World News, Financial News, Breaking US News

After the sharp market downturn in Paris last weekend, with the Cac 40 lost nearly 7% in 48 hours, and the misdirection of Asian Awards on Monday, investors in Paris should be cautious again. The future of the CAC 40 index was down 1.27% at 3563 points.

On the macroeconomic front, there will be no major indicator of both sides of the Atlantic, if not the economic survey of the Bank of France on the growth of France in the first quarter 2010.

Values follow

The year 2010 will be tougher than 2009 for the Franco-Belgian bank Dexia is the acceleration of the implementation of its restructuring plan which has received the green light from Brussels, said Sunday the group managing director .

EDF and Areva announced late Friday it reached an agreement on the processing of uranium used in nuclear power plants of the electrician, an issue at the heart of a dispute between the two groups for several weeks. The CEO of EADS, Louis Welsh said in Munich last Saturday he expected a "clarification" on the financing of additional costs for the Airbus A400M military "before the end of next week" Payday advance .

GDF Suez could revise its bid for International Power Plc, particularly the terms of its offer in cash, reports the Independent on Sunday, citing sources close to the French group.

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has asked for new commitments in Belvedere in the case of warrants, which in recent weeks between the group of spirits to the Association for the Defense of Minority Shareholders (ADAM).

Bongrain has reported revenues down 7.4% on a comparable basis in 2009, affected by unfavorable economic environment.

Eiffage managed to stabilize its sales in 2009 thanks to a rebound in activity in the fourth quarter.

Several publications of companies are expected on Monday: Altran Technologies, pre-market Unibail Rodamco, after-hours trading, Le Noble Age and Devoteam. Faurecia brings an extraordinary general meeting regarding the capital increase related to the repurchase of Emcon.

Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Anne-Marie Idrac, will announce Friday morning trade figures in 2009. France's 5th largest exporter, has eroded market share at the expense of its competitors.

LE FIGARO .- What is the balance of French foreign trade in 2009?

Anne-Marie IDRAC .- 2009 was a year encouraging, marked by a significant reduction in trade deficit due to the strong decrease of the energy bill free credit report . But beyond that figure, the major point is that France has held its largest export in a context of crisis. The world demand in our country has decreased by 13% by volume, and our exports have declined in this order of magnitude.But this movement has been marked elsewhere and, unlike Germany or Italy, France has managed to retain its market share vis-à-vis OECD countries, accounting for 6.6% exports.

After giving a first pressure on the management of the oil company, Christian Estrosi, Minister of Industry, insists the government "will not accept" the closure of the Total refinery at Dunkirk "as long as n 'There will be no guarantees the necessary continuity "of some 800 jobs involved," he said Monday on radio BFM.

The Government looks forward to the official position of Total in this case. The group must decide precisely Monday on the fate of the Flanders refinery, which employs 370 employees and 450 subcontractors. Since mid-September, the site is in "stop cyclical" because he can no longer sell its output, given the current weakness in demand for fuel.

"For the moment we have no binding commitment on the part of Total and I say very clearly, the Government will be firm," said Minister of Industry.

The previous March 2009 is remembered

In any case, the government has warned it did not intend to be outdone in the folder "Total" payday loans . "We will not accept an initiative to be taken unilaterally without any commitments are made to sustain current employment at the refinery," says Christian Estrosi.

Last Tuesday, the Minister noted that Total was considering the possibility of opening an LNG terminal in the port of Dunkirk.

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.

ALSO READ:

»Total: State careful closure of Dunkirk

"Refining: Total loan closing Dunkirk

Brought by investor confidence in the economy, U.S. markets have concluded the first meeting of 2010, the highest level ever last fifteen months. But on Tuesday, Wall Street opens on an uncertain note: the Dow Jones displays a meter just in the red, -0.03%, while the Nasdaq fell by 0.04%.

