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BP dark under the cost of the spill. For the second quarter, the company posted a record loss for a British company. In the quarter, the oil group announced a net loss of 17.15 billion against a profit of 4.38 billion dollars last year. The adjusted loss totaled $ 16.9 billion, within the scope of provisions booked to pay heavy costs of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The tanker registered in effect a pretax charge of $ 32.2 billion in its accounts. An amount which includes the escrow account of $ 20 billion promised to the U.S. authorities to ensure all compensation and cleanup costs and damages incurred to date, 2.9 billion dollars.The loss, compared to that office, is limited by a good result of oil and a favorable tax effect of about 7.188 billion dollars.

And to honor this provision, the Group announced the sale of 30 billion dollars in assets over the next 18 months, including assets related to oil exploration.

The ownership policy has been revised

The group's ownership policy is revised. Management pointed out "our shareholders have received a dividend since the explosion of the platform and the oil spill that followed it." The leaders said "the Council will decide whether to distribute a dividend in the publication of results for the fourth quarter of 2010 to February 2011.

Finally, the announced departure of Tony Hayward is now official.The CEO of the group notorious for its mismanagement of the oil spill will be replaced by the American Robert Dudley. Hayward will share the leadership for its non-executive of TNK-BP. He will receive compensation equivalent to one year's salary, or 1,045,000 pounds (1,250,000 euros). Hayward had angered the U.S. administration for having complained of being overstretched since the beginning of the disaster and for having, during his congressional testimony, tried to dodge responsibility for his group.

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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.

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 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.

Axa Thursday completed the sale of part of its UK business group Resolution. A transaction for the equivalent of 3.3 billion euros, reflecting an exceptional depreciation of 1.4 billion euros in the accounts of Axa. The company, however, remain profitable in the first half. Its CEO, Henri de Castries, puts this sale as part of the strategy group.

LE FIGARO. – You transfer some of your activities in Great Britain. Would you withdraw from the country?

Henri de Castries. – No, no way. It is not out of the United Kingdom but we concentrate, as in our other markets, segments on the most strategic and fastest growing.Therefore we give only a part of our life insurance in Britain: the activities of traditional life insurance, as we had also stopped developing in 2002 because they no longer matched the expectations of our customers while being highly capital consuming. However, we maintain a portfolio of more modern products, whose growth prospects seem high and where margins are more consistent with the group average which is between 15% and 20%. Moreover, the operation does not damage insurance, or health.With this transaction for 2.75 billion pounds (3.3 billion euros), we derive the capital that we can redeploy where customer needs are the greatest.

Is this a turning point in your strategy? And should we expect AXA on acquisitions in emerging markets?

The crisis has caused a market decline and a new distribution of growth areas. It has not changed the major principles of our strategy, instead. We'll continue developing our core businesses for damages, life insurance, asset management through organic growth and, opportunistically, through acquisitions. The developed markets still have good growth prospects, even if only from the effect of demographic changes, but we work in parallel on an allocation of our resources to emerging countries in Asia, of course, but not only.There are actually three other major areas of expansion: the Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean area and Latin America. In Asia, growth is actually attractive. But the modalities of development of foreign players are still complex, especially in China and India. So do not confine our ambitions to these two major markets.

In Asia, the failure of the attempted takeover by Prudential AIA offers does it generate new opportunities?

Prudential was willing to put a price on the table that seemed very exaggerated. Our priority in Asia today is to conclude the transaction on Axa Asia Pacific. Then we'll see …

In Europe, the prudential rules could push banks to divest their insurance subsidiaries. Axa is he interested?

We observe closely what is happening.But no movement of magnitude is possible – for Axa as with all other major players – as we are not clear about what will be the regulation of the bank and the insurance. Then we will examine the opportunities. But I prefer to say at the outset that we, the insurers will not be easy these suppliers of capital as some might hope. We are ready to balanced partnerships with banks. But the distribution network – in this case banking – should not count on us to collect commissions unreasonable.

What about your thoughts on the construction of a new business plan?

