NEWS

Czech construction orders up 23.6% y/y in Q1 ’08, pulled by public orders

STATISTICS

Czech March retail sales down 0.6% m/m, first drop in 51 months

COMPANY NEWS

MANUFACTURING

PRESS: Russian Ural Mining and Metallurgical acquires Czech aircraft maker Aircraft Industries

French MTG to acquire carmaker Skoda Auto supplier Fezko

PRESS: Czech KKCG to build CZK 1 bln steel mill in North Moravia

Finnish AC drive maker Vacon opens Czech unit, sees sales driven by firms’ energy-saving needs

Czech aircraft maker Aero to cooperate with Sweden’s Gripen and Saab on L-159 fighter

ENGINEERING

PRESS: Czech state to privatize engineering firms Technoexport and Strojimport

TRANSPORTATION

Czech national carrier CSA carries 1.6 mln passengers in Jan-April, up 2.7% y/y

Czech logistics group C.S. Cargo acquires Czech JTC Transcentrum

METALS

PRESS: Czech PPF allegedly eyes Russian gold and silver mining firm Polymetal

PHARMACEUTICALS & HEALTHCARE

Czech drugmaker Zentiva profit down 9.5% to CZK 470 mln in Q1, beats expectations

RETAIL & CONSUMER GOODS

PRESS: Penta Investments looks to acquire Czech retail chain Hruska

REAL ESTATE

Arkady Pankrac shopping mall in Prague worth EUR 100 mln opens in Q3 ’08; nearly leased out

Czech developer Passerinvest Group to invest CZK 2.5 bln in Filadelfie office building in Prague

Australian industrial property group Goodman expands through EUR 250 mln deal

Czech apartment prices to grow at moderate pace from now on – CEO of developer Ekospol

Czech mortgage market may stagnate this year – Hypotecni banka CEO

PRESS: Czech developer Sekyra Group wins Rohansky Ostrov tender with CZK 1.69 bln bid

Prague-listed developer ECM moves 200 staffers to its City Tower project ahead of expansion

ENERGY NEWS

OIL & PETROCHEMICALS

Czech EU presidency may convene energy summit, seeks coordinated nuclear policy – Deputy PM

Czech retail fuel prices increase; top-selling Natural 95 up at CZK 32.21/liter

Czech petrochem Unipetrol targets significant investments, partnership in biofuels sector – CEO

Czech petrochem Unipetrol says named in U.K. tire maker Cooper’s price-fixing lawsuit

COAL

Mining group Czech Coal to reduce excavation at CSA surface mine due to gov’t limits

HEAT, POWER & SEWAGE

Czech Republic and Slovakia agree to create a common electricity market

PRESS: Czech power utility CEZ mining unit allegedly lacks valid EIA environmental study

Czech power utility CEZ appoints Martin Novak to the board of directors

Slovak utility Slovenske elektrarne not to pay dividend from 2007 profit

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Czech electricity production generated by wind power more than doubles in Q1

BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

INSURANCE

Austrian insurer VIG ups Q1 profit 24% y/y on CEE units, seeks EUR 250 mln in hybrid bond issue

EMERGING MARKETS NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Europe’s oil companies fear Gazprom Neft’s strength in Europe after acquiring Serbia’s NIS

Kazakhstan bans exports of gasoline, diesel from June 1 to Sept 1

Kyiv offers Baku use of Odessa-Brody pipeline to ship Caspian oil to EU

EU-Russia talks on new treaty may be complete in 2009 – French official

Kazakhstan may bind all mineral developers to pay crude export duty in 2009

EU to endorse mandate for talks on new basic accord with Russia in next few days – Lavrov (part 2)

EU will soon decide on mandate for talks on new accord with Russia – Kouchner

FINANCIAL MARKETS

EQUITIES

Prague bourse PX index down 0.36% d/d, 1.75% w/w Friday; Czech miner NWR biggest gainer

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE), SPAD trading, 16-23/05/2008

MONEY MARKET

Czech National Bank, PRIBOR and PRIBID rate fixing, –16-23/05/2008

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