The euphoria of yesterday and seems to give way to calm. To recall, the meeting Monday was characterized by a jump in raw materials, through a combination of economic data carriers (Global manufacturing PMI at highest level in 44 months) and political or geopolitical event (tensions between Russia and its former satellites, strike in a copper mine in Chile …). The oil is pressed above 80 dollars per barrel WTI and the dollar has declined substantially.On Tuesday, a barrel of oil is trading at 81.53 dollars and the dollar continues its decline at 1.4438 dollar per euro.

On the macroeconomic front, investors will pay attention to the publication of overseas industrial orders for November, promises of home sales in November and figures about the car market, each in 16 hours.

Google and Kraft Foods for

Google (-0.38%) today gave a press conference during which he must present his new cell phone.

For its part, Apple (-0.04%) said the Wall Street Journal that it planned to unveil a multimedia device during the months of January to start next March.Moreover, according to All Things Digital, the group should buy an advertising company on phones, Quattro Wireless, for $ 275 million dollars.

Kraft Foods (+3.6%) has sold its frozen pizzas to Nestlé ($ 3.7 billion) to afford Cadbury. The giant U.S. agribusiness should specify January 19 the modalities of its new offering to achieve his ends. Today, Berkshire Hathaway (+0.06%), the investment fund of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, said he opposed the hostile bid from Kraft Foods, which he said the biggest shareholder, its British rival.

Mesa Air Group (-64.79%) announced on Tuesday it had entered under the protection of Chapter 11 of U.S. law on bankruptcy. The group intends to restructure its debt and settle its legal dispute with Delta Airlines.

Now that the reform of business tax is completed, the government will tackle, in January, a new project: the revision of rental values. These rental values are "administered" price of a home or business premises, prices of base used to calculate local taxes. Since they have not been revised since 1970, today they are disconnected from reality. Result: an inhabitant of a building of faded 1960s pay for the same area, more housing tax or property tax that a household living in an old building, dilapidated forty years ago but now renovated. An updating of rental values would end these inequities. But the losers – typically, the people of downtown – could see their local taxes rise by 50%!

Companies are not immune to these distortions."In our barometer for the property tax offices in Boulogne-Billancourt is a city that offers the tax rate the lowest among major cities (except Paris). But it appears 35th on the total cost of fees per square meter, due to higher rental values, "explains Pascal Martinet, director of tax audits of Alma Consulting Group, a consulting firm.

Revision of rental values, however, looks less sensitive to process for companies, because these do not vote. Precisely, the Budget Ministry, Eric Woerth, in charge of this matter, decided to tackle the reform starting with the company. "The dated nature of the bases is more strongly for local business," says his entourage.But the idea is mainly to see what happens revision bases for some 4 million of commercial premises, before launching a big bang about 32 million homes inhabited by the French.

Involve local and parliamentary

Gilles Carrez, the UMP rapporteur of the Committee on Finance of the Assembly, calls for a long time for this method in two stages. In contrast, Jean Arthuis, the centrist chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, was opposed: "If the rental values no longer follow the same rules must be applied to property tax rates for different individuals and companies." At Bercy, we judge that this is not a problem.

Specifically, the Budget Ministry has put in place by January of working groups composed of members of associations of local elected officials, parliamentarians and government officials. "We did not set deadlines for completion.Everything depends on the speed of the consultation. We have no preconceived ideas on how to use ", said the entourage of Eric Woerth. In fact, the options are many. The leasehold basis can be stowed on the market value or remain an administrative prices set by the Treasury. The revision of bases may occur at the same date for all buildings in France or locally, by local, when a sale. Another option: the mayors may have liberty to set the timing of revision.

Finally, the impact of revisions will probably be spread over time to smooth the impact to taxpayers.

"Taxes geometry varies

"Rents: new coverage for owners

While MPs this week to discuss the transformation of the company public limited company (now scheduled for 1 March), The Post takes this Thursday its board of directors last year. The estimated results for 2009 and the 2010 budget will be presented. One and one witness to the difficulties experienced by the Post Office. Reportedly, the net income group share estimate was 387 million euros this year, against 529 million in 2008. Operating income is below the targets: he would go below 500 million euros after a profit of 886 million euros in 2008. As for turnover, it is down 2% in one year. In 2008 it was 20.8 billion euros.

