World Articles

Miserable for the opposition, wobbly for the Court of Auditors and the Bank of Italy, considered a "blatant theft" by the CGIL union, which calls for a general strike on September 6, the budget bill amendment from the agreement Monday between Silvio Berlusconi and his main ally in government, the Northern League, never ceases to cause a stir.

Clearly, the political compromise was drafted in haste, less to meet market expectations and requirements of rigor of the ECB and Brussels as to satisfy the appetites of political coalition.

The plan touches the budget plan adopted on August 14 the Council of Ministers, who remodeled himself the three-year plan adopted July 15 by the Chamber of Deputies.The goal remains unchanged: to return to balanced public accounts or substantially by the end of 2013 with a deficit reduced from 3.9% to 0.2% of GDP. This requires about 48 billion euros in savings or additional revenues in two years.

However, the mechanisms used to differ materially. Abandoned, the removal of "solidarity" on income exceeding 90,000 euros per year announced in mid-August. As the merging of municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants (Italy has 8100 municipalities) and the consolidation of a number of the 110 provinces, which duplicates the 21 regions. The initial objective was yet to release 70,000 posts the payroll of the state.

Structural reforms are delayed

Wednesday again, the government had to give to exclude the counting of annual pension contribution periods of education or military service.About 100 000-130 000 Italians are concerned. The measure, considered unfair by many, would have saved 500 million euros next year.

As a result, the Bank of Italy said that the draft budget relies too much on tax revenues, which represent three quarters of the effort. Again, structural reforms are referred to the next legislature: it would halve Yet the plethora of parliament (one thousand), scouring utilities and local governments, reduce the exorbitant privileges of the political class. Decisions that require boldness.

Parliament must approve the draft by 15 October. Some 1 300 amendments were tabled. You can bet they significantly exacerbate spending. Silvio Berlusconi is confident to govern until the election deadline of 2013. Markets, they will vote probably before.

The debate is raging right now about the notion of "very high income" – the government, which plans to tax them, has so far estimated at 500,000 euros per year, but lawmakers are likely to set the lower threshold above. That of poverty, by contrast, is much more accurate.

In a study published on Tuesday, INSEE said that the threshold is 60% of the median standard of living – one who shares the French population in half – or 954 euros a month (11,450 euros per year) in 2009. That same year, 8.2 million people lived below the poverty line.

Thus 13.5% of the population that was struggling to cope with loan repayments, which was regularly exposed or who would dip into its savings to balance its budget.Or 0.5 point more than in 2008, where they were 7.84 million.

The gaps widen

This increase in the number of poor people is due to the increase in unemployment during the economic slump. "However, one-off measures and the ramp-up phase of active solidarity income helped limit the effects of the crisis," the study said payday advance. The fact remains that in 2009, 10.1% of assets in excess of 18 are poor.

While the differences in living standards between the French the most fragile and the richest had decreased until 2004, they continue to grow since.In 2009, 10% of French people living with the smallest less than 10,410 euros per year (a figure calculated per consumption unit, which takes into account economies of scale when several people are in the home), down 1.1 % compared to 2008.

Meanwhile, the wealthiest 10% had a standard of living of at least 35,840 euros, up 0.7%, but less strong than in previous years.

As for the median standard of living, it is 19,080 euros per person per year, or 1590 euros per month. It increased by 0.4% compared to 2008 (an increase also lower than in previous years).

Overall, the economic crisis "affects all households, but it is the smallest that are most affected," says INSEE.

The lowest in the polls, criticized for running out of ways to boost employment, weakened by a largely sterile confrontation with the Republicans on the issue of reducing the rate of debt, Barack Obama sought to regain control. Anxious to win back centrist voters, the president also caress the idea of ​​taxing the rich more, while the middle class is suffering from the sluggish economy.

It has been this week to support weight, in the person of Warren Buffett, the second property of the United States. For the latter, the "mégariches" are under-taxed. Buffett regrets having paid less than $ 7 million in federal taxes last year. This represents only 17.4% of its taxable income. He noted that employees pay on average, and as a percentage of their income, far more than him.The billionaire said that in 1992 the 400 richest U.S. taxpayers paid 29.2% of their income in federal taxes. But in 2008, their effective tax rate decreased to 21.5%, while in sixteen wealth is gone.

