PRAGUE, March 25 (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 hour)
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
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 - European Banking & Financial Forum (EB&FF) with
Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, and Czech Deputy Prime
Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra. Detailed
programme on www.ebff.cz.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - The lower house of parliament to continue its
session after deputies toppled the government on Tuesday.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - 3-year government bond auction <CZ1002158=>
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Car maker TPCA Toyota Peugeot Citroen to hold a
news conference on 2008 results (0900 GMT).
Related news: []
===========================TOP NEWS===========================
NO QUICK FIX AFTER GOVT COLLAPSE: Czech parties will have a
hard time agreeing on a new government after Tuesday's
no-confidence vote and an early election is difficult to
achieve, painting a picture of protracted political wrangling.
Story: [] Related news: []
GOVT LOSES OUSTER VOTE: Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek's minority centre-right government lost a vote of
confidence on Tuesday, forcing it out of office and undermining
its role as EU presidents during the global economic downturn.
Story: [] Related news: []
============================NEWS================================
ANALYST VIEW: The Czech centre-right minority government
lost a parliamentary no-confidence vote on Tuesday, which will
force it to resign midway through the country's six-month EU
presidency.
Story: [] Related news: []
PM SAYS GOVT FALL UNDERMINES PRESIDENCY: The Czech Finance
Ministry closed the first round of Czech Airlines CSA
privatisation tender on Monday receiving four preliminary bids.
Story: [] Related news: []
CROWN DIPS AFTER GOVT FALL: The Czech crown dropped 0.7
percent after the government lost a no-confidence vote in
parliament on Tuesday. The loss means the government must
resign.
Story: [] Related news: []
ZENTIVA APPLIES TO DE-LIST SHARES: Zentiva <>
applied to de-list its shares from the Prague Stock Exchange, it
said on Tuesday, a month after French Sanofi-Aventis <SASY.PA>
succeeded in a buyout of the Czech generic drugs maker.
Story: [] Related news: []
UKRAINE SAYS PARTNERSHIP NO ALTERNATIVE TO EU ENTRY: Ukraine
does not see the European Union's new Eastern Partnership
programme as an alternative to its future membership in the
bloc, President Viktor Yushchenko said.
Story: [] Related news: []
U.S. GROWTH: The Federal Reserve could expand its already
vast efforts to restore normal functioning in financial markets,
and growth in the United States should resume by the end of this
year, a top Fed policymaker said on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
FACTBOX ON TOPOLANEK: Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek,
whose country holds the six-month EU presidency, faces the fifth
attempt by the main opposition party to overthrow his
centre-right cabinet on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
KEY CZECH ISSUES: The main Czech opposition party has called
a no-confidence vote for Tuesday to unseat Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek halfway through Prague's EU presidency.
Story: [] Related news: []
Q&A ON WHAT HAPPENS IF GOVT FALLS: The Czech opposition has
its best chance ever to topple Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in
a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, which could undermine Prague's
EU presidency as the bloc tries to fight the economic crisis.
Story: [] Related news: []
RETAIL SALES DROP: Czech retail sales fell 3.3 percent
year-on-year in January, after a revised 0.1 percent rise in
December, data showed on Tuesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2008
Czech Equities <> 0,000.0 0,778.8 +0.00 n/a
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 27.235 26.780 -1.60 -2.63
vs Dollar <CZK=> 20.216 19.688 -2.47 -9.99
U.S. Equities <> 07,660 07,776 -1.49 -42.25
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
===========================PRESS DIGEST=========================
PRIVATISATIONS: Social Democrats Deputy Chairman Bohuslav
Sobotka said the risk of failure of Czech Airlines (CSA)
privatisation increased after only four bidders showed interest.
The Social Democrats are against plans to privatise the Prague
Airport and are beginning to protest against the sale of CSA.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 3
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
For Instant Views of key economic data click on []
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>
For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets:
Warsaw WIG20 <> Budapest BUX <> Prague 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)
