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Posts Tagged ‘economics’
Swatch warns competitors
Saturday, March 13th, 2010Released crisis: OECD insists on reducing deficits
Friday, March 12th, 2010When and how to get out of recovery plans without jeopardizing the fragile economic recovery? If Obama Administration believes the time has come to reduce public spending, the Europeans are driven by the market to tighten their belts. A timetable for ending the crisis is the agenda of the next Ecofin. The OECD can only be welcomed.
In a report presented Wednesday, the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development calls for post-crisis "progressive" and "contact" who favor reducing deficits, without neglecting the structural reforms essential to future growth. "The global recession has left deep scars," said Secretary General Angel Gurria. The OECD estimated at 3% of GDP the impact of the crisis on the potential long-term growth."The only way to begin to heal the wounds is to take steps now that will allow our economies to regain their lost growth potential," added Angel Gurria.
For rich countries, priority will be to reduce the deficit while fighting against unemployment. The equation means that reforms focusing on the rate of employment rather than productivity. Each state must first stop gradually according to budgetary margins and recovery, the outstanding public support, including aid industry as the premium breaks or the financing of major infrastructure works cheap payday advance .
Carbon tax and VAT
To reduce deficits, we must act on spending and taxes. "We recommend targeted actions," said chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan.Be careful not to touch the most productive expenditure in education and health research and development.
On the fiscal side, the OECD recommends that taxes do not jeopardize the long-term growth, such as the carbon tax to "encourage the development of a more sustainable economy and contribute to the well-being of citizens."
Another tip: it is better to tax consumption rather than labor income or corporate profits. And act quickly. "If we want fiscal consolidation in 2011, policy measures must be taken now," says the chief economist of the OECD Pier Carlo Padoan. The most indebted countries, like Greece, are requested to take urgent and radical action, to borrow at lower cost.The OECD has welcomed yesterday the plan of austerity Portugal, who combined tax increases and wage freezes for staff.
On the monetary side, the OECD recommends withdrawal of the measures "Unconventional" credit assistance, but without higher interest rates in the short term because there is "no inflation pressures in countries more industrialized.
ECB: Greece will "in the right direction"
Thursday, February 4th, 2010No surprises from Frankfurt. The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday left its main interest rate unchanged at 1%. Earlier, the Bank of England also announced the continuation of its policy rate at 0.5%.
In March the Governing Council of the ECB "will take decisions on (…) a gradual lifting of the measures of liquidity [in support of banks] who are no longer as necessary as in the past," said Jean-Claude Trichet at a press conference.
Long awaited on the subject of Greece, Jean-Claude Trichet has held that the fiscal savings by Greece are "not in the right direction.""We are confident in the ability of Greece will take all decisions necessary to achieve the objective" of a deficit below 3% of GDP by 2012, said President of the ECB personal business card . No exceptions will be made for any area countries, "he said.
While Portugal and Spain in turn disturb markets, Jean-Claude Trichet reiterated that it was "crucial" that all countries "respect strictly the exit procedures for excessive deficits."
"According to the International Monetary Fund, the overall deficit of the euro area will rise to 6%", said Jean-Claude Trichet. "The United States will be at 10%, Japan is also at 10%.(…) A more flattering comparison for the euro area! Nevertheless, we exhibit unabsence total of convenience "in the direction of monetary policy," he said.
The Paris Bourse expected in the green
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010The Paris Bourse is expected in the green Tuesday. At just under two hours of opening, the Index Future CAC 40 gained 0.64% to 3979 points. The previous day, investors had concluded in Paris on the first day of the week in the green despite a sluggish trend in Asian places. The negative close on Wall Street Friday was forgotten (Monday, the U.S. places were closed due to holiday).
As for statistics, several publications are expected. The market index monitor consumer prices in December in Britain at 10:30 and the barometer of the financial German ZEW at 11am. Overseas will be issued at 16h index of investor confidence as measured by State Street.After exchange, the Americans 19h to unveil the long awaited housing market index, the National Association of Home Builders.
