Prague Stock Exchange exceeds starting level for first time in 10 years

The Prague Stock Exchange exceeded its starting level of 1,000 points for the first time in 10 years on Friday. The deputy head of the stock exchange Vladimir Ezr said there has been growing interest in the Prague Stock Exchange from both foreign and national investors since the country joined the EU. He added that higher interest in shares of major companies that were facing privatisation, such as the dominant telecom company Cesky Telecom and the power company CEZ and, had further boosted the exchange. The Prague Stock Exchange was launched in April 1993, three months after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but the PX50 index with a starting value of 1,000 points was not launched until exactly one year later.