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During the month of August, when all friends are gone on vacation, a feeling of loneliness can soon make its appearance. That's why the site RentaFriend chose the summer to offer its services in the United Kingdom and France. Since last July on the other side of the Channel in recent days on the canvas hex, this website offers to rent an American friend in the true sense of the word.

For a subscription of 19 euros per month, or 54 euros per year, the site provides access to a database containing the profiles and contact information of 283,000 men and women worldwide. These people, they register for free, detailing their name, age, place of residence but also hobbies and passions. The 2500 subscribers can then contact them by email or telephone to offer them to accompany them to the restaurant, cinema, for a stroll, a VIP or travel.

The company to 8 euros per hour

If no tariff is imposed, the friend offers to rent usually a base price of 8 euros per hour. The latter, for which all costs are borne by the person who contacted him, pocketed the entire sum at the end of the day. The site itself, survives financially through paid subscription for access to the base coordinates. "The site is profitable," says founder Scott Rosenbaum.

According to the American version of RentaFriend, launched in October 2009, it has been the rental of their friendship their daily livelihood. "If you charge $ 20 an hour and you work three days a week, you can make $ 1,920 a month. If you work full time at the same hourly rate, you can reap USD 3,200 a month, "promises the site. "There is no obligation to be friends with anyone.You decide which bind with a friendship, how much you charge and how long you want to work. You make all the rules! You're the boss! ".

"A new way to meet people"

This type of site is already paying friendlies in Japan, where the archipelago are at least a dozen. RentaFriend exports so the project in Europe. From what to wear uncomfortable associations fighting against loneliness. "The idea of connecting people who feel alone with others is positive because the latter do not occur. But it would be better if it was not paid. The danger in this scenario to be in a relationship distorted trade, while the need to promote human relations, "says Peter Villelongue, association, St. Vincent de Paul who fight against the phenomenon.

"I think people do not fully grasp the concept.Nearly 90% of members are not alone, or depressed. The evidence shown, "defends Scott Rosenbaum facing controversy. "The most common use is that of finding a local friend to play the guide during a trip or looking for dialogue for learning languages. People buy the company, they lease time another person for a specific purpose. Scott Rosenbaum said he also "stunned" by the debate provoked by RentaFriend since its launch in Europe: "I thought the U.S. was prudish and that other countries were more relaxed," wryly creator of the site.

Pinned on the risks of sexual abuses, Scott Rosenbaum scans again the critics: "Every profile is manually checked and we have a system of alerts that words allow us to act. Anyway, there are thousands of website offering sex on the Internet.There is no reason for an individual to try on RentaFriend.

For the rest, Scott Rosenbaum is confident. "I was approached by organizations and private funds but for now, I'm not looking for investors. However, if someone is interested in buying, I'm willing to listen to offers, "he says. Meanwhile, the young man of 30 years is an international coverage by the end of the year. "People should open their minds and see the benefits they can derive rather than judge, consider til.

Life insurance quotes are the major means of calculating whether the rate of return is going to be worth the initial outlay.

G20 warned. Beware of excessive rigor. That's good, the government has always had something in horror. Rigor. However, in the fall, it will be many rigorous measures to be announced. Nonetheless, France has heard this message. This Sunday, at the Economic Forum, held annually the weekend by the Circle of economists, Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, has found a new formula. The "ri-lance, a mixture of rigor and recovery. "Renewal or rigor, this is not a choice, not a Gordian knot for me," she said.The economic policy that we are in France now is a political ri-lance.

So precisely what does she mean by "ri-lance? This is a "delicate balance which is really to reduce public spending where it will be less painful for the prospect of reviving economic activity," she says.

Another question: how to implement it? "We must carry out fundamental reforms such as pension reform and revitalize the economy by insisting on nvestments and innovation.

Reducing public expenditure without forgetting to relaunch growth. Such is the creed of the government, which needs to 100 billion euros in savings in three years and above who expects growth of 2.5% in 2011 as in 2012.Ambitious requires a real fight economic policy and especially a real global coordination.

The last summit of the G20 in Canada had indeed left a clear dissonance in this area between Europeans and Americans. They demanded that the Europeans do not all implement the same time austerity plans, fearing for U.S. growth.

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The G20 warns against excessive rigor

The rating agency Fitch announced Monday after the close of stock markets in Europe, it lowered the ratings of BNP Paribas. The first French bank by market value was previously the club closed their highly rated by Fitch, AA sharing a favorite with the British HSBC and Spain's Santander. But the rating agency, BNP Paribas can not be "comfortable" among this circle of elected officials. The bank is degraded to AA – with a stable outlook.

