PRAGUE, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Thursday.
ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours)
=========================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 - Czech central bank governing board to meet on
interest rates. An announcement is expected at 1100 GMT with a
news conference to follow at 1230 GMT.
All 17 analyst groups polled by Reuters expect no change in
interest rates.
Related news: []
For FACTBOX on recent policymaker comments: []
For PREVIEW of the meeting: []
PRAGUE - 26-week T-bill auction.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - CSOB, a unit of Belgian's KBC Group <KBC.BR>, to
release first half results. A news conference at 1200 GMT.
Related news: []
=========================TOP NEWS===============================
TAX RISE: The Czech government plans to raise the lower of
two value-added tax brackets during 2011 as a first step to
raise revenue to finance pension reform, Prime Minister Petr
Necas said on Wednesday.
Story: [] Related news: []
STRONG BOND AUCTIONS: Investors bid strongly for two bumper
tenders of Polish and Czech debt on Wednesday, although Poland
was forced to accept slightly higher yields than a month ago
while the cost of Prague's borrowing dipped.
Story: [] Related news: []
CEE MARKETS: Strong investor demand at Czech and Polish bond
auctions on Wednesday buoyed the crown and zloty as other east
European currencies cut losses with a slight recovery in risk
appetite.
Story: [] Related news: []
ANTI-COMMUNIST FIGHTER: Czechs bade farewell on Wednesday to
an anti-communist resistance fighter who shot his way to freedom
in 1953 in a daring escape that deeply embarrassed authorities
early in the Cold War.
Story: [] Related news: []
KOMERCNI RESULTS BETTER: Czech lender Komercni Banka
<> reported on Wednesday a better than expected 12.2
percent rise in second-quarter net profit, thanks to lower
provisioning for bad loans as the economy stabilises.
Story: [] Related news: []
---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change
close on day in 2010
vs Euro <EURCZK=> 24.597 24.636 0.16 6.54
vs Dollar <CZK=> 18.687 18.735 0.26 -1.69
Czech Equities <> 1,205.9 1,205.9 1.36 7.93
U.S. Equities <> 10,680.43 10,636.38 0.41 2.42
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT
=========================PRESS DIGEST==========================
CNB AND CROWN STRENGTH: Analysts expect some sort of verbal
intervention against the recent crown strength after the first
central bank board member led by new governor, Miroslav Singer.
The crown has jumped to 20-month peaks versus the euro in
the past month, rising 4.5 percent since early June.
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
[]
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
