Contact us with any questions about finding information. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. Country Commercial Guides are prepared annually at U.S. Embassies through the combined efforts of several U.S. government agencies. During the past year, the Czech Republic has weathered a sudden governmental collapse which led to unprecedented early elections. Economically, the picture is mixed.
Exports are up sharply and consumption is moderating.
Part of this slowdown is deliberate, the result of the government's austerity measures implemented in 1997. Increased unemployment is a signal that firms may be stepping up restructuring, perhaps in response to the govern- ment's reform efforts and tight money policies. Capital market regulation is still in its infancy. A newly created Czech Security Exchange Commission has launched an effort to reform the market trading system, which suffers from lack of price, information and ownership transparency. Stricter bankruptcy laws have come into effect, as has legislation forcing investment funds with high discounts to redeem shares.