FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC NEWS

NEWS

Czech PPI in April at 4.7% y/y, below market expectations

Czech current account in March shows surprise CZK 0.6 bln deficit

Czech GDP growth slows to 5.4% y/y in Q1, slightly below market expectations

Slovak CPI grows to 4.3% y/y in April, slightly above market consensus

STATISTICS

Slovak foreign trade ends in SKK 1.1 bln deficit in March, below market expectations

Czech inflation slows to 6.8% y/y in April, in line with market expectations

Czech unemployment drops to 5.2% in April, lowest since 1998

Czech industrial output falls 2.1% y/y in March, first drop after five years of growth

COMPANY NEWS

TRANSPORTATION

Czech Finance Ministry launches tender for adviser in Czech Airlines (CSA) privatization

Prague airport operator SLP net profit up by more than 14% y/y at CZK 1.11 bln in 2007

Prague airport operator SLP clears record-high 2.5 mln passengers in Q1

FOOD, BEVERAGE & AGRICULTURE

Czech Agrofert gains 22% of Slovak bakery product market through acquisition of local firm

REAL ESTATE

Czech-Belgian developer VGP to launch construction of industrial park in Hungarian city of Gyor

PRESS: Slovak/Czech Penta to sell land atop planned Prague airport runway for CZK 4 bln

Lighthouse to beef up sports, entertainment in new concept for Prague shopping malls — CEO

Developer Lighthouse Group to invest EUR 150 mln in Prague 9 office park - CEO

PRESS: Czech developer Senior Resort to invest CZK 2 bln in retirement home network

Israeli/Slovak developer Opera SL to invest SKK 8 bln in Bratislava residential project ’Pod vrskami’

Czech construction output in March up 0.8%, slows on drop in civil engineering projects

Czech CTR group to open its largest residential project in Prague this May

Czech-Belgian industrial developer VGP ups Q1 gross rental income 190% y/y

ENERGY NEWS

OIL & PETROCHEMICALS

Czech retail fuel prices up; top-selling Natural 95 reaches CZK 31.48/liter

Czech petrochem Unipetrol’s refinery Paramo shows CZK 114.2 mln loss in Q1 ’08

Czech petrochem Unipetrol ’08 outlook ’conservative’ due to market volatility - CEO

Czech petrochem Unipetrol Q1 net profit down 74% y/y at CZK 405.7 mln, below expectations

Wood&Co. drops Czech petrochem Unipetrol from ’Top 10’ picks in favor of Austrian peer OMV

ANALYST OUTLOOK: Czech petrochem Unipetrol EBIT seen down 73% y/y in Q1 – Atlantik FT

PRESS: Czech petrochem Unipetrol mulls partnership with biofuels component producer

HEAT, POWER & SEWAGE

Czech power giant CEZ to build steam-gas unit at Pocerady plant, plans others in region

Czech utility CEZ net profit up 21% y/y at CZK 15.73 bln, above expectations

PRESS: EC approves joint venture of Czech utility CEZ, Hungarian oil/gas MOL

Raiffeisen ups Czech utility CEZ target price 8.5%, maintains ’hold,’ citing huge CO2 cost exposure

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Czech renewables group Energy 21 mulls entry to Spanish, Bulgarian markets this year – CEO

IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LANDLINE/MOBILE TELECOMS

Prague-listed Telefonica O2 sells CZK 4 bln worth of Czech real estate portfolio to BREI

BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

BANKING

Prague-listed Komercni banka ups 1Q net profit 17% y/y, mortgage volume up 30% y/y

CORRECTION: Raiffeisen ups Czech utility CEZ target price 2.26%, maintains ’hold,’ citing huge CO2 cost exposure

CAPITAL MARKETS

Czech equity group PPF net profit down 38% y/y at CZK 6.8 bln in 2007

EMERGING MARKETS NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Estonian minister sees no politics in Russia’s decision to re-route oil products’ transit

Putin says oil exports may be rerouted from Baltic to ports in Russia

Moscow hopes talks with EU on new agreement will not be burdened by far-fetched terms

FINANCIAL MARKETS

EQUITIES

PX Index, Prague Stock Exchange (PSE), 16/05/2008

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE), SPAD trading, 09-16/05/2008

FIXED INCOME

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) Treasury bonds, Direct trading, 16/05/2008

Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSE) Treasury bonds, Direct trading, 09-16/05/2008

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) Treasury bonds, Direct trading, 09-16/05/2008

CURRENCY

Czech National Bank foreign exchange rates, 09-16/05/2008

National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) foreign exchange rates, 09-16/05/2008

MONEY MARKET

National Bank of Slovakia, BRIBOR rate fixing, 09-16/05/2008

Czech National Bank, PRIBOR and PRIBID rate fixing - 9-16/05/2008

Czech National Bank (CNB) official interest rates – 16/05/2008

CALENDAR

Czech Republic – calendar of upcoming events, 19-26/05/2008

Nb: This news report features only the headline of each news