The Czech MFDnes newspaper reports today that HSBC is to win the mandate for the Unipetrol privatization advisor without a tender. According to the Ministry of Finance, choosing an advisor this way is time efficient. On the other hand, this does not add transparency to the privatization process. Until more details are known the stock is unlikely to react to the report.
Separately, Ceska rafinerska, the single biggest Unipetrol subsidiary, will hold a press conference today, where it is scheduled to present its 2000 results (already known) and its business strategy. Unlikely to have an impact on the stock.
(Jiří Soustružník)