In Brief: PAIZ Japanese investment; Strzelec, Brok, Rybnik; Mostostal Zabrze

According to the Polish Foreign Investment Agency (PAIZ), Japanese investments in Poland are half the size of those in Hungary and three times smaller than in the Czech Republic. By the end of 2001, Japanese companies had invested $517.5 million in Poland compared with $1.59 billion and $1.1 billion in the Czech Republic and Hungary respectively. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) ... Strzelec brewery has found financial resources for the purchase of Brok's liabilities. The company has also found financial institutions willing to purchase its new issue of 10-15 million shares. As a result, the merger of three brewers - Brok, Strzelec and Rybnik, planned for this year, will go ahead. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) ... Analysts at BZ WBK brokerage house have suspended their recommendation for shares of Mostostal Zabrze, claiming that the danger of its bankruptcy is becoming more and more real. (Rzeczpospolita, p. 5) ... During Wednesday's trading session, Softbank's listings dropped by almost 18%, to a historic low of zl. 10.7, indicating the investors' "panic". A Softsbank spokesman said, "There was no premise for such a significant fall". (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 19) A.Z.