On the corporate side, the markets could be affected by the release of fourth quarter results from Citigroup to 14h. Friday, disappointing trial results from JP Morgan had weighed on the markets of Paris. IBM will release its results after the market closes.
Distributors monitored
Casino was released Monday after market its figures for the fourth quarter of 2009. The group has announced a turnover of 7.32 billion euros over the period, in line with expectations. But sales were lower in France.In its wake, the reaction of other distributors is expected.
Vinci said Monday night having won, in cooperation with the British Morgan is a contract of 476 million euros for the construction of a tunnel for stormwater and sewage to east London. The contract was awarded by Thames Water, the incumbent of the London waters, and will be shared equally between Vinci and the construction group Morgan Est.
GDF Suez said Monday in a statement that discussions toward an agreement with International Power had failed.
Guyenne et Gascogne has announced a turnover in the fourth quarter of 2009 rose 2.4% to 151.3 million euros. For the full year 2009, sales fell by 0.4% to 582.4 million euros.
Soitec has issued a revenue decrease of 9.3% in the third quarter and anticipates a fall limited to less than 10% for sales throughout the year.
The market also anticipates publications for 18h, after market, Alstom (turnover for the third quarter), Accor (fourth quarter), Faiveley (third quarter) and Seb (fourth quarter).
Sarkozy: "I believe in voluntarism"
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010In 2009, France "has avoided the worst," said President Nicolas Sarkozy during the presentation of his wishes to the economic forces at Cholet, on Wednesday. The Head of State recalled that "a year ago, we were among the worst crisis since the 30s.
If "we have avoided the worst, because we made the right decisions despite the controversy," he claimed. "For six months, growth has returned."
These decisions were taken because "I believe in volunteerism, has hammered the head of state. We must "regulate capitalism to create the right conditions for our prosperity," he said, praising "dialogue and reconciliation."
"No French has seen its savings challenged. No financial institution has gone bankrupt, "he said. "I made a commitment: that the support plan for banks will not cost anything to the French."Better still, the plan "has reported 2 billion euros to the French government by interest" donated by the aided institutions.
Nicolas Sarkozy also attacked the "Malthusian" raging in France, "idea that we could reduce unemployment by sharing work", a reference to 35 hours. He also taunted "the illusion that the decline would be the only solution to preserve the environment."
More to come …
The A400M is ready for takeoff
Friday, December 11th, 2009Finally. With a year and a half years behind its original schedule, the Airbus A400M military must conduct its first test flight Friday morning. Unless last-minute incident, the aircraft must fly 10 hours to Seville in Spain, where the manufacturer assembles this revolutionary turboprop. The inaugural flight of 3 hours has been entrusted to a team of six people two pilots, one British and one Spanish and French sailors four engineers. His captain Edward Strongman, formerly of the Royal Air Force.
Successful first flight is approved and gives the start of the certification campaign, is crucial for Airbus. "This will prove that it is not a paper airplane," they say in EADS, parent company of Airbus.
The A400M is the ambition of Europe to develop a force projection troops and heavy equipment independently.The A400M should allow Airbus to enter through the front door on the military aircraft market with a very sophisticated device and without competing in the world who could claim a good career for export. Unlike the tanker, which are derivatives of Airbus A 330 existing civilian, the A400M is a military aircraft and 100% brand new.
Three years behind its delivery schedule
Alongside this first flight, a further meeting to be held also on Friday in Seville to prepare a Council of Ministers of the European Defense involved in the program next December 15. For many months, the countries involved since 2003 in the A400M project negotiating with EADS to lay the groundwork for a new contract. This should have been signed on the day of the first flight. But the negotiations are complex.The A400M accused three years behind its original delivery schedule and its costs have drifted dangerously from the initial investment of 20 billion euros. EADS has already provisioned 2.4 billion euros in its accounts, but the extra cost is estimated at 5 billion euros (as far as the A380). This adds about 40% unit price per unit. According to a new timetable yet informal, Airbus should deliver 3 copies in 2013, 4 in 2014 and 7 in 2015 and an average of 4 from 2016.
