Posts Tagged ‘resources’

The war began in savings

May 2, 2011 - 7:32 am Comments Off

"Frankly, I am interested in your money": this clash of the BNP did not last long in the 1970 No bank would dare today to show his frontispiece, yet it has never been so relevant. Whether at the counter or on the home pages of online banks, retailers are currently struggling to raise cash from businesses and some 200 billion saved every year by French households. All opportunities are good. A mortgage? Some lenders offer more attractive rates if the borrower is guaranteed to leave a cushion of deposits.

Accor plans to secede from catering Lenôtre

April 30, 2011 - 12:36 am Comments Off

Accor is considering separating from Lenôtre, catering luxury present in thirteen countries with 64 schools. This decision was under review by the two structures for some time, the company said. The transfer of Lenôtre is linked with the change of strategy group, which wants to focus entirely on the hospitality sector, according to a statement released Friday.

Accor believes this project could be beneficial to Lenôtre: according to him, Lenôtre development could be accelerated if the repurchase by a group in its sector.

Already, potential buyers have expressed interest in buying this prestigious culinary group, said Accor, which is careful however to specify the identity and business of the suitors."The bodies representing staff were informed of these discussions and will be consulted when a project is developed more concrete," the statement said without giving further details cash advance payday loan.

Under pressure from some major shareholders, Accor has launched a process of refocusing on the hotel. He has sold its prepaid services, become Endered, sold the business to restaurants in the trains of the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits and sold the walls of a large part of its hotel brands Novotel, Sofitel and Formula 1 keeping only their management.

The announcement of this proposed sale leaves investors indifferent. This morning at 10:30, the title of the Accor Group in effect losing 0.33% to 30.15 euros in a market down 0.32%.

Fukushima: TEPCO will compensate victims

April 15, 2011 - 5:36 pm Comments Off

"Too big to go away, but not irresponsible." That is essentially the message delivered by the Japanese authorities on Friday after launching Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), the operator of the nuclear accident in Fukushima, an injunction to compensate victims forced from their homes or stay confined to their homes.

Fixed by the Government, this compensation reaches $ 12,000 (8350 euros) per family and $ 9,000 (6250 euros) for a single individual. In total, about 48,000 homes are affected by the evacuation of the exclusion zone according to Japanese media reports, an estimated $ 600 million (415 million) charge for the group.

A figure confirmed Friday by the operator, the voice of its President Masataka Shimizu, specifying, however, this very tentative estimate.For it is only a first payment, and it is not impossible to imagine a possible increase of compensation in case of extension of the exclusion period. A scenario more than likely in view of the confusion reigning on the site yet, more than a month after the earthquake and tsunami. The first payments to families will take place from April 28, said the leadership of TEPCO.

The bill gets heavier for Tepco

Facing these are deemed insufficient, several families went directly involved in the protest headquarters in Tokyo Tepco. For society, which in 2010 made a net profit of 1.89 billion dollars (1.31 billion euros), the charge may seem bearable.But it adds to the $ 24 billion (16.7 billion euros) required, Masataka Shimizu according to the resolution of current problems (rupture of the cooling circuits, explosions and radiation leaks) and restarting reactors.

Moreover, beyond the displaced families, TEPCO will also likely take into account compensation for loss wider (inability to grow for farmers, contaminated water, etc.).. According to JP Morgan, this compensation could reach a total of 24 billion dollars (16.7 billion euros) for the current fiscal year, while Bank of America-Merrill Lynch estimates that if an extension of the crisis Nuclear bill could exceed $ 130 billion (90.3 billion euros).

The situation may therefore be very critical for the fast group that supplies a third of Japan's electricity.According to the Nikkei newspaper, Tokyo, who could hardly afford to crumble Tepco would train alongside his orders to compensation, to set up an insurance fund guaranteed by the state. The latter, whose amount remains to be determined, would serve both to replenish the coffers of TEPCO and provide additional compensation of victims, also of the order of 12,000 euros per family. The fund would be financed by bank loans guaranteed by the state.

Broad program of cost reduction

The plan, looking like a loan, would allow the nuclear operator to bear the massive costs of compensating victims.This government support is crucial to TEPCO, which before the disaster showed a net debt of $ 91 billion (63.2 billion dollars), since heavier by a new bank loan of 24 billion dollars (16.7 billion euros).

The company will then reimburse the state for several years by a system of special dividends. By then, the company will implement a serious program to reduce costs that go through pay cuts for executives and managers, even for employees. TEPCO could also sell more than 1, 2 billion (0.83 billion) of real estate assets, according to Japanese media.

