Live News

The crisis has changed the ranking of richest people worldwide. The twenty-fourth annual list prepared by Forbes magazine, published last night in the United States, and devotes the Mexican Carlos Slim as the richest man in the world with a fortune estimated at nearly 53.5 billion dollars. This is the first time since 1994 that a non-American held the top of the podium. The Mexican telecom tycoon saw his fortune grow by $ 18.5 billion last year to 53.5 billion, allowing it to anticipate a short head Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, which does is only the second man on the planet in terms of wealth, with – only – $ 53 billion portfolio payday loan . Warren Buffett, the legendary boss of the investment company Berkshire Hathaway, retrograde from second to third place.

The Paris Bourse is scheduled to begin this week on an optimistic note. The future CAC 40 up 0.63% at 3934.50 points, an hour of opening, leaving hope for a session in positive territory. The Paris markets should broadly follow the movement driven by Asia Market earlier this week. The Japanese Nikkei closed up sharply (2.09%), carrying with him all the financial centers of the region.

This optimism comes from the U.S. figures for employment, less bad than expected, published Friday (36,000 jobs destroyed destruction cons 50,000 expected). Statistic reassure markets that see it as a sign of recovery very explicit. Especially as the consumer credit in the United States also sets out again on the rise (4.96 billion dollars in January). Both information had enabled the Cac 40 to exceed the 3900 points at the close Friday.Maintaining this level will be one of the objectives of investors on Monday, before setting off to the 4,000 points.

Japan, meanwhile, announced Monday a current account surplus (899.8 billion yen), compared to the deficit recorded last year in the same period (132.7 billion yen).

On Monday, markets will keep an eye on the index of business sentiment of the Bank of France, published before the commencement of trading (8.30). German industrial production for January will be known 12 hours.

EADS in the collimator

The defense group EADS said on Friday reached an agreement in principle with client countries on the financing of the military transport plane A400M. This also held Monday in Paris a crucial meeting on the fate of the military plane, which displays almost four years behind the counter.

The director general of Crédit Agricole, Jean-Paul Chifflet, revealed in an interview with Le Figaro, his long-term goals. "If we find other opportunities for collaboration to reduce intermediation costs for our customers, we will. With the Company generally or with others, "he said as well. This information may affect the securities Societe Generale and BNP Paribas.

In an interview with Le Figaro also Antoine Frerot, CEO of Veolia, reaffirms the group's objectives, including "after-tax profit of at least 9% and operating profit up 4% on average annually.

The central works of extraordinary total stands Monday.Employees of Dunkerque, on strike since January 12 this year, threatening to spread the oil available to them if management does not accede to their demands.

As for publications, Biomerieux announced on Monday a net profit in 2009 of 148 million euros, above expectations. The group table for the period 2010-2015, an average annual growth of between 7% and 9% at constant exchange rates.

The annual results of cements French gather today. Just as those of April, after market close.

Calling Christian Estrosi, Minister of Industry, has been heard. The management of Total committed, in a statement to guarantee employment to every employee, regardless of the decision about the future of the Dunkirk refinery.

The Minister of Industry said that Monday morning that the government "will not accept" the closure of the Total refinery at Dunkirk "until there are no guarantees necessary for the sustainability" of 800 jobs concerned, "he said Monday on radio BFM.

"Total must invest in employment" (CFDT)

The secretary general of the CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labor), François Chérèque must also be reassured that he claimed in the wake of Christian Estrosi, that: "Total has a lot of money, so total should invest in employment."He said Total "must go beyond" its legal obligations: "He has to justify the closure, but it must ensure that all the jobs lost are converted to another activity Total, plus subcontractors.

According to La Tribune, the continuation of the refining process would require 60 and 120 million euro investment. "This range is the budget for the full review of the refinery 'reply a spokesman for Total.

In March 2009 already, the oil company had attracted the ire of politicians, after announcing the abolition of 555 posts in France, including 249 by 2013 in the refinery. A few weeks earlier, had issued a total record profit for 2008 of 13.9 billion euros.

Total release February 11 its profits in 2009, expected around 8 billion euros. Total declined to comment on this figure.