The two men do not speak yet not the same. The President wants to raise taxes for taxpayers earning more than $ 250,000 a year. Buffett, however, advocates the creation of new tax bands for income above one million dollars from all sources.The investor philanthropist also suggests an upper tax beyond $ 10 million, but fails to specify the desired level for these new units.

Impose more gains

Still, according to the Tax Policy Center, even 50% by taxing all income above one million, one that would release $ 48 billion in tax revenue over ten years, under very inadequate amount of resources to reduce the budget deficit. However, up to 15% to 20% maximum tax rate on capital gains as under Bill Clinton, would generate approximately $ 340 billion over ten years.

Warren Buffett's plea addressed especially to the twelve in fact members of Congress belonging to the commission that must by the end of November to $ 1.5 trillion proposed budget savings over ten years."It is vital that they manage to go beyond. Americans are rapidly losing their faith in the ability of Congress to address the fiscal problems of our country, "said Buffett, himself the son of an elected Republican Nebraska.

It is supported by another millionaire, Alan "Ace" Greenberg, former head of Bear Stearns: "To believe that, by raising taxes Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, they will begin to lay off staff is totally ridiculous … I'm not saying that tax increases should begin to 250,000 dollars in revenue. But they must start somewhere. At one million to two million, at least they should start, "says the bridge partner of the two richest people in the United States.

ALSO READ:

"Barack Obama on tour by bus to improve its image

"Warren Buffett wants more taxes for the rich

Wall Street does succeed in chaining a fourth consecutive session? Nothing is less certain. Within two hours of opening, the futures contract on the Dow Jones was down 0.74% at 11,319 points, those on Nasdaq and the S & P 500 dropping 1.09% to 2182 points to 1.05% to 1185 points.

Nervousness investors won again a few hours of a meeting in Paris between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The two leaders are to discuss ways to implement to improve governance in the euro area and contain the problems of sovereign debt. No decision is fundamental to expect from this meeting, warned a spokesman for Angela Merkel yesterday, let alone on the front of the Eurobonds claimed by many investors. The latter will not even up for discussion.And it is this fact which disappointed observers who expected progress on the subject. In Europe, markets are plunged into the red.

European growth disappoints

The bad mood is also expected to result from the publication of European indicators disappointing that send negative signals about the health of the euro area. Germany, European locomotive, reported a surprise slowdown and sharp growth in the second quarter. The entire euro area saw growth of 0.2% after increasing 0.8% in the first quarter.

United States, the agenda includes the release of housing starts, prices for import and export and especially of industrial production.This indicator is closely watched as markets worried about more and more sluggish growth of the world's largest economy.

Values ​​to follow

On the corporate side, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Dell and Saks must publish their quarterly results on Tuesday.

Agilent Technologies has reported after-hours trading Monday a profit of $ 330 million, or 92 cents a share, in the third quarter, up 62% turnover is up to 1.69 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway would have taken a stake in the retailer Dollar General.

Wall Street is on track to continue the rally that started in last weekend. After opening up 0.48% to 11,323.44 points, the Dow Jones continues to grow: to 5:20 p.m., it gains 0.90% to 11,371.80 points. The Nasdaq index gained 0.51% to 2520.82 points.

As in Asia, the U.S. markets should react positively to the announcement of a contraction much weaker than expected Japanese GDP in the second quarter. But as in Europe, they should remain cautious on the eve of an important meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the reform of the governance of the euro area. They should discuss ways to implement to prevent contagion problems of sovereign debt to the rest of the region.

But Germany has already warned investors: this meeting will lead to "nothing spectacular". "It will be a working meeting on the governance of the euro area in line with European decisions taken in late July," said the spokesman of the Ministry of Finance. The latter also confirmed the skepticism against German Eurobonds solution yet desired by many investors. "The Euro-bonds are not an option," ruled the spokesman. These ads have already resulted in demoralizing the European investors.

