Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Jan 6

                                
  PRAGUE, Jan 6 (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.............[CZ-RTRS-LEN-ECI]
                                
 Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
                                
 Updates on CEE currencies.............................[CEE/]
                                
 
============================TOP NEWS============================
                                
 MACRO PREVIEW: Czech December unemployment probably hit its
highest level in almost five years, counterbalancing a jump in
inflation that analysts said was due to higher commodity prices
and not rising demand.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE60411M] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
                                
 
                                
 CEE MARKETS: The Romanian leu jumped to a three-month high
on Tuesday, leaving emerging European peers behind, after bank
demand for local currency offset a surprise half-percentage
point interest rate cut.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6040F2] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 IPO: Nasdaq-listed technology provider KIT Digital <KITD.O>
is looking to list shares on the Prague Stock Exchange <.PX> by
the end of January, newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes reported on
Tuesday citing the group's chief executive.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLDE6040KT] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MCE]
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2009
 Czech Equities <.PX>   1149,7    1149,7   1,52        2,9
vs Euro   <EURCZK=>    26,289     26,241   -0,18       0,11
vs Dollar    <CZK=>    18,389     18,262   -0,7       -0,07
 U.S. Equities <.DJI>  10572,02  10583,96  -0,11       1,38
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600

============================PRESS DIGEST========================
                                
 EURO: Euro adoption in Slovakia in 2009 has eliminated the
postive effect of economic reforms that the country has done
prior to adoption, Czech Vice Governor Miroslav Singer said.
Keeping the crown has meant an "exchange rate advantage" of 15
percent for Czech exporters, boosting the competitiveness of the
Czech economy versus the Slovak one.
                                
 Lidove Noviny, page 11
                                
 
                                
 CEZ: The Environment Ministry put off at the last minute on
Tuesday a decision whether to allow CEZ to upgrade its Prunerov
power plant. CEZ pushes for the upgrade of the station, the
eighteenth largest CO2 emission producer in Europe, to be cheap.
It is not clear whether the ministry will allow that.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 7
                                
       
 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>

                                
 (Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)
                                
 News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 474;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com