FX FALL AS SUMMIT DISAPPOINTS: Emerging European
currencies plunged on Monday, led by an almost 2.5 percent drop
in the Hungarian forint, after a summit of European Union
leaders rejected a mass bailout plan for the region.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2282566] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 EU SEES CRISIS WORST IN MEMORY: The global financial crisis
is the worst economic downturn in living memory and the EU is
providing a lot of aid to those new European Union members who
have been hit particularly hard, EU officials said on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2208170] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 CZECH PM SEES CRISIS DUE TO POLICIES: The way the financial
crisis has affected individual EU member states is the result of
their policies rather than their location in the east or west of
the continent, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on
Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2249847] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
                                
 
                                
 CZECH BOND AUCTIONS: The Czech Republic added a third bond
auction to its March issuance calendar and plans to sell a new
3-year bond in April as the government hopes demand picks up at
its next sale after a poor response last month.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2501917] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET SHOWS FEB SURPLUS: The Czech central state budget
showed a 5.4 billion crown ($239.3 million) surplus for
January-February, versus a 4.97 billion crown deficit a year
ago, data showed on Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nL2115975] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-GVD]
                                
 
                                
 CZECHS TO BUY AUSTRIAN APCS: The Czech government agreed to
buy 107 armoured personnel carriers from Austria's Steyr, a unit
of General Dynamics <GD.N>, for around 14 billion Czech crowns
($620.3 million), Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on
Monday.
                                
 Story: [ID:nPRG001287] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-IND]
                                
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities  <.PX>   636.7    636.7   +0.00          N/A
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  28.140   28.140   +0.00         -4.80
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  22.219   22.219   -0.05        -14.04
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>   6,763    7,063   -4.24        -22.94
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT

=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
                                
 ECM & PPF JOIN FORCES: The founding owner of ECM Real Estate
Investment <ECMPsp.PR>, Milan Janku, and the richest Czech Petr
Kellner will launch a joint real estate holding. As part of the
deal, PPF will receive a minority stake in Janku's ECM Group,
the majority shareholder of ECM REI. Delisting of ECM REI is not
planned.
                                
 E15, page 9
                                
 
                                
 GOVT SENDING CRISIS PACKAGE SLOWLY: The government will send
parts of its anti-crisis package to Parliament in smaller pieces
rather than as a whole.
                                
 Mlada Fronta Dnes, B2
                                
 
                                
 CEZ INSURES UNEMPLOYED: CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> struck a deal with
Kooperativa to insure residential customers who lose their jobs
for up to three months.
                                
 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
                                
  (Compiled by Jason Hovet)