Archive for July, 2010

The Paris Bourse continued on the upward path

July 14, 2010 - 4:36 pm Comments Off

En route to a seventh consecutive session up to the Paris Bourse. On Wednesday, the CAC 40 starts the day with a gain of 0.40% to 3652.19 points. Investors in Paris after their Asian counterparts so that this morning pushed the indices of the region.

In the rest of Europe, the mood is the same. The DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange opened up 0.39% to 6215.23 points while in London, the FTSE index gained 0.31% to 5287.28 points.

The markets are reassured about the pace of global economic recovery by the strong quarterly results from major U.S. companies. Monday, Alcoa sent a positive signal, captured well by Wall Street, which signed its sixth consecutive session.Then, Tuesday evening after the stock market, Intel announced it had completed the performance in its history with net earnings in the second quarter of 2.887 billion dollars, far above the consensus.

The reassuring news overshadowed the announcement by Moody's from a severe degradation of the note in Portuguese debt. Similarly, they overshadow the low morale of German investors, illustrated by a Zew index at its lowest since April.

Side indicators on Wednesday, investors will keep a close eye on the industrial production figures for the euro area over the months of May and the index of consumer prices in June, savings account payday loans.The United States will publish details of their sales and their weekly oil inventories.

Note that in the good mood, the euro remains above 1.27 dollar, euro 1.2703 per dollar, more precisely. The greenback lost some of its appeal as a safe haven after this encouraging start to the season results in the United States.

The technology sector at the party

From the corporate side, the day will be very quiet on July 14, national holiday. No publication or any announcement are expected.

As in Asia, the technology sector benefited from the announcement of Intel. Alcatel-Lucent (+1.37% to 2.22 euros), STMicroelectronics (2.85% to EUR 6n95) or Soitec (4.31% to 8.60 euros) grew significantly.

Requiring further attention, the reaction of France Telecom, while the group general manager, Stéphane Richard, acknowledged Tuesday for the first time the suicide of an employee as an occupational accident. The securities lost 0.07% to 15.13 euros.

After his good start in stock, Carmat still trying to attract investors and does this mean securities earning 1.72% to 22.48 euros.

Finance departments vulnerable

July 13, 2010 - 2:04 pm Comments Off

All local authorities are not equally affected by economic difficulties: this is the finding of the last report of the Observatory of local finance. The communes and intercommunal are spared the game as the departments and regions, they have no right to have an operating budget deficit. In 2009, they have done better: the excess of income over expenditure increased by 8.5%. It must be said that the mayors have taken advantage of early mandate to raise taxes. One way to form a mattress care.

The general and regional councils also have used the gun tax. But it was not enough, especially for departments. For the latter, the surplus between income and expenditure has shrunk by 17.8% in 2009. For social spending soared 5.3%.The crisis has pushed the bill of RSA and the aging of the population that of personal autonomy allowance (APA). The elected county expect a similar drift in 2010, "For some departments, the budget balance is very fragile," concludes the report.

Reduced investment

However, in 2011, the constraints will become even stronger. The funds that the departments, but also municipalities and regions, receiving state, which represent nearly 30% of their income, will no longer increase. This was decided by the government. Moreover, the reform of business tax will reshuffle the cards in local taxation. The communes and intercommunal retain a large basket of tax which they may determine the rate.The departments themselves, will not play on the property tax and regions on the gray card No fax cash advances. A situation that worries the county and regional elected and pushes them to invest less.

In 2010, capital spending will drop the first 2.2% and 3.4% of the latter, according to the report. Spared, the mayors expect an increase of 4.5%. "But eventually, the municipalities will be affected because they receive subsidies from the regions and departments," warns Philip Lawrence, in right-wing President of the Finance Committee of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF).

What are the solutions? The local financial professionals, such as UMP or Marc Gilles Carrez Laffineur propose to increase the redistribution between rich and poor communities.Another avenue: better management of intercommunal. For staff costs have mostly slipped to this level (they will grow 8% in 2010). The groups of municipalities have produced savings but duplicates! The government, he promised a reform of the APA to relieve the departments and the establishment of ad hoc aid. "But for now, we are expectant. If nothing happens, we will introduce a bill that will force the state to finally make up our social spending, "said Claudy Lebreton, President PS Assembly departments of France. Meanwhile, between votes and budgets insincere appeal to the courts, the climate remains tense between elected officials and county government.

ALSO READ:

The government and sentenced on local government reform

Unexpected success for the summer sales

July 10, 2010 - 11:32 pm Comments Off

Wednesday, the South East has joined the rest of France, which started one week earlier in the summer sales period 2010 – Corsica follow July 14. Everywhere these days have started "on the top speed, as evidenced by Claude Boulle, Chairman of the Union of the great trade center. For the first four days, the department stores had seen increases of 10-17% in Paris and elsewhere by 6% over the same period last year.

Kaufman & Broad returns to profit

July 9, 2010 - 7:16 am Comments Off

The developer Kaufman & Broad returns to profit.Deficit in 2009, Kaufman saw his accounts in the green board in the first half of this year with a net profit of 2.3 million euros against a loss of 27.5 million in the first half of 2009.

For the full year 2010, Kaufman & Broad confirms in a statement that "a return to positive net income, which will however continue to carry the weight of years, with a view to improvement."

"The results of the second quarter of 2010 are part of the positive dynamic recorded in the first quarter, confirming the validity of the strategy of refocusing the business offer implemented in late 2008 on products more compact, less expensive and more suitable at the request of first time buyers and investors, "said CEO Guy Nafilyan, quoted in the press release.

Turnover down

In the first half of 2010, home sales rose 55% in value to $ 675 million euros free credit report and score. "We restart faster than the overall market," says Guy Nafilyan. In contrast, the turnover stood at the promoter of 385.7 million euros, down 7.6% over the first half of 2009.