All the lights are red while the core business – mail – is severely mistreated. This year, volumes were down 6%. From never-seen.The spread of Internet exchanges is for many. The crisis has exacerbated the problem, mail is closely linked to changes in the gross domestic product (GDP).

"Divided by Three"

Next year does not reserve any good for the mail whose erosion is structural. Jean-Paul Bailly, President of La Poste, acknowledges. In June the group announced it expected a drop in volumes of 30% between 2008 and 2015, an assumption made by most major posts.

In his speech opening the general discussion at the National Assembly, Tuesday, Christian Estrosi, Minister of Industry, was even more pessimistic: "The volume of mail from Post diminish every day," said Minister.There is already – 10%, we will be – or even 50% – 60% in just three years! Again, this is not easy for a postal operator whose business is the heart of e-paper, to cope with the sharp rise of the Internet! "The consequences can be read in the accounts:" The benefits could be divided by three in just two years! "

However, the decline of mail could be offset next year by the growth of other business group, the bank and the package. The 2010 budget, presented on Thursday, would in any case this hypothesis. It builds on strength of sales in a very small increase.

The Post: Besancenot play the spoilers at the Assembly

The change in status of the Post in March rejected

Eric Woerth, the budget minister, has reiterated this morning: the cell regularization well close December 31, 2009. So far, this structure set up in April has treated almost a thousand cases of taxpayers wishing to come into line after having concealed their assets abroad. "I am satisfied with this figure. And we expect an acceleration in the last month, "said the minister. Still, the famous list of taxpayers with accounts in Switzerland alone has 3000 names.

The tax begins to have a clear profile of the French who look to the cell. In most cases the money was hidden in Switzerland. Other education, the vast majority of the repentant are people who have simply inherited assets hidden by their parents or grandparents."For these fraudsters liabilities, penalties are lower," said Philippe Parini, head of the Directorate General of Public Finance. In general, they can expect that the total tax bill (tax due, penalties and interest) does not exceed 15% of capital. The very purpose of cell regulation is allowing repentant negotiate the interest and penalties.

At December 31, this advantage disappears. "We do plan to tax audits in large numbers. People on the list of 3000 will not escape. In addition, we will create an account held by French residents abroad, "said Eric Woerth. This file, called "Evafisc" will be powered by the 3,000 names. But not only. Earlier this year, published a decree that will create a real right of communication vis-à-vis banks in France.Clearly, the Treasury will request them to submit all transactions exceeding a certain amount made to certain countries over time. The focus will change each year. "For 2010, we will examine the banks' transactions from 2006 to Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong," said Eric Woerth.

The method will she work? It should be a little naive indeed to get his money from France through a bank. "Think again. Some believe going into armored pipes. Marketing of banks is effectively "the minister said.

As the end of appointment of Pierre Gadonneix head of EDF had fed the speculative discussions for several months, the succession of Didier Lombard, head of France Telecom should not give rise to so many vicissitudes. Stéphane Richard, the current number 2 of the French incumbent operator, has already announced its intention to become the new CEO as soon as the mandate of Didier Lombard will end in 2011."If the board is willing, if the shareholders agree and if the little pigs did not eat me by then I will become CEO at that date," he said in an interview with the daily Progress on Friday.

"Organizing the systematic mixing of people didn't make sense"

Asked about the atmosphere prevailing within the group after the wave of human tragedies that rocked France Telecom in recent months, Stéphane Richard hopes that "the pressure was released (…) with the possibility for employees to express themselves . The Director General in charge of France operations has also qualified as "inept" the principle of mobility managers every three years."Organize brewing methodical individual has no meaning (…) this represents significant costs for interest difficult to collect," he said.

In early December should be made public the results of the survey on psychosocial risks launched by France Telecom with its 102,000 French employees. The firm Technologia, which was assigned to the case, expects a turnout particularly high 75% or about 76,000 responses.

ALSO READ:

"France Telecom: the number 2 ready to take orders in 2011

"France Telecom: the stress is about