At the heart of negotiations, the financial burden-sharing, penalties for delays and the type of contract. EADS can only assume all additional costs, or more than 7 billion euros (with stores already spent) for cash of $ 8 billion.Not only Airbus should abandon the program, but he could no longer finance its future long-haul 350, or the renewal of its range of medium-range Type A 320. This, when the reports of deliveries are switched his cash.
France has already indicated it wanted the new contract is consistent with the budget provided under the Act of Military Program (LPM) 2009-2014. "… The orders do not come will be deferred and spread beyond 2020, said recently Laurent Collet-Billon, Delegate General for Armaments.
Taken hostage by the European political
In April that under the leadership of Hervé Morin, Minister of Defense, European countries have agreed an initial moratorium to save the program. Give it up would create an earthquake in Europe by giving a fatal blow to any future "European defense".Britain had threatened to withdraw. Finally in late July, all countries agreed to open negotiations with EADS. The first contract signed in 2003 is outdated. Client countries reaffirm their full commitment to the project. The A400M will see a disclaimer: South Africa, one of the first export customer, waive and cancel its order for 8 units.
In fact, from the outset, the A400M has been hijacked by European politicians. Launched in the 90s, the project is ambitious. It involves building a revolutionary new aircraft to replace its aging fleet of 180 Franco-German Transall and Hercules American half to 40 years average age. Europe wants to regain expertise it is threatened with losing.Therefore, at the highest political level, countries require Airbus to choose a new turboprop engine a sophisticated 11 000 horses, the largest in the Western world developed by a consortium of European engine. States do not want the solution advocated at the time by Noel Forgeard and his teams: buy an existing Canadian engine developed by Pratt Whitney 1 which is 20% cheaper. London and Berlin demanding that their industries are retained. Otherwise, they threaten not to order the aircraft. The A400M should also meet the expectations of many armies, it is "a white elephant." Another incongruity, the contract is a civilian type each number or equipment must be certified not only defense but also by civil aviation – and the price of the program is fixed once and for all late penalties for industrial Contrary to conventional military contracts.Finally, the timetable is extremely tight, 6 years when no military aircraft was developed in less than ten years.
Besides political pressure, EADS has also suffered "pressure" of his own organization. Since its inception, CASA, the Spanish EADS component required to drive the business and military aircraft not to depend only on the parent when logic would have liked them to be linked to Airbus. "The aircraft has been developed by Airbus Military Spaniards who had not the industrial dimension to add a device as complex, and engineering was in Toulouse," said one expert dossier. Louis Welsh, president of EADS, has put a stop to this ineffective organization and Airbus Military has been taken over and placed in orbit Airbus.
Estrosi supports Proglio on remuneration
Friday, November 27th, 2009Christian Estrosi, Minister of Industry, was set for the newly elected CEO of EDF, Henri Proglio, France 2 on the grounds of the legitimacy of his "wage request". This has indeed said Monday in the columns of the newspaper Les Echos wish to retain a level of pay similar to that which he received in private.
"If I could keep the income level I had at Veolia, it seems to me that this is not shocking in itself for a company that weighs 70 billion public offering" was well justified Henri Proglio.
Asked about the pay, Christian Estrosi said it must "show a little courage if we are to have the best captains of industry to lead our largest companies.Henri Proglio "accept new responsibilities higher" and "refers simply does not occur at a pay level lower," continued the Minister.
The debate on the remuneration of the new CEO of EDF had already been opened November 5 last, when the Minister of Economy Christine Lagarde was assured that Henri Proglio not accrue more and pay only perceive as president of 'EDF.