"Electronic Arts (EA) has decided to sell its stake in Ubisoft Entertainment. Our strategic priorities have changed since the initial investment, "said a spokesman for the American group in Europe, in an email sent to news agencies.

Returning to the capital of Ubisoft in 2004 through an unsolicited transaction, the Californian publisher therefore gives up its largest shareholder at the Guillemot family which owned 11.3% stake in European company in May, according to data from Thomson Reuters . Electronic Arts, meanwhile, held 14.82% stake in Ubisoft.

Electronic Arts refocuses its strategy

The American, whose sales have shrunk in late 2009, still on track to reducing costs and streamlining its business. Electronic Arts had already announced it will cut 1,500 jobs in November, and its intention to focus on fewer games. He also wants to expand its content and services online. By disengaging from Ubisoft, the group shows that this participation was more strategic for him, but merely financial.

The news did not surprise analysts sphere. Asked by Reuters, Richard Beaudoux, analyst at Natixis Securities value, said that Electronic Arts "has probably said it was an opportune time to clarify his situation.Last March, the voting rights of the American group had declined due to internal redeployment from 23.5% to 13.2%, said the analyst, for whom this "already showed that (Electronic Arts, Ed) sought to sell its " bad credit payday loans.

Situation clarified for Ubisoft

For Ubisoft, the announcement is good news, said Richard Beaudoux. The European publisher never managed to agree on strategy or on a redemption price, he said. The departure from Electronic Arts releases is the situation. Ubisoft and thus finds greater liquidity and freedom of decision in its strategy, concludes the analyst Natixis Securities.

If Electronic Arts shareholder seemed natural to Ubisoft, the disengagement of American might allow other investors to take a closer look at Ubisoft, says a trader.The Disney group or investment fund Elevation Partners are among the names of potential investors cited regularly.

"We wanted to stay independent"

"It's rather good news for us since we wanted to stay independent," a spokesman assured Ubisoft AFP. The latter did not say who would the purchaser of such shares or the amount and date of the transaction.

Ubisoft therefore creates a surprise for the second time this week. The video game publisher announced Tuesday a turnover of 160 million euros for its first quarter of 2010-2011 (April-June), up 93%. A performance well above its own expectations. Around 3:00 p.m. this Friday, Ubisoft's action, however, lost 1.32% to 6.88 euros.

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So far, the group said informally that such a vehicle was considered only for Asia. But on Wednesday, on the occasion of the presentation of business results of the first half, Jean-Marc Gales, director of Peugeot and Citroen, has taken a new step.It does not mark a low cost, the third group, is distributed in Western Europe, even if the device has not "yet been decided" for the continent.

Chinese Partner

"If we did, and I say this in the conditional, a car really low-cost, it would necessarily under a different brand and obviously with a different distribution method, which could be" completely different and very creative, "he said, citing sales via "Internet". No matter under him from selling such vehicle in a Peugeot or Citroen dealership, and therefore to take the risk of blurring the image of two brands that are trying to go upmarket.

Asked about the possibility of building such a vehicle with a Chinese partner, Jean-Marc Gales said "one could imagine many things" with these manufacturers credit reports free.PSA, which has already formed a joint venture in the Middle Kingdom, will sign one second Friday with Changan, fulfilling a letter of intent.

Meanwhile, the group develops a medium sedan declined under the Peugeot and Citroën, which will be for the "heart of the range" of emerging countries. Production will be initially located in Spain. In the same logic, PSA works in partnership with Japan's Mitsubishi, with a small entry level car for these markets.

At the last general meeting of the group in early June, Philippe Varin had hammered this sedan designed for emerging markets was neither low-cost, or intended to Western Europe.More broadly, he appeared to reject the principle of marketing a low-cost model in Europe: "If a low-cost means low-end model, manufactured in low cost countries and for Europe to the West, while the group is not on the low-cost, had he stressed.

Given the success of Dacia, the Romanian brand Renault, which has exceeded 5% market share in France, the Lion is now considering actually in the parade.

Fifty sites have been identified, comprising four strands of work – customer relationships, image, operational efficiencies, staff. A strategic committee, chaired by the CEO, will meet every fortnight to confirm their advance."This is not a restructuring plan," warns the outset Severin Cabannes, deputy CEO, which states: "We expect and we adapt to changes in the environment."