It is actually an ongoing process, but we do actually re-adjustment of our business plan in light of the crisis, which has changed the level of our market and changed their dynamics.The result of our thoughts on our new objectives will be known early next year.

How do you rate prudential reforms as they prepare?

Insurers who had managed to remain faithful to their trades have weathered to the crisis. No European player has needed to raise capital. We agree with the economic approach to Solvency II proposes that risk, but be careful to calibrate as insurers meet an essential mission: they are long term investors, thus stabilizing the natural system. Nobody has an interest in an excess of zeal on the part of the prudential regulator activity handicap players like us. Therefore, the new standards should not result in additional capital needs. More broadly, these reforms raise a fundamental question: Europeans' appetite for risk.This is a new phase of debate on the precautionary principle: there is too much caution can be harmful. In this case, it can cause no growth. It must strike the right balance.

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"After showing that the insertion in international trade can promote development, you will present the limits of this relationship." This has been the subject of the paper proposed ES tray on Tuesday morning. Here are the responses of specialists.

The Korean Experience, by Alexander Delaigue, economist and blogger Econoclaste

Protectionism? Good questions but wrong answers, by Nicolas Bouzou, economist at Asteris

Bilateral trade is threatening the dominance of developed countries, by Cyril LACHEVRE, editor of Le Figaro Economie

The fixed-type, by Sebastian Lamache, professor of economics and social Alencon

Korean Experience

Delaigue by Alexander, an economist and blogger Econoclaste

In July? At the back? After much discussion, the regulation of hedge funds in Europe will soon be passed, and establish conditions to the funds placed in havens can be marketed on the Continent. But managers have taken the lead: many already abandoning the Cayman Islands and repatriate their funds in the European Union, Ireland and Luxembourg. Or even in France, as a dream to do Boussard & Gavaudan, which manages a large European hedge fund.

Many hedge funds were originally installed in the Cayman because it was one of the few countries to allow the managers the freedom of action they need. "But since then other countries like Ireland and Luxembourg have changed their laws and created vehicles that hedge funds can use.All hedge funds that we have been created recently in Luxembourg, "said Laurent Dupeyron, CEO of Olympia.

Many managers even go further and create ordinary mutual funds, subject to the same European regulations (UCIT III) than any ordinary fund. Management is a hedge fund, but not the status. This boosted some professionals. "In these funds, subscribers must be able to leave their money every fortnight. If the markets undergo a new liquidity crisis, it would be very difficult to achieve for managers, "says Emmanuel Boussard Boussard & Gavaudan president. But hedge funds have no choice. Investors are jostling as they used to invest their capital home."Today, especially in private banks, customers are interested in hedge fund performance, but want liquid funds and regulated," says one Axa IM. And as for hedge funds, the customer is king.

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The United Kingdom is helping to champion its oil. British Prime Minister David Cameron and his finance minister George Osborne reiterated the importance of BP for English and American economies Friday. The group is under fire from critics across the Atlantic for his management of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to a spokesman for the Prime Minister, David Cameron, "said he was in everyone's interest that BP remains a financially strong and stable". Nearly 40% of shareholders are British-including 25% of pension funds, and 40% are also Americans. The support of London has boosted the share price BP, whose market capitalization has lost several billion dollars since the explosion of the platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The title BP ended the session Friday up 7.2% in London, and 3.63% in New York.

Less good news for shareholders, BP has decided to suspend the payment of dividends, the Times of London. "The board of directors met Monday to approve the temporary deferral of payment of dividends," writes the British daily. BP has not confirmed the information, but the Chief Executive, Tony Hayward, told the Wall Street Journal that he was considering not paying dividends.

David Cameron is to hold talks on the phone with Barack Obama on Saturday 17h. The exchange promises to be tense: the two leaders must stand firm against their public opinion. The first to defend a large national group, the second to refute accusations of inaction.

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The regulation of the financial world would soon see the day. In the United States and Europe, urging the regulators not to adopt stricter rules and thus provide the means to avoid another financial crisis.