ALSO READ:

»Total: State careful closure of Dunkirk

"Refining: Total loan closing Dunkirk

Electrolux is building on its capacity to innovate as with the washing machine with a function "steaming" it will launch this year payday loan lenders . Photo credits: DR

This is without state support that Ford has managed to overcome its difficulties. The U.S. manufacturer announced Thursday it had made a net profit of 2.699 billion dollars over the full year 2009. A performance to be compared with the heavy loss of 14.766 billion harvested in 2008. Over the year, turnover was down to 138.1 against 118.3 billion in 2008.

The group included supporting a very successful fourth quarter. Over this period, the second largest U.S. behind General Motors reports net earnings of $ 868 million against a loss of about 5.978 billion dollars a year earlier. The per share earnings is 25 cents, hardly less than the 26 cents analysts who had forecast. Over this period, revenues totaled $ 35.4 billion against 29 billion a year earlier, an increase of 22%.

Before the opening of Wall Street, the title jumped 2.68% to 11.86 dollars.

$ 500 million quarterly savings

To obtain this result, Ford has relied on reducing structural costs of automotive business payday loan . A total of 500 million dollars were saved in the fourth quarter. The group did not hesitate to pursue a higher price for its vehicles. His arm Ford Motor Credit has contributed to higher profits in this period with a profit before tax of $ 696 million against a loss of 372 million in 2008.

Ford is the only manufacturer of the "Big Three" of Detroit (with General Motors and Chrysler) have not gone bankrupt. It is reassuring for the future and plans to write "a profit before tax and excluding exceptional items for 2010, without specifying numbers.In addition to profitability, the group is including a U.S. car market between 11.5 and 12.5 of vehicles this year. In the year 2009 in the United States, sales at Ford fell 15.4% to 1.68 million units. Note that, after hesitating a large part of the morning, the Paris Bourse is moving more strongly in the green then qu'affluent results of U.S. companies show no surprises.

ALSO READ:

"In Detroit, the" big three "want to believe in their future

With 3.2 billion net profit in the third quarter of 2009, the U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs has recovered quickly from the crisis. And for good reason. According to a survey published by The New York Times December 23, analysts at Goldman Sachs had anticipated the collapse of the housing bubble in 2006. The officers of the bank had lowered their recommendation on the mortgage market from positive to negative in December 2006, discreetly. In the process, Goldman Sachs has begun to shed its portfolio of CDOs. The whole, continuing to sell such financial products to its customers.

Losses abysmal for some …

Created in 2005 by two traders at Goldman Sachs, Jonathan Egoli (graduate of Princeton) and the French Centrale Fabrice Tourre, CDOs (Collaterized debt obligations) known as Abacus products were stars.At that time the housing market was booming. More than $ 108 billion of CDOs were sold to institutional investors, pension funds and insurance companies in the United States and Europe between 2005 and mid 2007, according to statistics from the company Dealogic.

… Substantial benefits for other

But the end of the housing bubble has left buyers of CDOs on the straw. Goldman Sachs was not the only one to make the right bet. According to Wall Street sources quoted by The New York Times, other banks, including Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley, and smaller investment companies as Tricadia also bet on falling subprime.And were able to recover sums from insurers.

Given the extent of suspicion, an investigation was initiated by members of Congress, the SEC (the equivalent of the MFA in France) and the Authority of financial sector regulation (FINRA). To determine if these banks and hedge funds have violated the regulations on the sale of securities they have created and injured their own customers. Suspicions immediately contradicted by Goldman Sachs.

Goldman Sachs denies

In a statement posted on its website, the investment bank responds to the New York Times."Goldman Sachs, like many other financial institutions, has suffered substantial losses in its mortgage portfolio, due to the deteriorating housing market." Losses related to such activity amounted to 1.7 billion dollars 2008.

The bank also noted that buyers were "important and sophisticated investors, who had all the resources internally to analyze and adjust their portfolios. Finally, she denied having withheld information to the public regarding its recommendations on CDOs. While the debate swells on the federal government support to banks, which are expected to announce record profits in 2009, explanations of Goldman Sachs will likely be expected to turn.

ALSO READ:

"Goldman Sachs change its compensation policy at the summit

Article by New York Times (English)

The CAC 40 ended down 1.43% at 3785.30 points. Other European stock markets also closed in the red: the Footsie in London has yielded 1.65%, the Frankfurt DAX 1.66% and 1.62% Eurostoxx 50. After growing slowly in the early morning, the Paris market has swung into the red following the publication of an unexpected fall in industrial production in Germany (-1.8%) last October. Investors are also under pressure while in Greece the deficits have slipped dangerously leading rating agency Fitch downgraded the long-term debt of this country from A-to BBB +.

