International & World Report

Three months after threatening to degrade the notes of BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and Credit Agricole, put under surveillance, the U.S. rating agency, Moody's, could rise to the act shortly shortly. According to sources familiar with the matter, the decision was "imminent." "It comes at the end of three months to impose surveillance," says a source. The rating agency that had accompanied its implementation in June under the supervision of a negative outlook, clearly had in fact paved the way for a deterioration in credit ratings. One step for BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole and Societe Generale for two.On the first day of September, the losses of the three titles are respectively 17.45%, 22.33% and 27.69%.

Analysts relativize

Especially, a controversy arose in late August on the valuation of debt securities by certain Greek French banks. The IASB, the body responsible for setting international accounting standards, criticized some financial institutions are not named, have valued their claims on the Greek state in ways internal development rather than by using market prices cheap payday advance. Which would have allowed banks to spend less severe impairment in their accounts. Even if they have applied a discount of 21% on government debt they have in their accounts, the three banks still have about six billion euros of Greek sovereign debt.

Some analysts relativize however, the scope of the surveillance on June 15 the three French banks by Moody's, noting that the other two rating agencies, Standard & Poor's (S & P) and Fitch attributed to them have lower grades. Crédit Agricole SA is currently rated "Aa1" by Moody's and "Aa2" by BNP Paribas and Societe Generale. S & P assigned the notes 'AA' with a negative outlook to BNP and "A +" with stable outlook to Crédit Agricole and Societe Generale. Fitch is on his side to "AA-" with stable outlook to BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole, and "A +" with stable outlook for Societe Generale.

Party in May to conquer the mobile market, La Poste is a misfortune! The group has attracted 150,000 customers in three months. "We had anticipated 25,000 sales per month, we are at 50,000, is two times more than expected," revealed to Figaro Jacques Rapoport, Deputy Director General of La Poste Group and CEO of La Poste. And if postal workers were starting the first customers, they are now a minority.

This success has also led to stock shortages, some bugs and a saturation of computer centers. "We suffered a bit but it is now settled," said Jacques Rapoport, who is reviewing its objectives and is on the rise now "300,000 to 400,000 customers by the end of the year, against 210,000 originally planned."

No typical profile for the client to the mobile station, which is recruited from all social classes and age.Offers balanced, "there are so many packages with high-end smartphones that prepaid kits. The social package (10 euros for 45 minutes of calls and 60 SMS, Ed) also works well with 10% of sales, "said Jacques Rapoport. "The smaller are welcome here. But we are not the operator of the poor. We are committed to serve all customers. "Finally, subscriptions (most profitable) are in the majority compared to prepaid. Another lesson: while the Post was the first to launch non-binding offers, customers prefer offers mostly sold with a phone and then a commitment.

This initial assessment also confirms the importance played by the network of post offices which carries 75% of sales, the remaining 25% being done by Internet and telephone quick payday loans. "They want us to believe that everything is sold on the Internet. This is not reality.Consumers want the closeness and service. Seen in the return of small businesses face the hypermarkets, the return of customers in bank branches. In mobile, our presence throughout is a huge asset, "said Jacques Rapoport.

Hopes in rural areas

And the band accelerates: already in 1000 the largest post offices, the mobile will be distributed in 450 additional offices on 12 September and another 450 in November. It will even be sold in 70 small rural offices in September, they will not physically products, but customers can order and be delivered the next day by Chronopost. While the offices of small towns have sold more mobile than those in larger cities, La Poste Mobile high hopes on rural areas. "At the end 2012, 10,000 post offices will distribute the mobile offering.By itself, the Post will have more outlets that Orange, SFR and Bouygues together, "said Jacques Rapoport. The mobile station will also develop synergies with La Banque Postale, in line with the special youth launched in late August that offers a discount of 40 euros on the price of the mobile.

The mobile station should be profitable in 2013. Both shareholders and SFR Post rub their hands.

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The rise in prices over the past decade has not spared the agricultural world. A report published by the Agreste, the agency in charge of "statistics, assessment and agricultural perspective," returns to the soaring prices of agricultural land since 1997. In 2010, arable lands and grasslands sold free worth 5230 euros per hectare, an increase of 66% over 1997.

Sold leased, the price is lower, at 3620 euros per hectare, which is still a 51% increase in 13 years. Rental status is not the only explanation for the difference in price between these two types of terrain. Although subject to the law of the market, characteristics of municipalities where agricultural lands are for sale often come into playThe specialty of the town, that is to say raising grain or cattle, for example, is one of the main factors that come into account when the reserve price. When the municipality has a dominant breeding beef cattle, rates may be on average 10% cheaper than in a town that specializes in cereals.

