Sundial of world news

LE FIGARO. – What are the priorities for action at the beginning of five-year term?

Jean-Hervé Lorenzi. – There are some major issues to be addressed, regardless of the choices made for the French president. First, the prospect of giving in Europe. Let me explain: there must be a stronger coordination to balance growth models. This is the theory of locomotives; the country the less constrained, namely Germany, must release the brakes a little. For its consumption is a little stronger – its economy is mainly based on exports – it must distribute a little more to its employees. The industry unions are negotiating wage increases important, it will have to be accelerating. All other countries will benefit.

We must then, in one way or another, build on the strength of our youth. Today, public transfers contribute massively oldest populations. Levers to create a genuine youth policy are needed.

And on the forehead of public finances?

Must obviously stay the course that was announced (back to 3% public deficit in 2013) and make great efforts to achieve this. However, I think we should stop the mechanical reduction of public spending. Give responsibility to government for whatever it is they that determine the sources of savings seems a much more effective reform.

In addition, we must put our whole flat tax system, including the CSG include in income tax. This will stop saying that half of French people do not pay taxes!

What are the pitfalls that the new government should avoid?

Too much tax businesses, real wealth creation in our country. Beware, do not have an inaccurate view of the profitability of French firms. Companies, including the CAC 40, have little room. INSEE recently reminded us that the margin of the French non-financial corporations fell in 2011 to its lowest level since 1985, to 29.1%. That's why they do not invest and does not create jobs. It is also because of the problem of profitability that our businesses do not grow and that the Hexagon has only 1200 midsize (ETI), where it would need at least 5000.

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Mark Zuckerberg continues to be talked about. After making Friday, one of the largest IPOs in putting on the market shares of his company Facebook, the young entrepreneur of 28 years announced his marriage … on his Facebook profile!

It has indeed marry in an intimate Saturday in Palo Alto, California, his girlfriend Priscilla Chan long. According to People magazine, the couple had decided to get married four months ago and the guests were surprised because they initially believed that the party was in honor of the bride who has just obtaining his medical degree.

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have both published the photo on the social network. The opportunity to see that, for once, the young man had abandoned his usual hoodie for a dark blue suit and tie.

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The lake has almost caught fire Thursday in Zurich. The traditional meeting of the shareholders of UBS has turned into a quiet but determined fight. The shareholders of the largest financial institution Swiss have strongly criticized the remuneration policy of the group, before voting 36% against it.

Lengthy explanations of President Kaspar Villiger have done anything to calm the discontented. The welcome bonus of 2 million Swiss francs (1.66 million), booked his designated successor, former Bundesbank President Axel Weber, was singled out. After the trading loss of $ 2.2 billion last fall, bonuses for market operators and their representatives also shocked. The vote is only advisory, but Kaspar Villiger was assured that the bank "takes this result seriously."

Executive Officer of UBS expected to live a difficult meeting. After four years of crisis, which results in the lowest equity valuations, bank shareholders, the U.S. and Europe are growing impatient. Everywhere, the remuneration is in sight. And for the first time, the challenge of these salaries and bonuses to seven figures than the man in the street. Driven by consulting firms or foundations, as Ethos and Actares Switzerland, institutional shareholders, insurers and large pension funds amounted to turn the tone against these huge salaries.

Last week, Credit Suisse, 31.6% of shareholders voted against the plan and executive compensation. Only 23% opposed it a year earlier. Meanwhile, the wage paid to Brady Dougan, the chief American institution, had been halved, 5.8 million Swiss francs (4.8 million) in 2011 against 12.8 million a year earlier. Over the same period, the share value has fallen by 41%. The same day, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Barclays faced a protest vote by 26.9%, still on the part of remuneration guaranteed pay day loans.