The share "fairly important" for investment banking activities, deteriorating asset quality in 2009 and capital ratios slightly below the others behind this disgrace. Santander and HSBC show, in turn, limited contributions from their market activities."BNP Paribas continues to demonstrate its ability to cope with the pressures that affect the financial sector, especially European banks, and diversification is good," says Fitch, however.

The European Commission has just been estimated in March that the forecasts were too optimistic France and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last Thursday to consider that they might lead to "a significant underestimation" of efforts to reduce the deficit to 3% of GDP in 2013, Paris had no intention of yielding to pressures coming from all sides on its growth forecast and react hastily to the scaling back.

While the government expects growth of 2.5% in 2011 as in 2012, Christine Lagarde, who was Sunday guest of Grand Jury RTL-LCI-Le Figaro, said Bercy maintained that figure. "It is perhaps a bit daring.But this does not mean that I do not think so because when we have breaks in growth, as we had last year, it rebounded the following year generally stronger than that which was anticipated, "Christine Lagarde has justified, that speaks of" a spring that tightens "…

Nevertheless, "it is too early in the year," to decide to revise the forecast, says she. "Wait and see the results of second quarter results that I hope good." The growth figure for the second quarter will be published in August.Traditionally, this publication – which comes in full preparation of the draft budget law – leads to changes in assumptions of growth for the next year payday loans.

Commitments savings firm and final

If she wants to be proactive, Christine Lagarde, however, not only closes the door to such a review. Paris will pose the question "to fall," said the minister.

This will be a real challenge for public finances. For the equation becomes perilous Paris counts on the 2.5% growth to get him some 35 billion euros in tax revenues to enable it to meet part of 100 billion euros that represents a return to 3% deficit in 2013.If it is not there you will have to find more savings.

One thing is certain: "The commitments we made in terms of economy of expenditure and intervention are firm and final," said Christine Lagarde.

In short, the government must conduct a struggle of economic policy. Christine Lagarde, who just celebrated three years as head of the Department of Economics, said he was ready to continue to assume. While circulating the idea of a reshuffle in September, "it is the President of the Republic to decide what the best players at the right time. If I am useful for the France team, I am available to the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. Has it Matignon in sight? "Certainly not! Answered Christine Lagarde. The French economy and employment deserve I spend all my energy. "

New waves of turbulence on Thursday on European equity markets. At closing, the ACC has sold 2.25% to 3432 points in trading volume of over 4.43 billion euros. The London Stock Exchange lost 1.55% at the same time, while the German Dax loose more than 2.2%. Already strained by the very repetition frictions between Paris and Berlin, investors have been demoralized by a poor U.S. statistics: registration weekly unemployment rose against all odds, for the first time since early April in the U.S. during the weeks to 15 May, against 471,000 446,000 the previous week, according to the Department of Labor.

The euro goes down quickly and found $ 1.23, after having taken the day 1.5% up to 1.2414 dollar.The rebound came after the sharp decline of the single currency in the night from Tuesday to Thursday, which has pushed the euro to a new four year more, to 1.2144 dollar.

Christine Lagarde did not hesitate to take the opposite view Thursday of Germany, stating, in contrast to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the euro was "absolutely not" in danger. She also criticized the German ban of short selling of certain financial products, described as "questionable, because there was no prior discussion."

But on substance, they are two different philosophies that are expressed on both sides of the Rhine, experts say, vis-à-vis the economy and Europe: the quasi-religious cult of stability and solidity Monetary and fiscal policy in Germany; tradition of state intervention and boost growth and employment in France.Since the beginning of the crisis in Greek, the largest economy in the euro area has a position of accused in Europe, having been slow to rally to the idea of a bailout.

His German counterpart, said this morning in the Financial Times that he considers the markets "really out of control" and advocates more regulation. Taboos have been broken yet for Germany, as the intervention of the European Central Bank (ECB) in the support system put in place or the rescue of a country in the euro area. And the crisis has, according to experts, everyone take a step towards each other.

L'Oreal stands

On the values front, two titles show up on the CAC 40. This is L'Oreal (2.17%) and France Telecom (+0.10%).

As for cuts, is Alcatel Lucent is the most penalized (-6%), to Vallourec, Arcelor Mittal.

On the SBF 120, it appears as Soitec the red lantern (-9.26% to 8.60 euros): the producer of silicon on insulator for the semiconductor industry confirmed its forecast return to operating breakeven this year, Concentrix off after a current operating loss reduced during the second half of 2009-2010.