Geographically, the agricultural land is distributed in a rather orderly in the territory. The leased lands are mainly located in the Paris Basin and the northern half of France, the rest of the country being occupied mostly by vacant land payday loans in one hour.

New competition

More generally, the report highlights the influence of geographical location on the pricing of these lands. Near a city, a parcel is approximately 8% more expensive than in rural deep.An element that is associated with patch size, which also has changed over the years: the area of ​​arable land and grasslands free decreased in urban areas. Instead, the size of land rented sold continues to grow throughout the country thanks in part to farms that do not stop to grow to increase their production.

Another change in size during the past 13 years: the buyers. The report shows in fact that today Agreste fewer farmers acquire land and open meadows. They represent only two thirds of the purchasers against three quarters in 1997. Although this was down due in part to their inability to face economic uncertainties but also the arrival of new competition. A growing number of individuals and communities have actually landed on the market for agricultural land free.Primarily interested in the land, they usually offer to buy the most expensive land that farmers and thus participate in the surge in prices.

The aim is to encourage solidarity among employees. UMP deputy from the Loire, Paul Salen, filed in July 2011 a bill providing a legal framework for donations of RTT. A consistent practice in companies, which had so far developed in the silence of the Labour Code and case law.

The member was itself inspired by an actual case that occurred recently in his constituency. Badoit employees have offered 170 days of RTT to one of them to accompany her to the end of a child with liver cancer. A single gesture of solidarity was observed in April in the automotive supplier Fuji Autotech in the Doubs, in favor of an employee whose husband was suffering from lymphoma. Or at Merial, a subsidiary of Sanofi, which has even signed a collective agreement on this.

Company agreements

For now, no text did not mention the possibility of offering shorter working week, days off or recovery. This practice was not illegal as long. Spontaneous, it has developed on the basis of agreements between employees and employer, which is responsible for the holidays. "The agreements allow the company to implement virtually any provision not prohibited by the labor code," says Eric Rocheblave, lawyer office.

Thus the employees of Adixen in Annecy, could pay back all of their Christmas bonus for interim company, who did not have touched before fast cash now. Or that Renault executives have, by sacrificing RTT make ends months of Workers' group, one time forced to short.

Few dispute

But if an agreement is simple enough to offer its RTT, why, then, legislate? The bill appears to meet two objectives. First draw the attention of public opinion on a new form of solidarity. Then make sure to prevent abuses that could result.

Thus the proposed text, which focuses only on the donations bound for parents whose child is "gravely ill," says that the agreement required the employee donor such as his employer. "To the extent that these initiatives are based on agreements, litigation is rare. For now, it is even nonexistent, "Eric Rocheblave nuance. Already signed by 136 MPs, Paul Salen, interviewed Thursday morning in Les Echos, has high hopes to push through the text before the next presidential election.

"YOUR OPINION – Do you agree with the initiative of offering their employees days off? Would you be willing to do the same for a colleague? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments below or by email at temoin@lefigaro.fr.

Careful, this is the verdict seems to be emerging markets about the compromise between Republicans and Democrats to raise the debt ceiling. European shares closed sharply lower on Monday and Wall Street is in the red at mid-session.

European leaders hailed the recovery of 2.4 trillion dollars in the legal limit of U.S. debts. Enough to hold until 2013, after the U.S. presidential election in November 2012 of. "This plan raises considerable uncertainty that hovered in recent days on the market about a risk of recession in the United States, welcomes Philippe Waechter, head of economic research at Natixis AM. While no agreement was reached before Aug. 2, the federal government could not spend what he earns, which would have sealed the growth. "But economists remain cautious: the lack of plan detail and ambition.

• Two uncertainties

The plan presented by President Barack Obama and the Democratic and Republican negotiators is still a project that has not passed by Congress. "The Republicans may be unhappy with the cuts in the defense budget. (…) In addition, any tax increase is explicitly provided, which could make it difficult to convince a sufficient number of Democrats to vote the text, "Analysis Paul Mortimer-Lee, chief economist at BNP Paribas IPC.

Second unknown, raised by Inna Mufteeva, economist at Natixis, "no timetable has been issued for budget cuts. These cuts should not be introduced too fast, Barack Obama assured, but it would be interesting to know when. "Especially the plan, based solely on spending cuts and no tax increase, is likely to influence an already weak growth.

• A plan insufficient

"The total savings proposed, or 2.4 trillion dollars, is insufficient to put the U.S. budget on track," said Paul Mortimer-Lee. The rating agency Standard & Poor's estimated 4 trillion in savings over 10 years are needed to reduce the U.S. debt.

