A mere 298 applicants have signed up to take the stock broker exam which will take place this coming Sunday. Such low interest was last seen back in December 2007.

Similarly, the number of those choosing to take the investment advisor exam is lower as well (78 applicants), Parkiet wrote.

Why the sudden fall? Grzegorz Łętocha, head of the Brokers and Advisors Association (Związek Maklerów i Doradców), says the situation is due to two developments. One is talk of deregulation of both professions and the other is the less favorable stock market outlook.

Still, Mr Łętocha says that having a license is still worth the effort. The current list shows 2,600 licensed stock brokers and 401 licensed investment advisors in Poland.

Poland A.M.