In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the European Commission to "accelerate its work" for an "enhanced supervision" of financial markets in a joint letter to José Manuel Barroso. Thus, Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy felt that "there is an urgent need for the Commission to expedite its work with regard to the enhanced framework of sovereign CDS market and short sales, and this before the July Ecofin all possible courses of action. "The Heads of State put forward "the return of high market volatility, which makes it legitimate to wonder about some specific financial techniques and the use of certain derivatives such as naked short selling and credit default swaps (CDS).

Financial reform expected U.S. June 26

Across the Atlantic, there is evidence that financial reform should come from next June 26. Indeed, Republican Barney Frank and Democrat Christopher Dodd, father of the original text on financial reform, agreed yesterday on a planning committee that would allow the Senate and House of Representatives to harmonize their versions. For now, both houses of Representatives have both passed a different version of the text. Elected officials from each chamber are now trying to work on a common version.Congress hopes to be ready for the G20 to be held on 26 and 27 June in Toronto and where regulation of the financial sector will be a central theme. The final text could be adopted just before the recess of parliament in early July. It will then be submitted to the U.S. president Barack Obama for enactment.

Adoption of a system of circuit breakers

Also in this effort to regulate the financial sphere, the system of "circuit breaker" required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could come into force next Monday. It provides for a suspension of trade in a way that would have fluctuated more than 10% in less than five minutes on the market. With this rule, the Constable of U.S. financial markets hoping to avoid the stock market panic like that of May 6.The SEC is considering extending these fuses, which concern the time being listed companies in the Standard & Poor's 500, over a thousand companies.

A meeting of consolidation looms on the Paris Bourse. After Thursday's rebound, which helped win 40 auCAC 1.59%, investors should take advantage of this last day of the week to lift the foot. In any case, the path that has been selected by U.S. operators yesterday. The Dow Jones, which had won 2.25% Wednesday, finished the balance 0.06% Thursday. This morning, their counterparts in Asia have followed suit. Thus, the Japanese Nikkei remained in balance throughout the session while the rest of the financial centers of the region declined slightly.

The wait should also dominate this session before the release of highly anticipated monthly report on U.S. employment, which will be published early this afternoon. Yesterday, the markets have had a foretaste of what awaited the publication of a fall, slightly above expectations ds, the weekly number of new unemployed (453,000).The firm ADP, meanwhile, announced that the private sector was announced in May its fourth consecutive month of net job creation (55 000). Despite these figures, the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed), Ben Bernanke, said he still worried about the employment situation overseas. An hour after the publication of the report, the Fed chairman Atlanta, Dennis Lockhart will speak on the economic outlook and the banking environment.

Note that the second estimate of euro area GDP in the first quarter will be unveiled in the morning.

Thales observed by Christian Estrosi

In an interview with Les Echos published Thursday, Industry Minister Christian Estrosi, spoke in favor of a rapprochement between the players of the electronics and embedded software as those of Thales No teletrek payday advance.

The Strategic Investment Fund (ISF) is mounted in the capital of CGG Veritas up to a little over 170 million euros, or 6% of capital.

France Telecom said Thursday it had abandoned its proposed merger with its Swiss subsidiary Sunrise, a subsidiary of TDC, but did not specify its intentions for other building projects in the country.

Airbus, EADS subsidiary, has registered 73 net orders from January to May, but still lagging behind U.S. rival Boeing, which has registered 111, according to the trade balance of the two aircraft manufacturers.

BPCE, parent company of Natixis, formalized the merger Thursday holdings of shares of Banques Populaires and Caisses d'Epargne.

BNP Paribas, Fortis bought at the height of the financial crisis, announced Thursday an agreement in principle to merge its Turkish subsidiary with that of the Belgian bank.

National Australia Bank has found three candidates may be interested in acquiring a platform investment Axa Asia-Pacific by Australian newspaper on Friday.

Atos Origin has tabled an offer for the resumption of WorldPay, a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Jean-Louis Beffa, the chairman of Saint Gobain, has formalized his departure at the annual general meeting Thursday. His successor, Pierre-Andre de Chalendar confirmed its objective of a rebound results in 2010 and said to expect solid growth in operating income in the first half, compared to the same period last year.