Daily summary of the Czech economy: interest rates, Tescan Group, Nvidia, KKR & Co., Zentiva, SpaceX and oil from Venezuela (February 2, 2026)

247

Overview of the latest economic events in the Czech Republic

Banking Council Czech National Bank (CNB) will leave interest rates unchanged at its first meeting of the year on Thursday. Analysts polled by ČTK agree. On the day of the council meeting, though Czech Statistical Office (CSO) will publish January inflation, which is expected to fall below the CNB's 2% target, but according to analysts, this will mainly concern items that the central bank does not consider key in terms of long-term inflation. The CNB has held the key interest rate at 3.5 % since last May and rate stability remains the main scenario for the start of 2026.

The domestic economy continued to be supported by a relatively strong koruna and a gradual recovery in household consumption. The banking sector, including Commercial banks, Czech Savings Banks a CSOB, continues to exhibit high capital adequacy and stable profitability, reducing pressure on monetary tightening. At the same time, analysts warn that any rate cuts may come later in the year if inflation developments prove sustainable.

Foreign investment

The continued integration of the industrial group remains a significant domestic transaction Tescan Group, which was taken over by the Japanese Shimadzu Corporation, which strengthens the Czech Republic's position in the highly specialised production of electron microscopes and analytical instruments.

In the area of foreign investment, the turn of January and February brought some significant news. In particular, investor attention was drawn to developments surrounding a planned capital cooperation between a US chipmaker Nvidia and technology company OpenAI, behind the ChatGPT models. An investment of up to $100 billion originally considered has reportedly stalled, with some Nvidia employees expressing doubts about the scale and structure of the deal. The move could affect the pace of AI investment globally.

Another significant transaction is the conduct of the investment company KKR & Co. on the takeover of a data centre operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, in which the telecommunications group is also involved Singtel. The transaction value exceeds $10 billion and confirms the continued interest of global funds in digital infrastructure.

At the same time, the planned acquisition of a pharmaceutical company is heading to the European area Zentiva, in which a US fund is interested GTCR. The move would represent one of the largest foreign investments in the Central European pharmaceutical industry in recent years and would strengthen the international position of the Czech manufacturing base.

Significant events outside the Czech Republic with global impact

The company's technological intent resonates globally SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk. The company has applied to launch up to one million satellites into Earth orbit. These would be used not only to improve connectivity, but also to operate sophisticated artificial intelligence systems and reduce pressure on terrestrial energy resources. The project does not yet have a firm timetable, but its potential impact on global infrastructure is significant.

The announcement by the US President is also significant geopolitical and economic news Donald Trump, that India will buy oil from Venezuela. This move comes in the context of earlier US tariffs against India over Russian oil imports and could realign global energy flows and price dynamics on world markets.

gnews.cz - GH

Current exchange rates according to the CNB and Google Rates

tradingeconomics.com