Ticker Talk

The Orient Express rode into the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday: Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., owner of the fabled train and luxury hotels around the world, rose 4% in its NYSE trading debut after raising a less-than-expected $190 million in its initial public offering.

The stock (OEH) gained 75 cents to $19.75 in first-day trading of 5.5 million shares.

The company, which owns the Windsor Court hotel in New Orleans, the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro and 24 other hotels, also operates six tourist trains in various locales.

Orient Express is being spun off from ferry and cargo ship operator Sea Containers Ltd. of Hamilton, Bermuda, which will retain a 65% stake. . . .

K-Tel International Inc., the recorded-music retailer whose shares rose as high as $30 in 1998 on excitement over its Internet retailing plans, said it was told by the Nasdaq National Market that its stock will be delisted at Monday’s opening. The company said it has appealed.

Nasdaq requires that companies meet a minimum market capitalization or total assets and total revenue of $50 million for continued listing on the national market. K-Tel had a market value of $18.7 million as of Wednesday.

K-Tel was notified in May, for the second time in two years, that it faced delisting and submitted a plan to achieve compliance, which Nasdaq rejected. The company has applied to list its shares on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.

K-Tel slid 75 cents to $1.06 as investors reacted to the news.