Sellers continued reducing ther positions yesterday (the PX-50 index lost 0.4%)

The Czech market continued its drift lower on Tuesday, as sellers continued reducing their positions after the PX-50 index touched its long-term high last week. It closed at 745.4 points, down 0.43% yesterday. Unipetrol continued to be sold off after reports that the privatization bidders were dissatisfied with access to data during due diligence; some local investors even exaggerated the situation by saying the government may reconsider postponing the sale. Even though some indications regarding difficulties in Unipetrol's data room apparently exist, we believe the government has strong motivation to sell its 63% stake in April. We maintain our BUY rating for the stock, even though we are aware recent speculations may frustrate some investors and the stock may suffer in the near term. Nonetheless, we expect the outcome of the tender to be positive for minority shareholders.

Komercni banka closed unchanged, with foreign selling still present. Cesky Telecom seems to be better offered these days. CEZ dropped as low as CZK 168 on profit taking. Volume in the SPAD trading systém reached USD 48.8m.

Milan Procházka, Patria Finance