In addition, Air France-KLM (-2.12% to 9.40 euros) confirmed anticipate a return to operational balance in 2010-2011 after posting record losses after an exercise she calls it himself as "annus horribilis." Franco Dutch airline, which renounces propose an annual dividend, also undergoes an early exercise sealed by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjöll.

Credit Agricole (-3.07% to 9.09 euros) was no surprise on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Jean-Marie Sander as his successor Rene Carron as president of the bank, marking the arrival of a new tandem leaders the head of the listed vehicle of mutual group.

Sanofi-Aventis (-1.25% to 47.38 euros): Brazil has given the green light to redeem Medley by the pharmaceutical company for 500 million euros.

The Board of Directors and the two main shareholders of Sperian have agreed to repurchase the company specialized in personal protective equipment by the industry group American Honeywell for $ 1.4 billion. The shares are still suspended from trading.

Until now, the French have not felt the effects of policy, expenditure control has been conducted since 2007. For the general revision of public policies (RGPP) merely cut in the organization of the state, culminating with the non-replacement of staff on two retiring. After the controversy arose in Spring 2008 when Bercy had failed to dent the map "families," the executive had resigned himself to not touch, or marginally so, the expenses of intervention, ie policy social and wider economic (costs targeted exemptions, housing subsidies, RSA, assisted contracts …) and subsidies (crops, including transport).

Today, given the magnitude of deficits, the government changed its tune.In framing the letter he sent to all departments, Francois Fillon requires a 10% decline in value of intervention expenditure in the period 2011-2013. "To meet the target of freezing government spending-load of debt and pensions, we can not content ourselves to work on the only day operation of departments," said Baroin's entourage, the Minister Budget. In fact, operating expenses, such purchases, computers or real estate, representing less than 20 billion euros, while the operating expenses weigh 67 billion. The Prime Minister had already announced a cut of 10% within the past week. Measurement confirmed in the letter of framing.The extension of this plane to political intervention will save 6 billion more to the state by 2013.

Difficult choices

Remains now to determine exactly where the cuts will take place. Discussions between Bercy and the ministries that will lead to arbitrage mid-June, tight ahead, as the operating expenses are political. Social expenditures account for half wicket. For them, it will take "specific reforms," according to the letter of framing. Minister of Youth, Marc-Philippe Daubresse however assured Wednesday that the criteria for awarding the RIAA will not be changed. The other half of the expenditure is made up of sectoral aid.Transport (including rail network of France), agriculture, housing and culture are on the front line.

"More generally, all departments will freeze all spending," insists one at Bercy. Including, therefore, that of Defence, while the military budget law provided an increase in appropriations. But everything should be done to ensure that capital expenditure are chipped to a minimum.

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New rebound in the case Lagard?re / Wyser-Pratte. Guy Wyser-Pratte, said the activist investor who hold 0.53% stake in Lagardere, has won the support of governance expert RiskMetrics Group (formerly ISS Proxy Advosry Services) in his critique of the structure of the media group.

Support size, because boards of RiskMetrics are followed by institutional investors. But they represent 78.51% of the capital of Lagard?re (50,51% of foreign institutional investors and 20% French).

Rejection of proposals by the management and the board

But on Monday, the general partners and managers of Lagardere SCA voted against the amendment of articles of the company – a company limited by shares to a company – in a proposed resolution before the next general meeting Guy Wyser-Pratte.A decision that is "not surprised" to advise shareholders of the activist. "The opposite would have been more democratic," he quipped.

Last Friday, the group's supervisory board had rejected outright the two main proposals of the Franco-American investor to relax the sponsorship of the Lagard?re group. For now, Arnaud Lagardere, the manager-partner of Lagardere, which holds all powers of decision with 10% of capital payday loans no teletrack. Partnership status allows to use external financing without losing control of the company.

RiskMetrics 'agree' with Wyser-Pratte

Thus, the shareholder advisory firm RiskMetrics looking for arguments Guy Wyser-Pratte: "We agree with his criticism of the sponsorship per share.

"The presence of dissent to the supervisory board of Lagard?re would be beneficial to the long-term shareholder value," she said in a statement. In any case, any election "reflects the intention of the limited partners to adopt a different status," said the company. Verdict on 27 April at the general meeting of shareholders.

On Monday, the shares are granted Lagard?re 0.46%, to 31.51 euros in a market equilibrium.