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NYSE Euronext rejects the advances of Nasdaq / ICE

April 11, 2011 - 8:32 am Comments Off

NYSE Euronext raises the lusts but retains its preference for a union with the Frankfurt Deutsche Börse. The board of directors of the transatlantic exchange operator yesterday rejected unanimously the offer of participation of $ 11.3 billion made by Nasdaq, coupled with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The place specializes in new technologies and that on raw materials are intended to counter the approximation of the US-European space with Deutsche Börse.

But the directors of NYSE Euronext have found the offer of Nasdaq and ICE "strategically unattractive, with an unacceptable operational risk." Besides the issue of debt, the directors were concerned about the competition issues that would raise a takeover by Nasdaq OMX and ICE, with the risk of a monopoly of trading in shares in the United States.NYSE Euronext's boss Duncan Niederauer also said: "We can hardly call that an offer because it is a proposal formulated in vague terms and that is, from our point of view, an empty shell."

Conversely, the officer believes that a strategy has been defined and that "the combination with Deutsche Börse is consistent with this strategy." NYSE Euronext believes that a merger with Deutsche Börse to the new entity will position itself to become the leading operator of global market and create substantially more long-term value for its shareholders.

Nasdaq OMX was formalized on April 1 its alliance with ICE to add to NYSE Euronext. And despite this rejection, Nasdaq plans to maintain its proposal.

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Portugal in the dry regime

April 9, 2011 - 11:12 am Comments Off

The Portuguese will elect a new majority on June 5, but they have no choice program: right or left, the winner will impose austerity until at least 2014. Three weeks earlier, each major party it will be engaged individually with the EU and IMF.

This loss of political control is the price to pay for a rescue plan to about 80 billion euros on Friday decided in broad terms with the euro area, the 27 EU countries and the European Central Bank. Probably for a period of three years, it aims to put the Portuguese State on the wagon, to launch an "ambitious agenda" of privatization to reduce public debt and, finally, to ease the labor market.It also provides special funding to support Portuguese banks, the amount to be determined.

Unprecedented purge

Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos, caught in the throat by the markets, had no other choice but to surrender Friday to his colleagues.For the Portuguese political class, is doubly bitter pill: it is because they have subscribed to an earlier austerity negotiated with Brussels that Portugal must submit to the unprecedented purge dictated by Brussels, Frankfurt and Washington.

The statement issued after the meeting in Budapest is no ambiguity about the lack of flexibility: "The preparation (from the austerity plan) should begin immediately to an agreement between the parties in the mid-May, and allow implementation without delay of the adjustment program from the formation of new government "in early June.

This update reflects the Trust prior to the impatience of the first major contributors to the single currency, starting with Germany and France. The Portuguese plan is the third rescue launched in less than one year, eleven months after Greece and four months after Ireland.The euro area to be avoided at all costs that instability does not win the Spanish economy, which weighs more than the previous three combined. The plan decided on Friday reflected the distrust of the Europeans and the Portuguese political class, believed to have triggered the crisis by pure electoral calculations.

Friday, "the ministers have made clear in Portugal they do not want to return to the counterparties to help, whatever the election results," reported a witness to the camera in Budapest. Clearly, there is no alternative to the plan to be tied up in mid-May. To avoid any disputes after the polls, the bloc will materialize their aid once acquired "the support of major political parties," the statement said. The future head of government can than apply strictly to the remedy to which it has itself signed.In Lisbon, the latest polls give the center-right and its leader Passos Coelho winners, ahead of Socialist Jose Socrates.

Once the plan is adopted, probably on May 16, during another visit to the euro area, it would take ten days to release funds for Lisbon, says Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Economic Affairs. The IMF should fund the program up to the third, as was the case for Greece and Ireland.

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Facebook woos a former adviser to Barack Obama

March 30, 2011 - 1:51 am Comments Off

Prepare the re-election of Barack Obama or Facebook IPO? Cruel dilemma that faced by Robert Gibbs. The former spokesman for the White House had left his post in February to work on re-election of Barack Obama in 2012. But now he has been approached by Facebook, which wants to expand its communications team, a few months of its IPO, said the American daily New York Times. Planned during 2012, it promises to be one of the largest IPOs in history. Robert Gibbs, whose salary is in the millions of dollars, would receive shares at that time.

While negotiations are still at an early stage, the former presidential adviser would have consulted several colleagues of the White House on this proposal Facebook.This transfer echoes a previous transfer of skills between the team of Bush and that of Mark Zuckerberg: in 2008, one of the co-founders of Facebook, Chris Hughes, had defected to join the campaign team Barack Obama and fly it on the Internet, including the social network My.BarackObama.com.

