Archive for April, 2011

The nuclear situation in Japan worried

Auto Date Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

One month after the disaster in Japan, the severity level of the nuclear accident in Fukushima was observed at maximum rank equivalent to that of Chernobyl. TEPCO, the Japanese operator struggling to control the central cracked, even fears that radioactive leaks at the site will prove superior to those made at the Ukrainian reactor explosion. shortly after these statements, a further aftershock was felt in the region of Fukushima.

What alarmed investors: at least two hours of the close, the Nikkei dropped almost 2.1% to 9519 points.As the yen rises, market players are seeking to evaluate the consequences as a result of the earthquake of March 11 on business and the Japanese economy.

Toyota plants, which were all restarted by April 18, could still idle until July, according to a letter sent by the Chief of the U paperless payday loans.S. subsidiary, Bob Carter, the network of distributors. United States, Toyota has less than two months of inventory and should be faced with shortages of vehicles during the summer.

For its part, Ford estimates that its profits would be affected by interruptions in production in Japan. Although the automaker has no factory in Japan, the paralysis of its subcontractors in the archipelago caused a shortage of parts and blocks the production of U.S. carmaker.Ford claims that the accounts of its financial arm, Ford Motor Credit, could also suffer from the disaster.

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Renault is testing its electric cars

Auto Date Saturday, April 9th, 2011

Renault will probably not expected to start full-scale experiment one hundred electric vehicles in such a climate of tension. But the real false espionage case was Thursday in every mind. The scandal "has not changed the electric vehicle program. Between what is said today and what we said six months ago, it has not changed our marketing plan for a single day, "was keen to stress Koskas Thierry, the owner of this activity Renault. His former assistant, Matthew Tenenbaum is one of three group executives wrongfully dismissed for industrial espionage.

The kickoff of this project called Save and targeted at Yvelines, near Paris, is an important step for the automaker, at 6 months of marketing its first cars running abreast.Renault is to launch Fluence sedan and minivan Kangoo electric version in the fall of 2011. The quadricycle Twizy is scheduled for the end of the year. Finally, Zoe, flagship of the range vehicle, is scheduled for fall 2012. Renault and its ally Nissan invested $ 4 billion on power.

Test behavior

Save the project but started a little late since it had originally, start at the beginning of the year. It will run until July 2012. Forty clients will test the vehicles. Mainly businesses – such as Carrefour, France Telecom or Otis – and communities.The first cars were delivered: the prototypes of Renault Kangoo and electric Fluence, and Nissan Leaf (sold in France this summer).

"The goal is to study driver behavior (their mode of conduct, the frequency of refills) and its impact on the autonomy of the vehicles, but also to test our after-sales services, that is to say our ability to repair an electric vehicle incident, "said Bernard Cambier, commercial director of Renault France. Firefighters in the region have also been trained to work on damaged cars without fear of electrocution.

More than 200 charging points are being deployed. Renault has teamed up with EDF, Schneider Electric (for the provision of terminals) and Total, which will place two terminals fast charge (30 minutes) in its service stations.This experiment, amounting to 23 million euros, is financed by the Ile-de-France, ADEME (Agency for Environment and Energy Management) and the General Council of Yvelines. The initial feedback is expected within two months.

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Gold speeds off and is close to $ 1500

Auto Date Friday, April 8th, 2011

After being out of breath at the beginning of the year, gold prices resume speed. This Friday, the yellow metal reached a new historic high at 1,471.06 dollars an ounce on the spot market, far from its previous peak of 1,447.82 dollars recorded last March 24. This rapid increase is rooted in the global macroeconomic environment that is conducive to the precious metal, considered the value of refuge par excellence.

There is first of all the renewed concern about sovereign debt of countries in the euro area that drives investors to safer assets. After Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's, Moody's downgraded the rating a notch from Portugal. Back to the wall, the land of Jose Socrates was forced to use European aid."The European crisis is getting worse since the Europeans have failed late March to agree on a credible solution, analysts said the Swedish bank SEB.

Moreover, "the uprisings in the Arab world show no sign of abating, with escalating civil war in Libya, and alarming situations in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, which benefits the precious metal" added the SEB analysts.