Opposition all the more remarkable that management hoped to have cleared the situation by announcing a week before the general meeting that the executive directors and financial, Bob Diamond and Chris Lucas, would submit half of their 2011 bonuses to performance targets . Originally, Bob Diamond would receive 17.7 million pounds (nearly 22 million euros). The bank chairman, Marcus Agius, has "apologized (to shareholders) and promised that we will move differently in the future."

No vote in France

At the Citigroup, the reaction was even more severe: 55% of shareholders refused to pay $ 15 million promised to the Director, Vikram Pandit, after two years paid a salary by a dollar. This vote was, once again, not binding, the subjects of remuneration remain the prerogative of the board. But the impact in terms of image is of course considerable. Executive Officer of Citigroup has promised to "take seriously the shareholder vote and to consider carefully their remarks."

These votes on compensation plans have gradually imposed from Britain to all OECD countries. Only France is still resistance. "While employers have everything to gain by legitimizing their remuneration, French companies are now the only ones in Europe not to submit payments of their leaders to a general vote of the shareholders," said Pierre-Henri Leroy and President Proxinvest, the French agency governance analysis. The subject was asked in the presidential campaign. Nicolas Sarkozy has declared in favor of a shareholder vote on pay. Francois Hollande has not explicitly expressed on the subject.

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In the daily press Lorraine, Nicolas Sarkozy stood this weekend against the attitude of union CFDT ArcelorMittal Florange. "As for the permanent of the CFDT, they betray the trust of employees, has accused President. They came to insult me ​​and try to break my campaign headquarters. Do not confuse the employees of ArcelorMittal, that I will not let go, and trade unionists who are misleading their members by making policy instead of defending the interests of employees. "

The position of the Inter, which includes the CFDT but also the CGT and FO, was clearly inflected in February, when ArcelorMittal's management confirmed that the blast furnaces would restart Florange does not in the second quarter. February 16, Edward Martin, representative of the CFDT in Florange, stated the following: "Florange be the nightmare of government." Similarly, the Inter visited March 15 at the headquarters of candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, although Edward Martin rejects absolutely any act of violence.

"Our members are worried"

Proof of this political positioning, "the CFE-CGC withdrew from the Inter Florange mid-March, because our union wants to totally apolitical," said Francois Pagano, CFE-CGC Section Florange. "Our members are also very concerned about this policy orientation," he says again.

Concern that does not detract from the representativeness of the CFDT and the Inter Florange. In the last elections, in January 2011, the CFDT has confirmed its position as the union on the site. And three members of the Inter unions represent no less than 75% of the vote with a turnout of over 90%!

"On Steel"

Their attitude now very policy may be explained partly by the proximity of the presidential election but also by the discouragement with the government of some trade unionists, still marked by the permanent closure of Gandhinagar in 2009 business card. Result: claims very close to the program of Francois Hollande: "We want the government to ban any dismantling of the site and seeks an industrial partner to take it back," he explains, while participating in a "march of steel ", which covers about twenty employees and must lead them in Paris on April 6.

Except that Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of the steel group, is not this in mind closing the entire site. If restarting the blast furnace is in no way guaranteed, ArcelorMittal announced, as reiterated Nicolas Sarkozy, 17 million euro investment in the coking plant, upstream of blast furnaces, and finishing, downstream. Ads that perpetuate these activities for several years.

The risk of claims is that they are too political cons-productive futures. The example of Liege, whose furnaces have permanently closed at the end of last year, is not reassuring. A report commissioned by the Walloon region and explained earlier this year that "unions have adopted an approach almost exclusively protest, based on the challenge of any permanent changes, the systematic use of the strike, protest against any change in method work (…) which discouraged all the intentions of successive shareholders. "

A risk which seem aware, however stakeholders Lorraine: "There were only four days of blocking the site, precise and Edward Martin. And the plant has resumed normal operations for several weeks. "An information confirmed by ArcelorMittal.

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February was without much panache to the French national dailies. Sales of five of the eight titles of general information and sports have registered a decrease, France paid for a mailing of 1.6 million copies in total daily average, according to OJD, the supervisory body the press.