The statement made Monday by Ben Bernanke on monetary policy of the United States has not given clear direction to markets.The chairman of the Federal Reserve has however indicated that the central bank would keep interest rates at an unusually low for an extended period, while some economists fear the opposite.

The values of the day

Alcatel-Lucent is 1.33%. The telecoms equipment maker announced it has signed an agreement with Bouygues Telecom to test the 4G, the next generation technology of mobile broadband. Alcatel-Lucent is also the most action surrounded the square in Paris on Tuesday, with nearly 13 million shares traded.

EADS yields 1.41%. Air Algeria and ATR reported Monday the signing of a contract for four ATR 72-500 aircraft for delivery in 2010.The contract amount is 82 million.

Stallergenes (-0.26%) expressed Monday "very positive" three years of a long term study on the allergy tablet, Oralair, to assess the long-term effect and persistence of this effect after stopping treatment.

More than six years after the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, head of the Russian Yukos oil empire carved up today, a judicial rebound with 100 billion dollars at stake Monday intervened in the case.

The tribunal in The Hague has made the November 30 "award" which theoretically opens the way for plaintiffs to claim damages from the Russian state in an amount estimated by them at 100 billion dollars.

The plaintiffs in this case are three former Yukos shareholders who held together a 60% share of the business booming in the early 2000s. Both are subsidiaries of GML (formerly Group Menatep): Hulley Enterprises and Yukos Universal and Veteran Petroleum Limited, a pension fund to finance the pensions of employees of Yukos.The complaint before the Judicial Arbitration international date from 2005, when Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested in October 2003, behind bars awaiting his first trial, when the empire began to be dismantled, primarily for the benefit of Rosneft oil company controlled by the Russian state.

An arbitration was a precedent for foreign firms

The court of arbitration has a strict disclosure policy, refused, late Monday afternoon to confirm the decision, which belongs to the parties. The Paris office of law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton who defended the Russian Federation also declined comment.

The ad hoc arbitral tribunal composed of three arbitrators ruled on Monday its jurisdiction.A crucial step, says Mr. Emmanuel Gaillard, a lawyer for plaintiffs, director of international arbitration at Shearman & Sterling, "which set a precedent for all foreign energy companies, BP, Total and Shell are investing in Russia." According to Mr. Gaillard, Russia argued that GML could enter international justice. The court ruled that GML, based in Gibraltar, the pension funds in Cyprus and its subsidiaries (the one established in Cyprus and one in the Isle of Man), are foreign investors. As such, they are protected by the Treaty of the Energy Charter, adopted in 1994 by Russia. Moscow denies the value of this treaty that Russia has not ratified. In addition, the Kremlin believes that legacy text-1990s, intended to protect foreign investors and open energy markets, is formally out of the treaty last August.The court in The Hague has nonetheless held that the Treaty protects many foreign companies.

The legal showdown could last for years to come

"Russia should be aware of his actions before international justice," says Mr. Gaillard. The decision on Monday a document of some 200 pages – now opens the way for discussion of the case on the merits. The plaintiffs intend to show that they were expropriated without compensation and claim damages valued at some 100 billion dollars.

If they win the case, continue to enforce the award, inputting, where appropriate, assets of the Russian State around the world.The series could last for years to come.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky appears again

Meanwhile, the former richest man in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, appears before a court in Moscow since March 3, who is accused of embezzling more oil than is produced society. Arrested in October 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was sentenced at the first trial to nine years in a labor camp in Siberia for tax evasion.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has confirmed if such were needed, last Friday during a meeting at Rambouillet with François Fillon, his rancor against the tenacious most famous prisoner in Russia who had political ambitions, in comparison to Al Capone .