Inflation and weak dollar, the winning duo

Gold also benefits from inflationary pressures experienced in many economies. Revolts in the Arab world have pushed up prices of raw materials including oil. The barrel has surpassed the $ 125 in London while he was over the 111 in New York payday loans for bad credit. Levels that had not been recorded since 2008.This surge in prices is in favor of precious metals, usually considered a good protection. "Investors prefer strong asset as he at least does not see its value depreciate, unlike currencies," said Djillali Hacid, an analyst at XTB France.

This inflationary pressure pushes just the leaders of central banks to consider a rise in interest rates. The ECB has already taken the plunge. Conversely, the Fed put instead on the continuation of a generous monetary policy in the United States. This difference in speech pushes the euro higher against the dollar. The single currency reached a peak of over $ 1.43 from the November 2010 of 1.4283 dollar and falling at its highest since late January 2010. On Friday, the euro was trading at 1.4428 dollar.

The weak dollar has a turn for the gold purchases denominated in the greenback are more attractive for holders of other currencies.

En route to the 1500 dollars

The international situation shows no immediate signs of improvement, gold should continue its race record in the coming weeks. "The technical analyst shows that it is in a bullish channel since November 2009. Today, the line of sight is the 1500 dollars. At $ 40, it is very far, "notes Djillali Hacid.

Source: XTB France

Android gets closer to the iPhone in France

Auto Date Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Android raking in points at breakneck speed in France. In February, nearly a quarter of smartphones in circulation (23.1%) worked with the free operating system from Google, according to a comScore survey whose results were released Tuesday figaro.fr. A year earlier, only 4% of French people over 13 years using a Google phone.

At this rate, Android should be by the operating system was the most common on smartphones in France, as he is already in the United States. Faced with the onslaught of Google, the iPhone indeed begins to yield slightly ground. In January and February, he remained for two consecutive months below 30% market share, which had not happened since 2009.

Nokia and Microsoft partners to sentence

The iPhone is not the most affected by Android. The numbers of new partners Nokia and Microsoft are a concern.After six months on a par with Apple, Symbian, Nokia has now won (26 cash advance in one hour.1%). Microsoft, he shows no sign of recovery. Its market share (7.7%) was divided by three in one year, despite the release of Windows phone 7.

In the French market, the Canadian Research in Motion is the only growth, confirming a trend already interview in 2010. First reserved in the business world, BlackBerry has managed to deploy the general public, targeting in particular young users of SMS, who appreciate its full keyboard. Result, RIM has exceeded for the first time Microsoft in February (8.5%).

All these goings however take place in an overall market that continues to grow. France has currently over 13 million users of smartphones, according to comScore, more than twice that a year ago.It is thanks to these new Android users manages to win. Google has won 2.8 million users a year, when Apple won 1.6 million.

Wall Street remains in the green

Auto Date Monday, April 4th, 2011

After finishing the week on a positive note, U.S. stocks continued a trend optimistic Monday. In early trade, the Dow Jones slowly takes 0.12% to 12,391 points, the Nasdaq ahead by 0.24% to 2796 points and the S & P gained 0.17% to 1335 points.

Macroeconomic side, no major event is expected during this first meeting weekly. Investors will therefore focus on the news corporations, and international events, including Libya. Two weeks after the start of the international intervention, the United States has decided to extend their strike on Libyan soil, after a weekend still marked by intense fighting between rebels and supporters of Muammar Gaddafi at the gates of Brega.

Tensions that, coupled with improved labor market in the United States, continue to support the inflation on oil prices, which reached a highest since September 2008 in New York this afternoon and grazed 120 dollars in London. At the opening of U.S. markets, Brent crude is trading at 117.55 dollars. On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), a barrel of light sweet crude (WTI) for the same period has started to trade U.S. $ 108.02.

As for currencies, the euro was stable against the dollar Monday after being temporarily mounted to its highest level in five months, as investors anticipate an increase in rates this week the European Central Bank (ECB) Payday Loan for Bad Credit. Around 1530, the single currency was worth 1.4227 dollars, against 1.4225 Friday around 23 hours.