Morale builders stable

Until the final conclusions of the meeting, U.S. investors are learning that manufacturing activity in the New York area declined for the third consecutive month at -7.7, 3.9 points lower than July .

In real estate, the NAHB index released on Monday shows that the morale of the manufacturers was unchanged in August, close to its lowest historical levels.

Note that the currency market, the Euro rises slightly against the greenback at 1.4287 dollar. Oil markets, oil prices opened up on Monday in New York. A barrel of "light sweet crude" for September delivery was trading at 86.13 dollars, up 75 cents.Prices were down during the European trading, erasing their gains made in Asian trade in a market nervous and still haunted by persistent concerns about global growth and the debt crisis in the eurozone. A barrel of Brent North Sea crude for September delivery was trading at 107.56 dollars on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in London, down 47 cents from Friday's close.

Google swallows Motorola Mobility

On the corporate side, Sysco is expected to release its results on Monday.

Estee Lauder drop 9.18% to 91.58 dollars.Despite the publication of a net income group share record of $ 700.8 million, up 46.5%, the cosmetics group announced its annual results would be below Wall Street expectations.

Lowe (-0.27% to 19.37 dollars) has already reported sales below expectations in the second quarter of its fiscal year and lowered its annual targets for the second time in three months, consumers pushing their development projects until later because of sluggish growth.

Google (-0.88% to 558.94 dollars) will buy the mobile phone manufacturer Motorola Mobility (56.15% to 38.21 dollars) to $ 12.5 billion in cash.

Time Warner (-0.43% to 65.25 dollars) has reached an agreement to buy the cable operator Insight Communications to Carlyle for three billion dollars in cash.

Bank of America (3.20% to 7.42 dollars) has announced the sale of its activities in the international credit cards in Britain, Ireland or Canada.

Boeing (0.16% to 61.84 dollars) announced it had completed with Air Lease Corp. an order valued at $ 2.5 billion on 14 737-800 aircraft and five 777-300ER.

Pfizer (2.41% to 18.29 dollars) announced Monday it had won before a U.S. court case against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel, preventing the global generics to produce a copy of Viagra before 2019 .

Transocean (2.15% to 56.81 dollars), listed in New York, wants to buy the Norwegian group Aker Drilling, for a total of 1.1 billion Swiss francs (1 billion), according to a statement Monday.Several large shareholders, representing 65% of the capital, have agreed to the deal, said the Swiss.

The American specialist craft materials Grainger (2.12% to 138.72 dollars) on Monday announced the acquisition of the Dutch distributor of fasteners Fabory Group for $ 344 million (242 million).

Shortly before opening, chewing Americans were expected small decline, but volatility remains very high, the index futures may return at any moment, like the indices themselves. Shortly before noon Paris time, the index futures Standard & Poor's 500 and Nasdaq 100 yielded respectively 0.3% to 1165 points, and 0.37% at 2150 points.

On Thursday evening, U.S. markets have rebounded sharply, welcoming new listings weekly fewer than expected. European markets had also enjoyed the news, closing up vigorously.

The pressure remains strong this weekend

Other statistics on the agenda for this Friday, may well generate a few responses. Retail sales for the month of July will be unveiled at 2:30 p.m., in fact, before the start of the session Eats United.Investors await with interest the first estimate of consumer confidence from the University of Michigan for the month of August, from 3:55 p.m..

Pressure remains high on world markets. Lack of macroeconomic and really good news in the absence of major business publications Friday, this weekend is likely to be overshadowed by even more obvious signs of a weakening of growth. The sovereign debt crisis, and severe drops in banking stocks recorded this week, amid rumors of bankruptcy, particularly in France, will affect the trend.Asian stock markets have already finished down on Friday morning.

In this context agrave exacerbated by a volatile market, investors are going to look at publications such as retail sales, which should also benefit from a slight rebound in auto sales?

Difficult to answer this question. For analysts Aurel BGC, "while" so far the timing of publications of macroeconomic indicators has been poor, a reaction, positive or negative, this indicator would in any case an early normalization "of market behavior. Excluding cars, the indicators are still available for now more mixed.