Wyser-Pratte had accused Mr Lagardere's "mismanagement", accusing him of preferring to "go play tennis in running the company." Arnaud Lagardere leads the group since the death of his father Jean-Luc Lagard?re in 2003.

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"Lagard?re rejects proposals Wyser-Pratte

The words are direct and hard. The supervisory board of Lagard?re did not take tweezers to reject a block all proposals made by the Franco-American investor Guy Wyser-Pratte, whose investment fund has the same name by 0.53% Capital Group since March 25 last. "The Council, meeting April 8, 2010, reviewed these projects and has unanimously decided to issue a negative opinion," said a statement released Friday.

The first application Guy Wyser-Pratte was on its entry to the supervisory board. The Council's primary duty "to express some surprise at the fact that Mr. Wyser-Pratte may wish to participate in one of the organs of governance that it considers anti-democratic and medieval."He then explained that the current composition of the board, whose members are "selected for their competence, experience and moral value" is fully operational and that therefore "the candidacy of Mr. Guy Wyser-Pratte would not add anything more to the smooth functioning "of the latter.

The sponsorship will

Another sore point was the will of Guy Wyser-Pratte to "soften" the operation of the Partnership. The supervisory board initially denounced the contradiction of what the investor who, in the press, does not evoke a simple reduction of the sponsorship but the transformation of the existing company limited by shares (SCA) Lagard?re limited company (SA) No teletrack payday loans.According to counsel, Guy Wyser-Pratte has clearly added: "It is imperative that the sponsorship disappear."

The withdrawal of the prior decision of the general partners would in any way harmful consequences on the management of the group, according to the latter. "It follows that the sponsors might have to look at a general meeting of the draft resolutions without knowing the views of partners and therefore potentially unaware of the outcome."This was rejected, then.

The release of the Supervisory Board ends with a piquant reminder of the "success" under its current operating Lagard?re: "Need I remind you that these initiatives that your group is now leading positions are his worldwide in each of its four branches? ", appeals to the Council.

In exchange, investors do not react to this new episode of Lagard?re / Wyser-Pratte. Around 12:45 pm, the Lagard?re shares are 0.61% to 31.21 euros in a market up 1.14%.

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Realtors? A good indicator of the economy. Today, the stone as the economy heads out from the water, but both of them are not yet fully recovered and remain afloat in midstream. Tails, the good news, transactions leave. This year, Fnaim, the federation of estate agents, believes that the bar of 600 000 transactions could be completed. But the market remains mixed. The nine was widely supported by the success of Scellier law, which allows investors to benefit from a tax of 25% within an investment of EUR 300 000. The former, he, still suffers. Because the coin has two sides. Front side, the bad news, the former has not solved the fluidity necessary for proper functioning of the housing market.These professionals call that the secondly-time buyers, that is to say, households who sell a property to buy another, are still not massively back on the market. In many places and on many products, it is still often difficult to match the expectations of those sellers with buyers.

After a blip like this has crossed the housing market, have a good idea of the price of a property is difficult. All the buyers and sellers are determined based on their expectations about future price developments. Roughly speaking, professionals assume a status quo prices. The most optimistic evoke certain properties, the most sought increases in the order of a few percent. Others believe that the balance should tilt towards a price reduction. Mathilde Lemoine, director of economic studies of HSBC France, and expects a decline in prices of the old 4% this year.For its part, the Land Bank expects "a drop in prices of 3% in the former and stability in the new." And pout Mouillart Michel, Professor of Economics at Paris X-Nanterre, "there is no risk of sudden fall of the market.

Another less quantifiable changed with the crisis and must be taken into account. In real estate, as elsewhere, households are determined to buy at the right price, to be smart consumers and investors informed. The beating of the heart are more difficult. Today, we buy more with his head than his heart. The ball is still in the camp of buyers. They have attractive credit terms. It is indeed possible for those who have the best records, to find a fixed rate loan over fifteen years to 3.5%. It will be hard to beat. "Interest rates will necessarily undergo one or more increases in 2010," said the broker CAFP.In a market recovering, prices are difficult to read. We publish in this case the numbers of notaries, those of the Credit Foncier Fnaim and according to our tour of France prices in Ile-de-France and its regions. Searched information, necessary but not sufficient. For now, the price changes between a product with and without defects, good or bad situation, are becoming wider. To help you better understand these variations, we have pushed the investigation further. With concrete examples of prices that are resistant and those who decline (page 114) and a tour of France that you can buy if you're lucky enough to have a budget of EUR 500 000 (page 142). On most goods, prices have declined from their level two years ago. But they did not collapse.In the Ile-de-France, for example, notaries emphasize that "the decline in prices recorded between autumn 2008 and summer 2009 was about 10%" low fee payday loans. But the downward trend in prices has "interrupted". "On an annual basis, the decline in prices between late 2008 and late 2009 is more than 5.6%," they add. This year they expect a stabilization of prices. And sounding the alarm. "The resumption of the construction of new housing in the private sector was essential to the recovery of the market. The shortage of quality housing appropriate to the needs of Parisians is short-term risk of a return of speculation.