A regulatory environment which strengthens capital requirements, requires the optimization of resources. It is no coincidence that, for the first time since the acquisition of Cr?dit du Nord in 1997, the bank plans to share its resources with regional gem. "We want to preserve the entrepreneurial spirit of the bank and we will associate with an industrial approach," says Severin Cabannes.

Another declared objective of the Societe Generale, the transition to a company focused on customer relations, as opposed to a counter which "push" of products.Same logic: the regulators, when calculating the liquidity needs of banks, will weigh the deposits according to the fidelity of goodwill. The challenge is even more crucial for a network that is still recovering Kerviel scandal and controversy surrounding stock options. So, at Societe Generale, a barometer of customer satisfaction is now one of the criteria for evaluating managers, next to the control of operational risk and the expense ratio on income.

Change Image

The most urgent projects such as the brand platform, the convergence of retail banking networks or approximation of systems have already been placed on the rails. "Changing the image of the bank is one of our priorities. We have already started work.The new ads end of 2010 will be marked by the change, "and warns Caroline Guillaumin, the new director of group communications.

The general direction of the Company asserts course very attentive to the additional stress involved in this challenge to its 160,000 employees. The trauma of France Telecom is in everyone's mind. "All projects will be accompanied by change experts. If we go more slowly, we'll go more slowly, "insists Severin Cabannes.

"We presented this business plan to the 1000 Ambassadors of the bank and 95% of them said they adhered to it. This shows a very strong support and I see a show real momentum around Frederick Oud?a "concluded Deputy CEO.Certainly, the bank needs to show it solidly behind his boss, when critics suggest instead a degree of uncertainty since the redesign of the staff. Vis-?-vis the outside, the long awaited day of 8 June investors will take stock of the strategy and financial outlook for 2012. The same day the trial begins Kerviel. A coincidence heavy.

This category of the population does not know the crisis."While they represent only 1% of the workforce, people with very high incomes receive 5.5% of earned income, 32% of income from assets and 48% of the windfall revenues reported (capital gains, exercise of options), "INSEE noted in the 2010 edition of its publication The income and household wealth.

Between 2004 and 2007, the number of employees earning more than 100 000 per year has increased by 28% and those exceeding the half-million dollars … 70%! Since 2002, wages rose an average 5.8% per annum in real terms, against a 2.3% increase for all employees on the same period. Three focus areas more than half of these very high salaries: advice and assistance (including sector "business administration" including holding companies, the group headers), financial activities and trade activities Wholesale.

West Paris in mind

40% of these very high salaries are salaried executives who earn on average 230 000 per year, 15% of financial professionals, such trader or chief of a financial service of a large company (290 000), and More anecdotally, for 0.8% of them, the athletes earning almost 450 000 euros on average per year.

Nearly nine in ten very high salaries (87%) are men. "The more you go up the hierarchy, the higher the proportion of men increases," notes INSEE estimated 6% difference in pay between male and female quotas at this level of responsibility.

Another feature related to the experience, they are older (49 years on average) than high wages (45 years) and that all employees (40 years). Only 16% of them are under 40 years.Finally, nearly one in two lives in West Paris, in the three departments (Paris, Yvelines Hauts-de-Seine) where the head offices of large enterprises.

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Over the last three months of 2009, the bank recorded a net loss after minority interests of 5.196 billion dollars against 2.392 billion a year earlier, or 60 cents per share, while analysts on average expected a loss of 4 , 5 billion, or 52 cents per share. "Certainly it's disappointing loss to publish the fourth quarter. However, it should not overshadow our many successes, "said Brian T. Moynihan, president of Bank of America. Firstly, we repaid the U.S. government. Secondly, we strengthened our balance sheet through securities offerings successful. Finally, all our non-credit operations had a positive impact on our results.

Net banking income (equivalent of sales) of the bank, to 25.076 billion dollars, is also revealed in below expectations of Wall Street analysts who had forecast on average 26.84 billion in free business cards .