Among GPs, Le Figaro has kept its position as the leading national daily, to 330,725 copies, a slight increase (0.66%), followed by Le Monde, down 5.22%, to 279,455 copies. Sports daily Amaury Group, The Équipechute 8.8%, to 253,766 copies. Desechos sales, now only business daily since the demise of the print edition of The Tribune, have scraped 0.6%. After a strong month in January (5.7%), those of Libérationont declined 2%.  

Louis Dreyfus, chief executive of Le Monde, explains its poor performance against the election campaign, he said "less than the previous carrier," and the establishment of a retirement plan at Printing World which resulted work stoppages, "which made us miss sales in Paris and the provinces." But, conversely, the new format of the weekend's evening paper, enriched with three supplements and renovated a magazine, launched in September, is bearing fruit, with a circulation up 5% year on year , "despite an increase in the sale price low interest rate personal loans."

A new journal for tablets

Maintaining a price of 0.90 euro for weeks in Francea Today, however, allowed the national edition of Le Parisien, also in the Amaury group, earn 6.3%, to 167,890 copies, after a 14.6% jump in January, mainly due to a favorable base effect, the weather in January 2011 having lost many sales quotidien.Aujourd 'hui in Franceest focused by the judgment of the paper edition of France Soirdepuis mid-December 2011. 

For its part, says his Team in February by a slippage rate of migration to digital readership faster than in the general press, by an unfavorable base effect linked to the victory of the France team handball to World Championships in February 2011, and the cancellation of the match France-Ireland Six Nations on 12 February.

"The sports news has been sparse," said Francois Morinière, Group Chief Executive Team, which gives priority to develop its digital sales. His group will launch in May, just before the tournament at Roland Garros, a new 100% digital newspaper for reading on tablet.

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The New York Stock Exchange fell back slightly on Wednesday at the opening after a strong rebound. The Dow Jones lost 0.40% to 10,775 points in early trade and the Nasdaq, 0.72% to 2387 points. The New York Stock Exchange has signed a dramatic rebound Tuesday late in the session, erasing the last minute the heavy losses earlier as a result of fears of default of Greece.

Specialists Aurel BGC, the violent rebound index in the last fifteen minutes of the session on Wall Street is mainly due to the information leaked after the meeting of economic ministers of the European Union . European Commissioner for Economic Affairs has indeed mentioned in an interview with the Financial Times, a European plan to recapitalize banks."We share a growing opinion that we need a concerted, coordinated in Europe," he said, "the capital of European banks should be strengthened to give them a safety margin and so reduce uncertainty "in markets.

Degradation of the note of Italy by Moody's did not stop the European stock markets to begin the session in the green and should have little impact on Wall Street.

However, the pessimistic forecasts of the IMF could influence the trend.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Wednesday that he did not rule out a recession in the world in 2012, facing a possible reversal of the activity.

According to analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald, the market is also beginning to show some resistance, "because the corporate earnings season is about to begin, that most economic indicators were positively surprised."

The president of the U.S. central bank, Ben Bernanke, warned that employment growth could be "sluggish" for some time, but said the institution was "ready to take additional measures" to support the economy.Ben Bernanke, who testified in Washington before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, also called on parliamentarians to provide savings in the medium and long term, but to "avoid taking fiscal measures may impede the ongoing economic recovery," and They were asked to complete the action of the central bank.

United States, on the macroeconomic front, hirings rose slightly in September in the private sector in the United States, according to the monthly survey of the consulting firm HR ADP pay day loan lenders. Private companies have created 91,000 net jobs, in seasonally adjusted data, or 2% more than in August said ADP.Investors also expect the ISM at 16:00 in services and at 16:30 the traditional weekly report on oil stocks.