Bernanke Judge High Oil Prices "temporary"

March 2, 2011 - 1:29 am Comments Off

The recent rise in energy prices, exacerbated by the revolutions in Arab countries is seen as a new threat to the U.S. economy. Ben Bernanke before the Senate Banking Committee on Monday was intended however reassuring in this regard. He says that if the increase does not last, its effect will be marginal growth. "The most likely outcome is that the recent rise in commodity prices will lead, at best, a temporary and relatively modest increase in inflation of consumer prices …" said the head of the monetary policy United States.

Ben Bernanke believes that the risk of deflation in the United States has become "negligible". This admission is important because the deflationary danger was highlighted in November by the Federal Reserve to justify the launch of controversial takeovers until June of $ 600 billion of Treasury bonds.Dubbed "quantitative easing" policy is expected to lower interest rates in the long term and prevent the U.S. economy shrinks as a result of a general fall in prices.

Manufacturing at the highest indicator for last 7 years

Commenting on the recent positive indications given by the United States economy, Ben Bernanke believes that "a self-sustaining recovery in consumer spending and companies may be becoming established." The publication of the ISM manufacturing purchasing managers, up to 61.4% in February, its highest level since 2004, seems to agree with the Fed chief."The combination of increased consumer confidence and business, an accommodative monetary policy and improved credit conditions seem likely to lead to probably a faster pace of economic recovery in 2011 compared last year. " However, Ben Bernanke was careful to promise to abandon its controversial policy of quantitative easing in June.

The Fed indicated last month that it anticipated a growth between 3.4% and 3.9% this year in the United States. But the governors of the Fed continues to believe that the employment situation is too fragile for the Fed to abandon its exceptional support measures for the supply of credit. "While we do not see a sustained period of stronger job creation, we can consider that the recovery is fully established," summed up yesterday the Fed chairman.

Small increase expected in the Paris Bourse

February 15, 2011 - 12:17 pm Comments Off

The CAC 40 is expected to open cautiously on Tuesday after Wall Street closed Monday without direction. Asian stock markets are also changing in a disorganized Tuesday morning.

The macroeconomic news will be a little more animated than Monday.

In France, INSEE released the first results of National Accounts Fourth quarter: French growth reached 0.3% in the fourth quarter, the low end of analysts' forecast.Over the full year 2010, GDP grew by 1.5%.

For the euro area, are provided for 11 hours, an estimate of GDP last quarter of 2010 and the European Union, and foreign trade figures in December 2010.

United States, are planned, retail sales in January, import prices in January and activity in the area of New York (1430), net long term capital in December (15 hours ) and inventories and business sales in December (16 hours).

On the currency markets, the euro rose against the dollar from 0.20% to 1.3517 dollar.

EDF: A sharp drop in earnings in 2010

On the corporate side, the publication of results is ongoing.

EDF reported a 73.9% drop in net income in 2010 to 1.02 billion euros, due to provisions related to lower energy prices.However, the group expects an increase of 4% to 6% of its EBITDA in 2011.

Air Liquide will announce Tuesday a revenue increase of over 12% for 2010, to 13.5 billion euros and net profit up 14% to $ 1.4 billion, Les Echos reported .

A merger agreement between Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme should be signed soon, but the French laboratory should extend its offer a third time on U small personal loans.S. biotech to stop the final price of the transaction. The deadline for the offer at midnight New York time, 6 hours Wednesday Paris time.

The official announcement of the merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext will speak this Tuesday.A hostile bid by the Chicago Stock Exchange is in preparation, according to various U.S. media.

The Pentagon announced Monday hoped to award the next month contract to replace the aircraft-refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force, which should put an end to a drama that has lasted nearly a decade. EADS CEO Louis Welsh reiterated that Tom Enders, Airbus president should be his successor.

Ubisoft has raised its forecast of sales for the current year after posting strong sales during the Christmas period, which is crucial for the video game industry.

Atari has announced a turnover in the first 9 months of the fiscal year 2010/2011 (April 1 to December 31, 2010) of 41.0 million euros, down 55.7% from the same period last year.

AXA Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of AXA, being acquired by IMA, said Tuesday net profit down 11% for its last fiscal year.

After market, M6 will publish its revenues and its annual results, Imerys and Euler Hermes annual results, and Mr. Bricolage and Europacorp their turnover respectively fourth and third quarters.

The Asian market in a piecemeal

February 9, 2011 - 7:22 am Comments Off

The Fellowship of Asia follow paths scattered on Tuesday. Some are also rising in the footsteps of Wall Street. The NYSE closed on Monday with a gain of 0.58%, encouraged by the announcements of mergers and acquisitions. A good mood which has also spread to European markets, as on the Paris Bourse, who finished with a highest since October 2008.

Exports rose sharply in Japan

Tokyo is one of those exchanges that choose optimism. The Nikkei has started the session on a rise of 0.48% before closing with a gain of 0.41% to a highest since 9 months (10635.98 points). The broader Topix index of all titles of the first table on his side finished the session on a surge of 0.38% to 944.00 points.