On the corporate side, the U.S. airline AMR, parent of American Airlines, announced plans to separate its regional affiliate American Eagle.A document filed with the stock market regulator described a "possible separation" with the American Eagle to introduce the stock market separately. American Airlines is still bound for nine years in its subsidiary. American Eagle will continue initially to operate 281 aircraft for American Airlines, which will wind down its cooperation in 2012.

It all starts in late July in the French newspaper Le Monde. In a lively pen, "Philae" tells, in twelve parts, how a role play between two traders who are bored leads to rumors of a plot against Angela Merkel and the euro, all on the eve of elections French law of May 2012 ….

In this series of summer, we follow the wanderings of a young journalist from the Wall Street Journal sent to Frankfurt, headquarters of the European Central Bank and the financial hub of Germany. The names of the characters in the story are well known: Bruno Le Maire, portrays in Germanophile finance minister, Mario Draghi, Governor of the BCE, to the old speculator George Soros. On the agenda of the masters of the economy, threats to Societe Generale, next target of a takeover bid, and the Italian bank UniCredit.Their exposure to Greek debt fueling concerns.

Although it is amazed by the accuracy of the descriptions and the likelihood of situations, the informed reader understands that this is a fiction. In August 2011, Bruno Le Maire is not finance minister, but of Agriculture, and Italy's Mario Draghi has not made the head of the ECB, which is still headed by Jean-Claude Trichet.

On a rumor of a fall fiction real

It seems, however, whether this summer series that has inspired the fictional journalists Mail on Sunday, the Sunday edition of the Daily Mail for a story published Sunday catastrophic. In this paper, Simon Watkins and Dan Atkins have Societe Generale "at the brink of bankruptcy after terrible losses from its exposure to the Greek debt" and UniCredit "could collapse so similar" to the French bank.

The journalists added that "David Cameron has interrupted his vacation last night [Saturday, ed] to discuss the situation with Nicolas Sarkozy", a fact that has not been confirmed but exists also in the series of daily French.

Listed on online sites such as CNN mentioned on many forums, Twitter by many users, copied on blogs, the article from Monday, August 8 heat the rumor machine. Many elements accrediting effect the veracity of the article in the Mail on Sunday: Societe Generale is very exposed to the Greek crisis. August 3, his boss Frédéric Oudéa announced quarterly earnings down after a depreciation of 395 million euros for the shares of Greek states.

Wednesday morning the rumor that the company would be general in a situation so serious that the French government should intervene to save her is growing the market payday advance. The surprise announcement of a meeting at the Elysee Palace on the financial situation in the morning is a bombshell, and credibility to the words of the Mail on Sunday. The lack of communication officers of the Societe Generale does not help.

Meanwhile, as the stock market collapsed and with it the other financial stocks. At the heart of a black session, rumors succeed: France could lose its triple AAA, the government must save the banking system …

Only the evening that the management of Societe Generale denounces rumors and application to the financial markets opened an investigation into the launch of these sounds.But the damage is done: the bank saw its stock melted from 14.7% in one trading session.

A series of unexplained errors

Several questions remain: how an article in the Sunday edition of a tabloid, usually specializing in photographic study of cellulite British starlets, he could be taken seriously and set fire to the stock market ? How is it also possible that the two journalists of the text may have been confused, which to be inspired by what has been a fiction?

The text of Philae is, indeed, confusing realism. Hidden under the pseudonym, a journalist from the Tribune, Brussels correspondent of the daily economic, and whose employment by the evening paper did cringe at the writing of the World.A French bank would also indignant at the tone of the newspaper that gave off the soap truth, so much so that the newspaper added from 1 August 1 line warning: "Le Monde reminds its readers that situations, facts and figures reported in this fiction is imaginary and should not be taken as an expression of reality. "

There are no quotes in the article by Watkins and Atkins, which are directly drawn from the World Series, but the charges against SocGen and UniCredit, and the words of the intervention of Nicolas Sarkozy to be found in both documents. The Daily Mail has deleted Article guilty of its online site and apologized, acknowledging that the paper was based on "false information". Thursday noon, the Cac 40 fell below the symbolic threshold of 3,000 points, while Societe Generale fell by 7.26%.

