Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Oct 17

                                
 PRAGUE, Oct 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 Czech currency.............................[CZK/]
==========================EVENTS=============================
                                
 CZECH REPUBLIC - Czechs hold election for regional
assemblies and one third of the upper house. Poor showing by the
ruling right-wing Civic Democrat Party (ODS) may unleash a
revolt against Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.
                                
 Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]
========================= TOP NEWS ============================
                                
 ECB DEAL SUPPPORTS FORINT: The Hungarian forint slipped on
Thursday, but outperformed on the back of the European Central
Bank's pledge to boost euro liquidity in the country, as growth
worries hit central European stocks and currencies.
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG649807] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 CEE STEPS TO CONTAIN CRISIS: Hungary said it would soon
announce a "complex package" to tackle spill-overs from the
global crisis while some of the country's Central European
ex-communist peers have already taken precautionary steps
[ID:nLG552658].
                                
 Story: [ID:nLG724094] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-MMT]

                                
 TEMELIN RESTARTS UNIT 1: Czech nuclear power plant Temelin
restarted its Unit 1 on Thursday, after a several months outage
due to a regular exchange of one quarter of the fuel, the
plant's owner CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> said.    
                                
 Story: [ID:nWLB2821] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-NUC]

 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 Czech Equities  <.PX> 0,938.5  0,998.8   -6.04        -48.29
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  24.975   24.965   +0.00         +6.15
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  18.473   18.447   +0.01         -1.50
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  08,979   08,578   +4.68        -32.31
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
                                
 
                                
 
 ====================== PRESS DIGEST ===========================
                                
 AIRLINE SALE: Russia's Aeroflot is the favourite in an
upcoming privatisation of national carrier Czech Airlines,
according to an unnamed Czech party that wants to enters the
deal as a local partner of a foreign bidder. Finance Minister
Miroslav Kalousek said the priority was to find a strategic
partner.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1 & 19
                                
 
                                
 U.S. VISAS: U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to
announce a visa waiver for Czechs on Friday.
                                
 Pravo, page 1.
                                
 
                                
 URANIUM MINING TO BE EXTENDED: Exploration showed the only
operating Czech uranium mine Dolni Rozinka could operate until
about 2015, three years longer than expected.
                                
 Pravo, page 19.
                                
 
                                
 ORCO CUTS PRICES: Real estate developer Orco Property Group
<ORCOsp.PR> cut prices of one of its residential projects by 10
percent in a quest to raise sales and thus secure more cash and
thus also  bank financing.
                                
 Mlada fronta Dnes, page B1
                                
    
                                
 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 Jan Lopatka)