Bank of America has suffered a decline in demand for loans and "portfolio management debt" compared to a year ago while its revenue from market activities have strongly rebounded. "We are heartened by the resurgence of the economy for 2010, through the stabilization of our cost of funds. However, economic conditions remain weak and we expect that unemployment continues to rise. This will therefore penalize consumption and growth. "

Friday, JP Morgan Chase announced a net profit of 3.278 billion dollars (2.27 billion euros), a figure four times over the fourth quarter of 2008. Net banking income (equivalent to the turnover) amounted to 23.164 billion dollars over the same period against 17.226 billion in 2008. Levels well below expectations of analysts who had forecast at 26.2 billion. Tuesday, Citigroup posted a net loss of nearly 1, 6 billion against $ 27.6 billion in 2008.

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These measures will "respond to the lessons of the crisis in the regulation, supervision and risk management of banks," said the committee.

The proposals for capital and liquidity will strengthen the banks and create a financial banking system and healthier, "said the chairman, Nout Wellink, who is also president of the Dutch Central Bank.

It is, however, that a "consultation document" and not a final text, recalled Wednesday a spokesman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, including hosting meetings.

The 27 "wise men" had already announced in early July an increase of Basel II, introduced in 2004 and requiring banks with a capital ratio weighted overall risk incurred by financial institutions.

Avoiding a new "Lehman Brothers"

To avoid the disastrous consequences of a new financial crisis including the collapse of financial institutions of systemic importance, as the bankruptcy of U.S. bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008, the Basel Committee grilled for several months on a building rules governing the banking sector.

In his new proposals, the committee wants to strengthen the quality and transparency of the core capital Tier 1 (core capital of a bank), allowing institutions to better absorb potential losses.

He also wants to improve the level of capital to protect facilities including activities on derivatives and repos (repos).

Debt ratio

Banks should also establish a ratio of debt to contain their debt, financial buffers to cope with difficult situations and a minimum level of liquidity.

The impact of these measures on the sector should be analyzed in the first half of 2010 with the aim to introduce by the end of 2012.

The committee, founded in 1974 and composed of the governors of 27 central banks worldwide, "will ensure that the implementation of new standards is consistent with the financial market stability and sustainable economic growth," assured Nout Wellink.

Central bankers also want to introduce a period of tolerance and accompanying measures "for a period sufficiently long to allow a smooth transition to new standards.

Lehman Barclays accuses of having been awarded some $ 7 billion of assets in excess of the transaction, plus 5 billion once the sale is concluded.

In its complaint, the U.S. bank, which had declared bankruptcy in September 15, 2008 following the subprime crisis and the refusal of the U.S. state to help, now wants to make as Barclays Lehman "all profits obtained improperly, and damages. Among its charges, including Lehman puts into question the role of several of its leaders at the time who took part in the transaction before joining Barclays Capital.

The group Q-Cells said the decline coupled turnover and results by falling prices of photovoltaic cells, a background of economic crisis and increased competition from Chinese manufacturers, which enjoy much lower costs and massive government aid programs.

The Conergy Group, number two German industry has recorded its share down 41% of its sales in the third quarter while its counterpart Phoenix Solar, which specializes in installing solar panels on the roofs of buildings, revised downward its forecast for growth in turnover.

The Chinese group JA Solar is one of those who profit from the current weakness of its European competitors. With a volume of record quarterly shipments, the Asian group could return to profitability in the third quarter.

To adapt to this changing market, Q-Cells, as rival Norwegian Renewable Energy, has already started to transfer Asian part of its production to reduce costs.

Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the action Q-Cells lost 3.86% to 10.93 euros in mid-session while Phoenix Solar yielded 4.88% to 35.10 euros.Conergy was also in the red, falling 2.53% to 0.77 euros.

The group specializes in electronics and home appliances has announced a turnover of 5.62 billion euros, down 11% over third quarter 2008 but slightly above the consensus.It appears in net up 19% compared to sales of second quarter 2009.

Net profit reached 176 million euros, three times that of the same period in 2008 while analysts by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast about 45 million euro loss.

In the statement released Monday, Gerard Kleisterlee, president of Philips, notes the significant improvement in sales and profits in most of its activities in the previous quarter but remains cautious on the outlook in the short term absence of structural recovery on these same markets. The Philips Group employs 118,000 people in sixty countries and has made 26 billion euros in turnover in 2008.

After Philips, Electrolux is another giant appliances, which will publish its results in the day.The U.S. aluminum producer Alcoa opened the quarterly earnings season last Wednesday with results exceeding consensus expectations. This week should be decisive on the equity markets with the simultaneous publication of several large U.S. banks such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup Wednesday and Thursday.