Oil markets, fell sharply Tuesday after the courses are starting to rebound on Wednesday morning. The Brent North Sea crude for November delivery gained 1.67 dollars to 101.46 dollars. A barrel of "light sweet crude for November delivery was appreciating his side of 1.91 dollars to 77.58 dollars. On the foreign exchange market, the euro is trading at 1.3292 dollar per ounce of gold is trading at 1628 dollars.

BNY Mellon in the sights of New York

The side of values, the State of New York filed a complaint Tuesday against the establishment of New York Mellon Bank (-3.67% to 18.13 dollars) to have overcharged transactions on foreign exchange markets and wants to recover nearly two billion dollars.For ten years, "instead of providing the best interbank rates as he promised," the institution makes money "by cashing the difference between the worst rate of the day, it charged its customers, and the price current market transactions at the time, "said the office.

Hewlett-Packard (0.04% to 23.03 dollars) should take a decision on its PC division in late October, according to CEO Meg Whitman cited by Reuters.

Yum! Brands (-0.22% to 49.33 dollars), which owns chains Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, whose figures stand out as a leading indicator of economic conditions in the United States, reported a third quarter benefit of $ 383 million above expectations. Sales rose 14% to $ 3.3 billion.CEO David Novak said: "Our margins in China were up 7% in the quarter with a jump of 29% of sales, excluding the impact of changes. (…) This tremendous growth in sales, combined with our forecast high of 600 restaurant openings, makes us confident in the strength of our business model in China. "For the full year, the group now its forecast 12% growth in profits before exceptional items.

Apple (-2.11% to 364.64 dollars), which introduced the iPhone Tuesday 4S, the fifth generation of its multi-functional phone, with a more powerful processor than its predecessor and a new system would also voice commands be observed.

It is half a relief to senior citizens out of work. Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand said Monday on RMC and BFM TV partial restoration of the retirement equivalent allowance (REA) abolished on 1 January. At a cost of 1000 euros per month maximum, this aid was a replacement income for the unemployed who have reached the required number of quarters, but not the legal age of retirement.

Established in 2002, the EAR allowed these people, who generally have started working very early, wait until they receive a full pension. Its removal has the financial difficulties some 40,000 people who benefited and who have seen their incomes for many fall by half.Most do in fact perceive more than the specific solidarity allowance, amounting to 467 euros maximum.

"Poor"

As the government had already hinted in September, the retirement allowance equivalent will be restored retroactively from July, but on narrower grounds. The device now called "transitional allowance of solidarity" will concern only those born between July 1951 and December 1953 or, as determined by the Department of Labor, about 11,000 people. It is designed primarily for senior citizens affected by the pension reform adopted last year, which pushes for four months a year the legal age of retirement, from 1 July.

The disbursements are therefore not the same: the retirement allowance equivalent relieve the coffers of more than 200 million euros a year according to the unions, when the new version should not cost more than 30 million. "This is clearly insufficient, responded on Monday the association against the removal of the AER. It ensured the precarious for more than 30,000 people. " "We find that inuspportable employees with a full career are found in social minimum," adds Laurent Berger, in charge of employment at the CFDT.

The decree establishing this recovery, however, should be published in the coming weeks. The issue is even more sensitive than the unemployment of older workers continues to widen, inflating the number of employees who would have been entitled to the allowance equivalent withdrawal before its reform.According to the latest figures released by the Dares, 560,300 people over age 50 were unemployed in August, a number up 13.5% year on year.

The numbers are chilling. Since the crisis began in 2009, the number of people who have committed suicide has doubled in Greece, according to figures from the Ministry of Health echoed by the Wall Street Journal. The first five months of the year, there were even 40% of suicides and more over the same period last year. These figures are especially impressive that according to the Greek statistical authorities, the suicide rate in Greece was among the lowest in the EU between 1990 and 2009.

