Overview of the latest economic events in the Czech Republic
The Czech Statistical Office will publish a preliminary estimate of August inflation. Analysts, such as those at Raiffeisenbank, expect annual inflation to slow slightly to around 2.5 %, which would continue the downward trend and be in line with the CNB's inflation target. The main anti-inflationary factors are the prices of regulated components such as electricity, gas or fuel, while services are still not expected to become cheaper. These developments will be key to expectations for the next interest rate setting and the appreciation of the koruna against the euro. Moreover, the CNB forecasts that inflation will reach an average level of around 2.5 % in 2025. This means that the August estimate around this level fits in with the monetary policy outlook, which envisages a gradual further decline in inflation in the coming quarters.

Fuel prices in the Czech Republic continued to fall last week. The average price of a litre of Natural 95 petrol fell to CZK 33.63, which is 16 cents less than a week ago. Diesel was 13 cents cheaper at CZK 32.25 per litre. Fuel is currently the cheapest since mid-June, according to data from CCS, a company that monitors the market for a long time.

Foreign investment
Rohlik Group, a Prague-based online grocery retailer, is considering an IPO in 2026. The company is significantly increasing profitability by providing e-commerce, logistics and delivery services to other merchants through its Veloq platform, with expected margins of 50-60 %, well above the current 20-30 %. At the same time, it is expanding its retail media business for food brands. Given the opportunities that arise following the bankruptcies of competitors in Germany (e.g. the acquisition of baby food manufacturer Topfer), it is also considering further acquisitions in the region. The company expects sales growth of 35 % in 2025, with expected sales of around EUR 1.43bn (≈ CZK 36bn). The company's value in 2021 is close to EUR 1.84 billion (≈ CZK 46 billion), making it the Czech "unicorn".

Significant events outside the Czech Republic with global impact
The four-day working week is increasingly common in the Netherlands. The average working week here was only 32.1 hours in 2024 - the lowest in the EU. This trend is gradually emerging in other EU countries and, while it may have competitiveness implications, it is proving to be economically sustainable: high employment, high productivity per hour and high GDP per capita. The model may also affect the supply chains of Czech firms and their labour and flexibility strategies.

Globally, significant transactions continue: Blackstone purchased a premium office building in Paris (Trocadéro) for approximately EUR 700 million; iBASIS took over wholesale voice, mobile and messaging services from Telstra Internationalsecuring access to the Australian and New Zealand markets; the European Commission temporarily suspended its State aid investigation into the acquisition Covestro firem ADNOC, worth EUR 14.7 billion; Anchor AS zvýšila podíl na REC Silicon at 60,19 % through a mandatory offer, settlement runs until September 4; Cato Networks from Israel has acquired a cyber startup Aim Security for an estimated CZK 350 million. USD, and at the same time received another 50 million USD. USD 50 million of new capital; AON sold a majority stake in the wealth business NFP fondu Madison Dearborn Partners $2.7 billion to focus on its core insurance services; Australian regulator ACCC investigating proposed takeover of insurance company RAC společností IAG worth AUD 1.35 billion (approx. USD 877 million).

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