SPENDING - Only 10 percent of Czechs think they have more money than a year ago, according to a CVVM poll conducted in September. More than two in five respondents said they could spend less than a year ago with what they earn now. The same percentage said their real income was approximately the same as last year.

GROWTH - Industrial output rose 7.1 percent in September, down from August's 8.6 percent, the Czech Statistical Office reported Nov. 10. Output grew most in the car industry. It decreased at utility companies.

MORTGAGE - All major banks have raised mortgage rates in the past two weeks. The move follows the Czech National Bank's decision to raise interest rates to 2 percent in October. Interest rates were previously at a record low 1.75 percent. The central bank has warned the market to expect further rate hikes.

INTEREST - Komerční banka increased interest rates on loans by 0.25 basic points to 2 percent. The bank will also raise its overdraft rate by 0.5 basic points to 2.35 percent.

LOSS - Česká exportní banka was 13.4 million Kč ($539,235) in the red this year, compared with 29.4 million Kč last year. The bank's balance dropped 10.8 percent to 25.9 billion Kč.

PROFIT - Net profit increased nearly 20 percent to 2.31 billion Kč between January and September at oil and petrochemical group Unipetrol, a company spokeswoman said Nov. 14. The country's strong economic growth contributed to the profit spike, as well as an increase in market prices of petrochemical products.

VOLKSBANK - The Czech division of Volksbank made 88.2 million Kč in profit in the third quarter, a 62 percent increase from the same period last year, the company said through a spokesman Nov. 14. On the market since 1993, Volksbank operates 19 branches here. Volksbank is controlled by Austrian financial group Österreichische Volksbanken.

PRICES - Producer prices increased 0.3 percent in October compared with a year earlier, the slowest growth in two years, the Czech Statistical Office announced Nov. 14. In the European Union, industrial producer prices increased an average 5.3 percent year on year, with Denmark and Britain posting double-digit growth figures.

ECONOMY - Industry remained the driving force of the economy in September, according to economic analysts. Industrial output increased 7.1 percent in September. Analysts are attributing the growth to automotive exports, which have received a boost from the output of the TPCA automotive plant in Kolín. It launched production early in the year.