American financier Guy Wyser-Pratte does not disarm in the folder Lagardère. Almost eighteen months after the general meeting of 27 April 2010 during which the two resolutions he had proposed were rejected at 76% and 78%, Guy Wyser-Pratte against attack. Wednesday, August 3, he sent a letter to the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), in which he contested the vote count at the meeting of shareholders of the group.

The American activist took some time to gather evidence to support its contention. Today, it provides the AMF documents showing that the ten funds managed by AllianceBernstein (a subsidiary of AXA Group), a leading shareholder group Lagardere with 10% of the shares, would have voted for he had presented two resolutions.

For investigation

A resolution was to appoint him to the Supervisory Board of Lagardère.Resolution B was to amend the prerogatives of-stock by requesting that the general partners do not vote more consistently before the sponsors. Guy Wyser-Pratte also produces documents from two firms specializing in proxy voting investors (ISS and Broadridge). They would have gathered the voices of various U.S. institutional investors in favor of two resolutions A and B. Finally, he instructed the firm McKenzie to a total of U.S. investors vote in favor.

"In total, we can demonstrate that counting only the votes of shareholders represented by American myself, AllianceBernstein, Broadbridge and ISS, my application to the supervisory board received 44% of the vote of the quorum present at the meeting. In addition, it is likely that other European shareholders have also voted in my favor.I therefore request the AMF to conduct an investigation to understand the origin of the discrepancy between the results of the AG and the counting done by us, "said Guy Wyser-Pratte. In 2010, the AMF had already audited BNP Paribas, which had been in charge of counting votes at the annual meeting of shareholders.

Returning to the issue today, Guy Wyser-Pratte hopes remobilize American and European shareholders for the next general meeting of 2012.

In March 2010, Guy Wyser-Pratte had burst into the capital of Lagardère by buying up 0.53% of the shares. He then publicly criticized the governance of the group protesting against the existence of a partnership limited by shares and had criticized the lack of strategy of management.The tone was mounted and Philippe Camus, a member of the sponsorship of the Lagardère group, the AMF had seized a few days before the general meeting, marveling at the distortion between saber rattling by Guy Wyser-Pratte and the reality of the impact of the two draft resolutions.

Strategy of focusing

Arnaud Lagardère had benefited from the rostrum of the General Assembly to address the critical Guy Wyser-Pratte. Some time after the general meeting, it had sold substantially all of its shares, pocketing a nice way to gain. Today, he is left only about 100,000 titles.

The tension had fallen, but after this episode heated, the Lagardère Group has implemented a strategy of refocusing on its core businesses – publishing, distribution, media and sport – and the country where he holds a position leadership.Suddenly, the group undertook to sell all of its minority, especially in Canal + France, the Amaury group and the group Marie-Claire. For now, these sales have stalled. However, Lagardère Active has led to the charge of selling most of its international press center to the American group Hearst, to 654 million euros. This represents a hundred titles in a dozen countries.

The figures were eagerly awaited by the markets. While the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that day that household spending had declined in June for the first time since September 2009, Chrysler, General Motors (GM) and Ford reveal a jump in sales in July.

The prize for the largest increase returns to Chrysler, which recorded an increase in sales of new cars by 20% last month. Chrysler, owned up to 53.5% by Fiat, said it sold 112,026 units, particularly the Jeep. "In a still very difficult, we make our best sales performance in over three years, welcomes Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales."I think this figure is the ultimate illustration of the progress we have made to our products in terms of economy of oil, quality and design."

Behind Chrysler, Ford announced a 9% increase in sales of new cars on American soil in July to 180,865 units. "We are pleased to see a stronger pace of car sales, with a continued demand from consumers for our fuel efficient cars, our trucks and trucks," said Ken Czubay, head of U.S. sales USA.

The number one market, General Motors, he, reported a 7 saving account payday loan.6% increase in sales last month to 214,915 new cars sold against 199,692 a year ago. Up to the manufacturer to strong sales of Chevrolet, one of its brands, and the resilience of its new models.