Unemployment, inability to repay its debts are as many explanations for these gestures of despair paydayloans. According to figures from National Bank of Greece, the unemployment rate has doubled over two years, more than 16%. "This is the illustration that rigor is not the solution to revive Greece, says Céline Antonin, an economist at the French Office of Economic Conditions.Rigor leads to recession and the social crisis. Asphyxiant in households (higher taxes, lower wages …), the country will lose an engine to boost growth. "
A general transport strike was called on Thursday in Athens. "The Greek airport is not for sale" it said.

Constellium officials selected by employees angry at the site of Ham (Somme), where the group wants to remove aluminum processing positions 127 to 200, escaped in the night from Friday to Saturday, it was learned union source.

Leaders, sequestered since Friday morning, "ran away", taking advantage of a "diversion" at the time of the visit of an officer of the gendarmerie about 2 o'clock in the morning to rush into an opening cut in a grid Site of manufacture of aluminum profiles, told AFP Merel, CFTC trade union representative (majority).

Among them was the president of this event for the world Constellium, Paul Warton, the director for France, Hervé Pelcerf and two leaders of the site of Ham. A fifth person, human resources manager of the site originally chosen, was released in the meantime by the employees, saidMerelle.

"Employees are disgusted by the attitude of management"

"A police commander came to see us, it was a meeting, and during that time, on the other side of the factory, they made an operation by cutting the fence and access to Brush the path payday loans. They were out there, the union said. Employees are disgusted by the attitude of management, "he said.

"There is no dialogue.We received no concrete progress "while the unions are demanding the continuation of the site and support a project of re-industrialization of the site, which received the value of an investment fund, but was rejected by Constellium, has he lamented.

Employees of the site of Ham, threatened by a social plan announced in February eliminating 127 jobs due to the shutdown of one of the two presses aluminum site, had enjoyed a visit Friday morning to Paul Warton the challenge of the future of their factory.

After a stormy meeting, the employees had left the factory had closed the gates with padlocks, locking the five officers who were at that time in the office.

Friday night, an attempt to mediate the sub-prefect had failed, the employees felt that the management proposal, namely to meet for negotiations Monday in a hotel about thirty miles away, was merely dilatory.

The Paris Bourse finally returns to the threshold of 3000 points. On Thursday, the CAC 40 closed up on 3.27% to 3045.62 points. Other European markets follow the same path: Milan ended up 3.56%, 2.11% from London, Frankfurt and Madrid from 3.15% to 3.63%. Wall Street was also in the green fence at the time in Europe.

Investors seem reassured by the willingness of European leaders to develop concrete actions to leave the eurozone its difficulties. Among them is the establishment of an agreement in principle to toughen the Stability Pact and fiscal discipline common in the EU, which provides for sanctions for countries that would leave too lax spinning their deficits. Another reassuring element: the willingness of German and French leaders to avoid an out of Greece in the euro area and the Greek government's determination to break the budget impasse.

Brazil and Russia have also said they were considering a support action. While international solidarity is organized to support Europe, Christine Lagarde since Washington recalled the need for world leaders to "common front" to avoid falling into a global recession will spare "person business card."

These statements on the euro area, combined with bargain hunting, did overshadow the release of mixed U.S. indicators (including the employment front) and European (growth on less-than-expected expected in the second half).

Side values, the banking sector was further illustrated by a sharp rise. Operators have particularly appreciated the decision taken by the central banks of the richest countries to take concerted action to expand the supply of banks in dollars.BNP Paribas is the largest increase in the ACC (13.38% to 30.50 euros). It is followed by Natixis (7.12% to 2.49 euros), Axa (6.49% to 9.89 euros), Credit Agricole (5.89% to 5.52 euros) and Societe Generale ( 5.44% to 18.33 euros). The area was not affected by the announcement of the massive fraud that hit UBS.

Another day value, LVMH, which climbed 3.44% to 115.65 euros after announcing choosing Jordi Constans, come to Danone, to succeed Yves Carcelle at the head of Louis Vuitton in 2013.

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