Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on July 4

PRAGUE, July 4 (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 ========================

May foreign trade data due out at 0700 GMT.

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 - Czech central bank will release the minutes of its
June 26 governing board meeting, where interest rates were left
unchanged.

Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-PLCY]

PRAGUE - A government energy commission will release its
recommendations on energy policy, expected to back extension of
coal mines and nuclear power. News conference at 0900 GMT.

Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-ENR]
====================== TOP NEWS ================================

RICE TO PRAGUE: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice
willl visit Prague next week to sign a deal to build a radar
base in the Czech Republic which would be a part of a missile
defence shield.

Story: [ID:nN03291798] Related news: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-US]

====================== OTHER NEWS ==============================

CROWN HITS RECORD: The Czech crown hit a new record high of
23.740 to the euro EURCZK= in overnight trading.

Crown reports: [CZK/]

---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change

close on day in 2008
Czech Equities 1,441.4 1,471.4 -2.04 -20.59
vs Euro EURCZK= 23.754 23.830 +0.32 +11.56
vs Dollar CZK= 15.109 15.143 +0.28 +20.32
U.S. Equities .DJI 11,289 11,216 +0.65 -14.90
Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500

====================== PRESS DIGEST ===========================

COMMERCIAL CODE: A draft new commercial code proposes that
joint stock companies are allowed to have just one board of
directors rather than the current two boards.

The capital requirement to set up a limited liability
company would drop to 1,000 crowns from 200,000.

Mlada fronta Dnes, page 1.

COAL MINING LIMITS: An energy commission recommends to
extend environmental limits at a coal mine operated by a
subsidiary of power firm CEZ (CEZPsp.PR: Quote, Profile, Research). This would free up 120
million tonnes of coal.

Mlada fronta Dnes, page 8.

PENSIONS: The Labour Ministry proposes that people are
allowed to divert 3 percentage points of their social insurance
payments to private savings accounts.

Hospodarske Noviny, page 1.

LISBON TREATY: The Constitutional Court may rule on the EU's
Lisbon Treaty in September.

E15, page 3.

FILM FESTIVAL: Robert de Niro will be the main start of the
annual Karlovy Vary film festival that opens on Friday.

Mlada ronta Dnes, page 1.

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

News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935

E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
(Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)