As for values ​​to follow

Oil giant BP (1.07% to 46.15 dollars) could soon resume its drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico by this summer, according to the Sunday Times on Sunday.

According to Aurel BGC, the activities of consumer credit from Citigroup (+0.35% to 357.52 U.S. dollars) have managed to attract three groups of potential buyers: Blackstone, Carlyle and Brysam Global Partners form the first consortium interested, Clayton Dubilier Onyx & Rice and the second and JC Flowers and Apollo Management on third.

The stock exchange operators Nasdaq OMX (-1.20% to 27.89 dollars) and InterContinental Exchange (1.09% to 121.06 U.S. dollars) were also under surveillance, after bidding on NYSE-Euronext, already in sight Deutsche Börse.

The French pharmaceutical Sanofi-Aventis announced this morning that it had closed its successful bid for the U.S. biotech Genzyme (+0.36% to 76.31 dollars), after collecting 84.6% of the shares of its target. The offer, ended April 1, however, reopened this morning and for four days (until April 7 to midnight), to allow for latecomers or undecided to give their titles.

Dependence: the Elysee considering a day of solidarity

Auto Date Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Late last year, an Ipsos found that more than half (56%) of the French were worried about their dependence … Will they be ready for as much to lose another day off? Faced with an aging population and the need for funding – more than 20 billion euros per year or 1% of GDP – the state looking for new revenue sources, and according leJournal Sunday, the creation of a new day solidarity would be considered. A measure that has merit for the majority to increase state revenue without raising taxes.

2.2 billion euros per year

The idea is not new. Since 2004, after the drama of the heatwave in 2003, the French work an extra day each year, normally without pay, and employers pay a contribution – the contribution solidarity independence (CSA) – in favor of the autonomy of elderly and disabled.Initially introduced on Whit Monday, the law was later relaxed to allow employees to choose another date, or even split the solidarity day. It relates each year 2.2 billion euros. A second day would allow the Government to partially fund the additional needs estimated at 10 billion by Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Philippe Bas, former Minister of Health and Solidarity, then Hénart Lawrence, Secretary of State for the professional integration of young people in the Raffarin government, have already voted for the creation of a new day of solidarity. For the moment the terms of this new day does not stop.It is likely that the date will remain free to avoid the debates that followed the abolition of Whit Monday.

Extend CSA

The majority also exploring another avenue to bring in new revenue, that of broadening the base of the CSA. This idea is supported by the MP (UMP) Valérie Rosso Debord, who stresses that the day of solidarity is based only on employees. Professionals, craftsmen, tradesmen and pensioners are exempt. A peculiarity which could also soon lead to the questioning that day. The Labour Court of Angers announced in early March that he had seized the Supreme Court for a ruling on what could be considered a breach of equality before tax.Judges should give their opinion on this question of constitutionality at the end of May, which could lead to referral to the Constitutional Council.

According to the member, elect to extend the CSA to all non-employees, would allow the state to reap 2 billion euros, a sum close to that expected with the creation of a new day of solidarity .

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Libya: $ 8 billion in French banks

Auto Date Friday, April 1st, 2011

Where are the Libyan petrodollars? The financial sleuths American, British or French, are trying to trace more than a month. According to statistics buried at the site of the Banque de France (BDF), banks and financial institutions owned Libyan 8.233 billion dollars (5.84 billion euros) in deposits and loans from French banks to September 31 2010. The latter also held $ 298 million (210.7 million euros) placed by customers Libyan individuals, according to the BoF.

Since this is anonymous data sent by the French banks to BoF, it is impossible to know which part of the state 8.233 billion is controlled directly or indirectly by the Gaddafi regime.Two local financial institutions, the Central Bank of Libya and the national sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) are under fire from international sanctions no fax payday advances. The European Union froze their assets during February. What about those figures in the statement of the Bank of France?

If the Central Bank of Libya has made investments in France, they should be included in this envelope, Olena Havrylchyk advance, a specialist in international banking, Cepii economy. But it is difficult to determine if other money LIA therein. The sovereign fund is certainly not a bank per se, but its links with the central bank are very close.