The network Orpi evokes a "real recovery, but fragile." A word that recurs in several experts. Mathilde Lemoine and speaks of a "housing demand remains fragile because of imbalances persist.Yet the French like stone. After the fall of shares in 2008, the erosion rate of return on financial investments, many households have even rediscovered the charms of real estate, which enjoys a level of trust greater than financial markets. If market participants, professionals and individuals, are reasonable, it could therefore grown out of this crisis.

The purchasing power of households holding back price increases

In the nine programs are, at least for this year, many to sprout and marketing is well underway (see page 148), and some programs, proponents talk about buyers sleeping room not to miss the opening the sales office. Others talk of bidding on the price of land currently for sale. We find places for runaway phenomena.Sign of fine weather sets found for Real Estate? Nobody dares to translate it well. Because we have not yet met for the recovery that is taking shape into a market stabilized and restored. "A major risk of the recovery is that sellers reflect recovery by rising prices," says Orpi. For the market to find its stride, the sellers should stop dreaming about trees that rise to heaven, and that construction professionals are able to reflect the changing purchasing power of buyers in their projects. In a recent study based on the relationship between prices and incomes, Patrick Artus (Natixis) estimates that property prices are still too high (10 to 15% in France). Today, many proponents say, if prices rise too far, the application will not be there because the acquisition of a home no longer go into the budgets of many households.This constraint incomes and high unemployment limit the potential for price recovery. Managing the crisis will be difficult for the economy as a whole and real estate. This is the challenge of coming months to policies and professionals. For individuals who have the means to, global rates, market and taxation are conducive to a real estate purchase.If they have a project, they have a vested interest in the reality.

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The price of oil exceeded 85 dollars a barrel Thursday. Such levels were not affected for a year and a half. In the first quarter of this year, crude prices climbed 6.8%, with a substantial Implus this week: The Light Sweet Crude Oil, listed in New York for May delivery rose 5 , 5%, driven by a series of good economic indicators – including manufacturing activity – United States, Europe, and Asia, which reinforce the idea of an economic recovery faster than expected. And thus a rise in demand for oil more dynamic.

A sustainable upturn? Analysts doubt. Mike Fitzpatrick, senior strategist at MF Global, prefers to wait next week to decide."The euphoria may be a bit premature," he warns.

Especially since the stock figures released Wednesday were mostly negative, and a further increase in reserves is planned for next week. In addition, oil has benefited from the weak dollar, which has yet collapsed Thursday against major international currencies.

For several weeks, prices drift sideways between 69.5 and 83.9 dollars dollars. "The trend remains neutral in the short term," according to the technical analysis of Saxo Bank.But the technical analyst of the Journal of Finance, for its part identifies a strong potential for accelerating the rise in crude prices.

Promising indicators

They come mainly from China and Japan, which are respectively the second and third oil consumer in the world.

In China the two purchasing managers index rose in March, reflecting further expansion of manufacturing activity us fast cash.The index of the HSBC bank stood at 57 points, its third highest level since 2004 and the official index, compiled by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) rose to 55.1 against 52 in February .

Japan's Tankan index of confidence among large manufacturers rose in March for the fourth consecutive quarter, winning 11 points from December to -14 points. This is its highest level in 18 months.

The manufacturing activity has also accelerated in the eurozone and the U.S., according to the PMI and ISM published in each region respectively. The U.S. ISM rose to 59.6 in March, against 56.5 in February. The highest since July 2004.

Global demand will grow

On March 17, OPEC has not changed its production quotas, which remain to be 24.84 million barrels per day since 1 January 2009.For members of the organization, $ 80 a barrel, the price is "perfect" because it allows good balance supply and demand.

In an environment fraught with economic uncertainty, OPEC still sees a recovery in demand for crude. Global demand for oil is projected to increase by about one million barrels per day in the second half, he said. But it should mainly benefit producers outside the cartel, which represent 40% of the global withdrawal.

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