RATING - Fitch Ratings, an international credit rating agency, upgraded the country's foreign currency rating to A from A- last month, giving the Czech Republic one of the best ratings in the region. Analysts say the rating is further proof that the economy is on the right track. The new rating could also make it less expensive for the government and companies to raise financing abroad by issuing bonds at a lower interest rate, analysts said.

TRADE - The country's foreign trade balance ended in a surplus of 1.15 billion Kč ($47.4 billion) in July, an 8.4 billion Kč increase from a year ago, the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) said Sept. 2. The ČSÚ also revised trade figures for the first half of 2005, reporting a surplus of 42 billion Kč.

FURNITURE - Sales rose 30.5 percent to 3.55 billion Kč between August 2004 and August 2005 at the Czech branch of the Swedish furniture retail chain Ikea, the company announced Sept. 1. The branch also boasted a 30 percent increase in clients. The retailer attributes the growth to construction of a new outlet in Prague and consistent price cuts.

LIST - The Czech Trade Inspection (ČOI) office has published a list on its Web site of gasoline stations found to be selling low-quality fuel at the end of 2004 and the beginning of this year, according to media reports. The list, which only includes stations that have already been fined, will be updated regularly, said Jiří Pěkný, ČOI director.

REPLACEMENT - Pavel Švarc has replaced Tomáš Kadlec as CEO of Čepro, the country's primary fuel distributor, Švarc announced Sept. 1. The company's supervisory board removed Kadlec from the post a week earlier, citing the company's poor performance in 2005. Švarc previously held the post of CEO of Unipetrol, which was recently privatized.

POWER - The second reactor at the Temelín nuclear power plant was disconnected Sept. 2 for repairs, according to plant spokesman Milan Nebesář. Temelín has been operating at full capacity since October 2004, when it generated 12.7 million-megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity, 4.8 percent more than a year earlier. This year the plant is expected to put out 13.77 million MWh of power.

PKN OFFER - Orlen of Poland published a revised offer for the buyout of a percentage of minority shares in oil and chemical group Unipetrol in the media Sept. 2. The Securities Commission approved PKN's original buyout offer Aug. 26, giving the company a majority stake in Unipetrol.