Japanese investors have welcomed the announcement by the Ministry of Finance, a jump of 28.5% of current account surplus of the country in 2010.The latter has reached 17,080 billion yen (152.5 billion euros) over the entire year. A net increase which occurs after heavy falls of 34.3% in 2008 and 18.9% in 2009, suffered due to a collapse in sales abroad following the global economic crisis. The increase in profit last year was due almost exclusively to improving the trade balance, which almost doubled its net positive on a year to some 8,000 billion yen (71.5 billion euros).

Demand was driven by emerging countries. Sales reached a record to China for industrial products such as semiconductors and construction machinery, and automobiles sold well in the United States.

Hong Kong lags behind

For its part, the Australian Stock Exchange also stands up.S & P climbed 0.45% to 4890 points after hitting into a meeting earlier in ten months at 4891.2 points. The banking sector was up as Westpac (+0.7%) and ANZ Bank (+0.8%). The mining sector also: BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto gaining 0.6% and 1.4% in a context of soaring copper prices on the London Metals Exchange.

The markets seem to ignore what the finance minister, Wayne Swan, under which natural disasters in series that have recently affected Australia could cause a contraction of the economy in the first quarter.

Among the places that have chosen not to follow the good mood, is the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, who drops 0.46% despite a start in the green (+0.21%). Markets are struggling to recover from the previous day's meeting where the Hang Seng had dropped 1.49% at closing.In South Korea, the Kospi 0.42% cowardly, the Karachi 100 Pakistan fell by 0.26%.

Oil stabilizes

From their side, crude prices were stabilizing Tuesday in electronic trading in Asia, against a backdrop of easing tension in Egypt, which removes the fears of a disruption in the flow of oil, analysts said.

In morning trading, a barrel of light sweet crude for March delivery yielded two cents to 87.46 dollars. That of Brent North Sea with identical maturity fell by 3 cents to 99.22 dollars.

Solar energy: the debate escalates

January 21, 2011 - 10:23 pm Comments Off

The solar industry is in turmoil. On December 9, professionals taking short, the government declared a three-month moratorium on photovoltaic systems. In other words, all projects – other than small panels for individuals – are frozen. The measure follows the successive falls of subsidized tariff and tax incentives designed to burst the "bubble".

"The Prime Minister wanted to develop new rules of the game to progress without inflation," said Eric Besson, Minister of Industry, responsible for energy. For his part, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister of Ecology, co-pilot consultation exercise with industry. The new framework was announced in mid-February.

At Bercy, actors, SMEs and energy giants, are involved in consultation meetings, with more or less good grace as their respective interests."Everything is played or nearly so, the services of the department have already prepared the ground well. We are moving towards a minimum service, including a further reduction in tariffs, "said one participant.

Daniel Bour, president of Sunnco GC, messages from the administration are daunting: "To suggest as the basis for the future a maximum of 500 megawatts (MW) connected annually in France, while in 2010 almost 700 MW were connected, is amazing. In Germany, more than 7000 MW have been connected by 2010, a ratio of 1 to 10. "

The solar sector ahead in unity. More than eighty companies, grouped under the banner of the association without borders ecology, chose confrontation judiciary.The State Council must consider today an application for annulment which is to suspend the effects of the decree, said Mr. Alexander Faro, lawyer of Ecology without borders. Particularly affected, the retroactive nature of the text that sometimes froze the projects undertaken over the past two years payday loan lenders.

Whatever the legal consequences of this episode, many in the industry does not seek to discuss the phenomenon of overheating. "The industry has experienced abuses, sometimes wacky projects driven by the only hunting for grants. This wave will stop, says Stanley Nahon, director in the consulting firm Booz & Company. Meanwhile, smaller players, the weakest will disappear.Large, declaring that they accommodate themselves to lower subsidies of 10% to 15%, already anticipating this concentration. "Some SMEs are pointing the finger EDF New Energies whose dominance could, they fear, allow remain the only survivor.

Electricity bill

Ed despite the difficulties, the industry will at least enjoy the dialogue to halt attacks considered systematic. Beginning with the rise in electricity prices that would be due to the growth of photovoltaics: "At most, the entire cost of solar energy production in late 2010 represents less than 1% of the electricity bill paid by consumers, "says Daniel Bour.About the argument for the invasion of Chinese solar panels, the boss of SunncoGC argues that "the development of power plants in France has actually started two years ago." In other words, it takes a minimum of time, volume and visibility to develop this industrial sector.

"Right now, solar is viable in any country in the world: everyone should have this in mind, says Stanley Nahon. But unlike others, France has been slow to react to market overcapacity, marked both by falling prices of panels and the high amount of subsidies. "

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