• The main decisions postponed

Almost two-thirds of the austerity measures -1.5 trillion dollars over a total of 2.4 trillion-flow from the proposals of the committee for the opportunity to be presented in November. Result, "there are still too many uncertainties about possible future tax and budget cuts, concerned about Paul Mortimer-Lee. This uncertainty will penalize investment decisions and hiring companies. Growth will suffer.The compromise presented Sunday night therefore merely postpone the problem, and not far beyond. "

• Questions about Washington's ability to make decisions

"Initially, Obama targeted Republicans as a plan of 4,000 billion dollars, said Philippe Waechter. As they differed on how to achieve their ambition has melted over the negotiations, to agree in the end the lowest common denominator (2400 billion dollars in savings). "

So lacking in the original goal to doubt the effectiveness of the American political system. "If there were only Republicans and Democrats agreed was found. But the presence of extremists of the Tea Party has changed the situation, forcing the Republicans to more than intransigence, Philippe Waechter analysis. It has changed the political system in the United States.Part of the Republicans wanted something other than what was negotiated usual, causing the blockage. "

This could happen in the future, warned Standard & Poor's in a note dated July 14: "The inability to reach an agreement today leads us to believe that there will be no more coming years. "This argument could lose its" AAA "in the United States.

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Microsoft continues to decline in the navigation software on the Internet. In France, in June, less than half of Web site visits were conducted with Internet Explorer, according to the research institute Médiamétrie-eStat. This analysis was already advanced by other observers earlier this year for Europe. The situation becomes critical for the Redmond giant. Microsoft can not stem its decline despite the launch of Version 9 of Internet Explorer and the new Internet search engine Bing, French, earlier this year. The use of Internet Explorer was down 6.6 points from January to June, to 44.4%, note Médiamétrie.This is the worst score of Microsoft since its breakthrough in the mid-1990s.

The decline in Internet Explorer due to "the rise of the main browsers used to smartphones and Internet tablets, Google Chrome (Android) and Apple Safari, in connection with the deployment of these terminals to the consultation of Internet in mobility, "said the research institute.

Windows 7 Phone does not pierce

The iPhone and the Apple iPad, the plethora of smartphones and tablets that use the Android operating system Google's take on a dominant role. In addition, "their browsers are installed on more PCs and Macintosh bad credit personal loan lenders. The share of smartphones and tablets only 3% of total visits, "said Franck Si-Hassen, Managing Director of Médiamétrie-eStat.

In smartphones, Windows 7 Phone Microsoft does not pierce.Its agreement with Nokia should be realized only at the end of the year. As for the shelves, Microsoft is still not widely. Thus, in the first half, the browser of Google increased its share of visits of 3.6 points (16.1%) and that Apple has increased its fourth place in France (up 1.3 points to 8.3%).

Finally, the Firefox browser, Mozilla Foundation, consolidated its second position in France, with 29.6% of visits, up 0.5 points over the period. 4 and 5 versions of Firefox have recently been launched. Innovations made necessary to generate financial resources related to the use of Firefox and "clicks" of Internet users.With 400 million users worldwide, the Mozilla Foundation generates a turnover of 100 million dollars a year, most of which is paid by Google.

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As announced in Le Figaro, the No. 1 reactor of the nuclear Fessenheim (Haut-Rhin) received clearance from the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) to continue operating. He "is able to be operated for a period of ten additional years provided you follow a number of requirements," said Monday the president of the ASN, Andre-Claude Lacoste.

The concrete slab on which was built the reactor must be such "enhanced" before June 30, 2013 "to increase its resistance to corium (molten magma resulting from insufficient cooling of the fuel, Ed) in case of serious accidents with piercing of the tank. "Second "major limitation" on the 40 made by the ASN: EDF will have to install an emergency device designed to remove the residual power "in case of loss of the cold source" before December 31, 2012.

Notice of extension published Monday is worth not discharge. Especially since it was made "subject to the findings of evaluations undertaken additional security after the accident Fukushima," said Andre-Claude Lacoste.

These stress tests requested by France and Europe aimed at assessing the behavior of plants in extreme situations. An "appointment" that could lead to the ASN "strengthen requirements," says its president. It will then EDF or the government to decide whether to continue the operation of reactor.

Monday, environmental groups and antinuclear called for "immediate closing" of Fessenheim.Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister of Ecology responds to Le Figaro.

Asian stock markets follow divergent paths on Wednesday. Markets are generally reassured by U.S. data released Tuesday, less bad than expected on the price front in the production and sales details. But the reluctance dominates.

In Japan, the Nikkei decides to follow the good mood on Wall Street has ended sharply higher on Tuesday. The benchmark index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 0.28% to 9574.32 points at closing. The Topix, wider, took 0.22% to 824.65 points. Again, the action of the electric company Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), operator of the nuclear accident in Fukushima, illustrated by a jump of 32.12%, after the government submitted to Parliament Support project to fund compensation for victims. The title had already taken 25% yesterday.

