In Brief: BA CA; Axel Springer; Wola Info; Huta Częstochowa

Bank Austria Creditanstalt (BA CA) will list its stock on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) today. The initial share price will be set at zł. 144 based on Monday's closing price in Vienna. Some 33 million shares will be traded on the WSE, which accounts for 22.5% of the company's capital. According to Parkiet, some of the investors have already transferred their shares to Poland and are getting ready to offer them in Warsaw. (Parkiet, p. 1) ... Following Axel Springer Polska's announcement concerning its plans to launch a new daily on October 22, the share price of Agora, publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza, has fallen by 5.69%. According to analysts, "Fakty. Gazeta Codzienna" can become a serious competitor to the most popular daily, only if it is addressed to the same target group. If this becomes the case, Agora estimates that in the long term the circulation of Gazeta Wyborcza will fall by 11%-18% and advertising revenues by up to 16%. (Parkiet, p. 1) ... Wola Info, a Warsaw-based IT company announced plans to list its stock on the Warsaw Stock Exchange by the end of 2004. The company which was ranked 51st among the top 500 IT companies, is searching for extra capital to help stop the trend of falling revenues. (Puls Biznesu, p. 6) ... Huta Częstochowa (HC) steel mill has managed to sign an agreement with ten of its most significant creditors concerning restructuring and reducing its zł. 1.2 billion liabilities. The creditors will receive shares in a company which will acquire the assets of HC, and later sell the shares to a sector investor. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) A.K.