The recovery remains fragile

Despite these results, analysts remain skeptical. These sales figures are in line with expectations and manufacturers are affected by cons-productive effects of higher prices to consumers still reluctant to spend.

The consensus then averaged over U.S. car market at an annualized rate of 11.8 million cars in July. A level below the rate of more than 13 million that prevailed earlier this year. Confident, GM, him, reiterated its forecast of a U.S. auto market between 13 and 13.5 million units. But his optimism is not enough to convince investors on Wall Street. GM shares lost 3.71% to 27.03 dollars a barrel in a market down by 2.19%. Following the same movement, as Ford unscrewed from 4.13% to 11.84 dollars.

ALSO READ:

"A month of July for the sluggish auto market

Eighteen months after the initial concerns about the European debts, the situation on the old continent is still fragile. However, the euro remains surprisingly strong. The euro hovered around $ 1.45 since April, and rose more than 8% since the beginning of the year, and 15.5% in one year. "The first explanation that justifies the euro strengthens and weakens the dollar is in the interest rates: in Europe, they are likely to be faced by the ECB on Thursday, reaching 1.50% while those U.S. Federal Reserve and will still remain long remain between 0 and 0.25%, "says Bruno Rodier, private banker and portfolio manager at Pictet & Cie.This differential rate encourages investors to take advantage of the "carry trade", this technique to generate returns by borrowing in dollars at a rate unusually low, and place it in euros, which pays better.

"The situation should not change in the coming months because when the European Central Bank has the sole purpose of containing inflation by raising interest rates, the Fed also has the task of supporting growth and employment and maintain long-term rates low and a weak currency to do so, "said Harry Sebag, an analyst at Saxo Bank.He said the Fed will not change its monetary policy anytime soon because it looks especially the real estate market across the Atlantic, the one who caused the economic crisis and financial crisis in the summer of 2007, which is still not out business.

The dollar is kept artificially low

But even more than the strengthening of the euro, especially on the weak dollar that the experts agree. And has been a little more than a year: the Fed announcement as it injects new astronomical quantities (600 billion) dollars in the global economy. Instantly, the dollar lost its value against other currencies, and the effect lasted until now."There is also the effect 'end of world supremacy' of the dollar plays, including the report of the World Bank has recently anticipated that by 2025, that is to say tomorrow, the market currencies will be dominated also by the Chinese yuan, not only by the dollar and the euro, "notes Vincent Juvyns, strategist at ING IM.

The role of the dollar as the global benchmark fading as global governance wants to reform the international monetary system. In this perspective, little by little, investors include the future landscape of the exchange market and exchange their dollars into yuan and euro. "At the same time, we must take into account the cultural dimension of geographical areas: Europe, under the influence of Germany was a culture of rent, we want to keep a strong currency.This contrasts with the current pattern of currency war, which is to artificially push down its currency to promote its own foreign trade, "said Bruno Rodier.

Europe is going less badly than the U.S.

Finally, if Europe goes wrong, it will hurt less than the United States. Bad news on the macroeconomic front here and on the other side of the Atlantic, lower the respective currencies, but the U.S. figures are still worse than the European data, the dollar fell more than the euro. So the euro / dollar rate goes up anyway. "If you took away the effect debt, the euro was trading at least $ 1.50," Harry Sebag plans.Recently, the growth forecasts for the European Union were found, while those for the United States have been degraded.

Thus, the twists in the case of Greece, or fears of contagion from the crisis of sovereign debt of countries in the euro area peripheral to Italy or France, they have had little effect on the euro itself. "The currency market is highly sensitive to very short term. But in the coming weeks, the scenario of an outbreak of the euro area remains the least plausible of all, "says Vincent Juvyns, underlining that" challenges remain whole in the longer term. " The markets seem optimistic about the ability of European governance to agree to find solutions to problems of public finances of member countries."And Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, and Jean-Claude Trichet has always reassuring words to soothe the markets when tensions rise," added the expert.

ALSO READ:

"" The Battle for the euro is essential "

"The yuan is becoming and is evaluated