Bourses worldwide seem to have become resistant to the unexpected plunges on Wall Street. After yesterday’s NYSE nosedive, European bourses opened in the green on Friday morning.

 >>

Indian companies are more and more interested in Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, which recently joined the EU, offer Indian firms a stable operating environment in a strategic location, an educated workforce, great cost advantages, and a more secure legal framework. >>

The Polish economy is heading towards a slowdown. Transport, banking, consumer finance market and processing industry will suffer the most, the Institute of Regional Development at the Warsaw School of Economics (IRG SGH) informs. ‘The Institute measures the real functioning of companies and households and not the fundamentals of Polish economy, which are still intact’ professor Elżbieta Adamowicz said introducing the prognosis for Q4 2008. The authors of the research also remind that even though the results are lower than in previous quarters, they are still above average. >>

A new industrial zone The Old Town-Park is to be officially inaugurated on December 6 in the south-eastern town of Leżajsk not far from the Ukrainian border. December 6th. Future investors can expect to find modern factory shops, efficient infrastructure and good roads, the organizers said in a communique.

 >>

The CEE region has enormous potential in the business services sector - Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). The BPO sector is well-developed in Poland mainly in the sphere of international service centres: specializing in bookkeeping and finances, IT services and R&D. At the 4th Annual Outsourcing Forum which took place in Warsaw on November 19th conference organizer Roadshow Poland asked what will happen to this sector under the looming crisis.

 >>

Herbie Hancock – the phenomenal jazz pianist and composer known for his collaboration with Miles Davis is to give three concert in Poland. The "Herbie Hancock Sextet" concerts are scheduled in Katowice on Nov 30, Warsaw on Dec 1 and Poznań on Dec 2 as part of the Year of Climate and Environment Poznań 2008 programme. >>

The Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, British Council and the Arts Council Collection present a retrospective on British photography from the late 1960s to the late 80s. The exhibition ‘No such thing as society’ is on from November 24 to January 11. >>

In 2008 BASF Construction Chemicals will invest several million euros into the establishment of a dry mortar factory in Śrem near Poznań. This factory will produce jointing mortars and glues for ceramic and natural stone wallboards as well as construction glues for energy-saving heating systems in buildings and jointless floors, and other special powder products. The annual capacity will be 45,000 tonnes. 40 employees will be working in the BASF factory in Śrem. >>

The company Enea S.A. was floated on the WSE Main List on 17 November 2008 as the market’s 368th listed company. Enea’s offer worth almost PLN 2 billion was one of the largest public offerings in the history of the WSE. The offer of the Poznań-based company was the third largest issue of new shares in history. The company raised equity necessary to finance its further growth.  >>

The Polish-American Chamber of Commerce, the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Loginet Media have held a press conference ‘Will business win the EURO 2012?’. The debate took place in Warsaw on October 23. It was attended by Mirosław Drzewiecki, Polish Minister of Sports and Tourism, Marcin Herra, president of PL2012, Witold Orłowski, consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers Polska and Adrian Furgalski, director at the Transport Consultants Group TOR. >>

The level of Poland’s readiness to host Euro 2012 football championship was the focus of a UEFA meeting in late September. The press extensively reports that both Poland and Ukraine face major infrastructure problems which include the lack of properly-sized sports stadiums, while road and railway construction is lagging behind. But there seems to be a brighter spot in this fairly gloomy picture: experts say Polish aviation is ready to meet the deadline, as Sandra Jacobson reports.  >>

Here’s a question going into the global recession: What are Poles like in the face of such dramatic headlines as we’ve had out of the world’s financial capitals?  >>