In contrast, Hong Kong and Shanghai are losing ground.The Hang Seng loose 0.39% and the Shanghai Composite was down 0.49%. Investors are troubled by the decision of the People's Bank of China to meet Tuesday to 50 basis points on required reserve ratio of banks, hoping to contain high inflation that poses many economic and social risks. Beijing had announced earlier that consumer prices rose 5 guaranteed personal loan approval.5% in May, an unprecedented growth in nearly three years. The banking sector battered the image of Bank of China (-1.27%) and HSBC Holdings (-1.01%).

The KOSPI Korea following the Chinese markets and decline of 0.17%. Same thing for the Indian Sensex losing 0.31% and the S & P dropped 0.43% Australian. In Australia, the rating is pulled down by the airline industry. Qantas Airways (-1.06%) and Blue Holdings (-3.33%) and are penalized by their decision to cancel domestic flights due to volcanic emissions.

Trend mixed before U.S. crude stocks

The time is also reluctance on the oil markets on Wednesday. In morning trading, a barrel of light sweet crude for July delivery lost 25 cents to 99.12 dollars while that of Brent North Sea crude for delivery rose 49 cents identical to 120.65 dollars.

Investors await the day the report on the status of stocks of petroleum products in the United States. Analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires, crude oil inventories have fallen by 500,000 barrels last week. In contrast, gasoline stocks had risen by 400,000 barrels and distillates (including diesel and heating oil) of 900,000 barrels.

While the rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded three notches note of Greece who becomes the country with the lowest rated in the world, the eminent economist Nouriel Roubini sees the end of the eurozone. In an article published in the Financial Times, the man who announced the financial crisis of 2008 estimated that countries of the European periphery abandon the euro within five years.

In the eyes of Nouriel Roubini, the debt crisis that weakens current euro area highlights the flaws in this monetary union. In fact, the euro zone has never been an "optimum currency area", ie a group of countries has any interest in sharing a single currency. There is indeed always been too strong and competitive economic differences between countries in the euro area.The founding fathers of the euro area, however, hoped that the differences between fiscal, monetary and exchange rates are offset by an acceleration of structural reforms within the euro zone countries. These measures would then have enabled the countries of the eurozone converge.

Without economic convergence, the euro area is doomed to failure

But "the reality is quite different," says Nouriel Roubini. Following the establishment of a common monetary policy, countries are folded on the weapon budget to adjust their economic policies. Very different policies have been implemented within the eurozone. Consequently, the lack of fiscal discipline in countries like Greece and Portugal involved in the birth of speculative bubbles in other countries like Spain or Ireland. And finally, the peripheral countries have become less competitive.

Economist reaffirms that to work, creating a currency area must be accompanied by a fiscal policy even as the establishment of supranational sources of income or the issuance of sovereign bonds Commons. In the absence of economic convergence, the euro area is doomed to failure, according to the economist.

Thus, Nouriel Roubini believes that there is now a way to restore the competitiveness of peripheral countries: leaving the euro, return of national currencies and depreciation. Such a scenario seems inconceivable today, is the economist who said that nothing says that in five years this idea has not gained ground, especially if the economies of peripheral countries are stagnating. Unless the idea of ​​a Euro reaches more federal drilling, some European leaders call for that greater European integration.

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Since mid-May, the United States exploded the ceiling set by Congress of American debt, around 15,000 billion dollars currently. This ceiling has been found in January. It would suffice to go back again to exit the United States from embarrassment: the country can theoretically borrow on the markets when the threshold is exceeded. Which is to say that the U.S. is in a situation of default.

But the maneuvers have pushed until August 2, the bankruptcy of the federal state. The White House and Congress have so until that date to agree. The first press the other to raise the ceiling, but he refuses to press the button until the government has not detailed a program foresaw and specific reductions in public spending. The United States shackle in effect three years of deficit exceeding 10%.It should reach around 1.6 trillion dollars this year.

If the financial world does not doubt the ability of great leaders of the first world power to agree, for the good of the global economy, the timetable is narrowing. And rating agencies do not fail to recall. Thus, after Standard & Poor's in April, Moody's puts a sudden extra pressure on Thursday by threatening to put the debt rating of long-term United States, currently at AAA, on negative watch, implying an actual deterioration in the coming months.

No to raising the ceiling

Yesterday, Wednesday, Barack Obama received dozens of Republican representatives in the White House. These, a majority in their meeting, refused to give the green light to an increase in the federal debt ceiling because of cuts in spending."We need to tackle this debt," said out of the meeting the head of the budget committee in the House, Paul Ryan, author of a draft budget with drastic cuts in funding for the welfare state and criticized by Democratic allies of Barack Obama.

Tuesday night, the House rejected by 318 votes against 97 an increase of 2,400 billion of debt ceiling, a move described as "irresponsible" Democratic side.

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