"Khodorkovsky promised" entertainment "at his trial

"INTERVIEW – Khodorkovsky:" When Russia is wrong, Europe must say "

The Court of Auditors has published today its report on "the transfer to the regions transport train: mixed results and developments to continue." Verdict: TER now costs too much and it is not suitable for many lines in sub-activity. The institution of the Rue Cambon points to the lavish spending of regions purchase of rolling stock and operating costs too high for the station. The regions have spent 600 million euros since 2004 to renew their fleets TER. "They must be reasonable and proportioned more traffic to their efforts," said Philippe Séguin, the first President of the Court of Auditors. Investments can be a symbol of vitality but not necessarily needed. "The report also questions the effectiveness of operations by the SNCF and its inability to cut costs because of the status of railway workers.This induces a "surcharge of about 20 to 30%. "The SNCF is the sole interlocutor of the areas, said Philippe Séguin. This monopoly reduces the bargaining power of regions and do not push the operator to achieve productivity gains. "The average cost of a B in France is 17 euros per kilometer and train while it is only 11 euros in Germany.

According to the report, the TER has cost 2.7 billion euros to the regions in 2009. It represents an increasing share of their budget for an average load of trains by 26%. Lines and less crowded – or 7 800 km in France – do not see spending an average of ten trains per day. These figures conceal wide disparities: trains run empty in rural areas and off-peak while others are crowded into urban areas.

Carbon footprint

The Court of Auditors calls for the abandonment of certain lines in favor of the bus."The cost of the less frequented lines is too high for public finances," said Philippe Séguin. It is equivalent to the mile, the cost to use a private car. "The Court regrets that the" analytical accounts of the station "makes it difficult to choose between profitable routes and unprofitable lines.

Paradoxically, the use of the bus even improve the carbon footprint of TER. Today, 90% of lines are not electrified and diesel is half the energy consumed by the regional trains. "And most of the electrical energy is of thermal origin, explains Philippe Séguin. The carbon footprint of the TER is not favorable. "

The report of the Court of Auditors (pdf)

Around 15:00, the CAC 40 fell by 0.05% to 3890 points. Yesterday, the Paris index hit a new annual record, advancing 1.69% to 3892 points. Traders remained cautious, fearing a wave of profit taking ahead of 4000 points. The success of Apple, released yesterday evening after the close of Wall Street, have long supported the market, like those published at 13:30 by Caterpillar. The group expects a recovery in the global economy in 2010. But the poor figures for housing starts in the U.S. temper this optimism. These last were up 0.5% in August to 590,000 annual rate, and while the market was expecting 610,000. The number of permits issued fell 1.2% from the previous month to 573,000 construction permits on an annual basis, against 595,000 expected by analysts.

The producer prices fell in September by 0.6% compared to August (1.7%).This decrease is due to the decrease of 2.4% of energy costs. Excluding food and energy, the index plaice 0.1% against 0.1% expected by economists.

Values follow

LVMH (+0.35%) announced a turnover decrease of 0.6% to 4.135 billion euros, a figure conformed to market expectations. The group said a "better" compared to earlier this year.

In an interview with the newspaper Les Echos, Sagnières Hubert, who will become CEO of Essilor (-0.67%) from the first next January, is a point on the group's goals. He remains calm on the operating margin for 2009, but was cautious about the turnover.He plans to continue its acquisition strategy.

BioMerieux (+1.51%) achieved a turnover of over 9 months of 895 million euros, up 12% and confirms its target of organic growth of 5 to 7% in 2009, excluding the positive impact related to the epidemic influenza A.

Bouygues Travaux Publics, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, will build a road tunnel in Miami for $ 440 million. The title Bouygues rose 0.27%.

The operating margin of Sword Group (-1.21%) stood at 17.25% on the first nine months of 2009 against 17.7% during the same period of 2008.

In the first nine months of 2009, sales of Guyenne et Gascogne (+0.15%) totaled 431.4 million euros, down 1.3%.

Soitec (-2.73%) achieved a turnover of 50.3 million euros in the second quarter, a sequential increase of 14.8% over the first quarter of the year.

The turnover of Pierre & Vacances (+1.97%) totaled 516.5 million euros in the fourth quarter of 2008-2009, an increase of 2.4%. For the full year, sales amounted to 1.451 billion euros, up 2.3%.

Rental income accumulated Mercialys (-3.19%) at the end of September 2009 stand at 100.24 million euros, up 17.1%.

Cash Transgene (-1.47%) totaled 72.9 million euros at September 30, 2009, against 86.7 million at December 31, 2008.

On September 30, 2009, the turnover of Mr Bricolage (0%) stood at 412.3 million euros (+3.3%).