Kaufman & Broad has announced it has signed a memorandum of agreement for the sale of all its shares and interests in Senior Health (homes of elderly dependents) for a total price of 30.7 million euros.

Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions to be met by September 30, 2010 at the latest, the statement said, explaining that the buyer's name can not be revealed.

Since the beginning of the year, as Kaufman & Broad has won less than 5%. On Thursday, the title rose 5.15% at 17.75 euros.

Brussels limits the traders' bonuses

July 7, 2010 - 5:08 pm Comments Off

Bonuses for traders and bankers in Europe, accused of encouraging rampant speculation during the crisis, will be capped for the first time from next year, following the final adoption of a text with meaning Wednesday.

Two years after the outbreak of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, part of the United States with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the European Parliament in Strasbourg approved the text, which was the subject of a June 30 Agreement between the elected and the states of the EU.

In 2011, the bonus must not be disproportionate to the fixed salary and cash bonuses will be capped at 30% of the total premium, or 20% on premiums particularly important.

End outlandish bonuses

Much of the bonus will be paid immediately and will not be after a period of at least three years to allow the employer to recover some cases where investment does not function as expected.

Finally, at least 50% of a total bonus will be paid as contingent capital, which can be recalled in case of banking difficulties, so that taxpayers do not end up in the front line when a bank gets into difficulties.

In the case of banks that receive public subsidies, the text also provides that "no variable compensation should be paid the officers of the institution unless it is justified."

"Europe gets the rules of coaching salaries of bankers and traders with the most aggressive in the world," said a French Green MEP, Canfin Pascal, who negotiated the text free credit reports. "By limiting the proportion of variable pay in total compensation, this text will finally put an end to extravagant bonuses synonymous with extravagant risks," he added.

A text to the liking of the banking sector

"Two years after the outbreak of the global financial crisis, these tough new rules on bonuses will transform the culture of bonuses and incentives to end the excessive risk-taking", claimed that his side the Socialist Arlene McCarthy, parliamentary rapporteur on file at the agreement in principle on June 30

The text is however not to the liking of the banking sector."We believe that the agreement goes too far, because at the international level, there are already some principles" in the form of recommendations that were made including the Financial Stability Board (FSB), had informed the AFP secretary general of the European Banking Federation, Guido Ravoet after the tentative agreement. "We believe that this is not the public authorities to make amounts, percentages," he added, saying that this responsibility should be left to banks.

"If the international level, it does not follow Europe, European banks have a competitive disadvantage," says Guido Ravoet, who believes that "financial centers like New York, Singapore and Hong Kong will benefit."

The CAC 40 should attempt the recovery

July 6, 2010 - 1:48 pm Comments Off

The hesitation should still be the centerpiece of the trading session in Paris on Tuesday. The price volatility in Asia this morning is scary but the return to green after opening indexes down should motivate operators. In particular, Tokyo, the Nikkei closed up 0.77% after having started the day down 1.14%.

Investors Parisian try to turn the page of a session that saw ACC closer Monday to its lowest level this year at 3332 points (-0.48%). Half an hour of opening, the CAC 40 index future rises from 0.39% to 3348.50 points.

These days, markets are not reassured by the mixed indicators published last week, the United States as in the euro area. Doubts over the speed of the global economic recovery weigh more on the morale of the market.In Europe, these fears result in volatility of the euro against other currencies, after falling throughout the morning against the dollar, the euro regains 0.31% to 1.2544 dollars around 7.35.

On Tuesday, the markets await the opening of Wall Street may choose to pursue. U.S. markets open again after an extended weekend related to the national holiday. The meeting will begin with the analysis of the PMI services which will be published shortly after the opening. Apart from this indicator, no other major news is expected.

Air France wants to save

As for values to follow, Air France (Air France-KLM), which showed a record loss last year, plans to cut 4109 jobs over the period 2010-2012 to meet the air transport crisis .

Areva should always be led by Anne Lauvergeon.According to sources close to the matter quoted by Agence France Presse, Nicolas Sarkozy has decided to maintain the group's boss at his post until the end of his mandate. Rumors had often reported the contrary.

Also in the nuclear site EPR Flamanville, led by EDF also suffer delays. An audit suggests a period of 24 months. EDF expected to make the announcement soon.

Lastly, investors would still react to the publication by Stephane Richard of France Telecom's strategic plan for five years. The operator also wishes to reach 300 million customers around the world to this date and hire 10,000 people by 2012.

Google launches into flight search

July 3, 2010 - 8:56 pm Comments Off

The giant Google is launching in the search for flights online. The California company announced the acquisition of ITA, which specializes in software for information on air transport, for 700 million dollars.

Founded in 1996 and based in Boston, ITA has developed expertise "hailed as a catalyst for change in the travel industry online" the joint statement payday advance. "The technology opens up exciting possibilities for creating new ways for users to easily'll find more information on flights ilgne," said Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

LVMH Sephora offers a Brazilian company

July 2, 2010 - 2:04 pm Comments Off

Brazilian acquisition for LVMH. The French luxury group said on Friday taking a controlling stake of 70% in Sack's, the leader in sales of perfumes and cosmetics on the Internet and a leading distributor of beauty products in Brazil. No amount has been disclosed about the investment.

This acquisition will enable the world's leading luxury brand Sephora develop the Brazilian market, first in line and in stores, the company said in a statement.

Sack's, founded in 2000 and based in Rio de Janeiro, sells over 270 brands and over 83,000 customers in its database. The site for online sale is one of the three most visited sites in Brazil, with 4 million unique visitors per month. Brazil and beyond, the South American markets are extremely holders for the sale of luxury goods.