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Lafarge, the group specializes in building materials, has announced a decrease of 3% of its turnover for the first half of 2010. At constant exchange rates and constant perimeter, the decrease amounted to 4%. The operating income showed a decline of 5% to 1.072 billion euros (-9% at constant scope and exchange rates).

Net income from Lafarge withdrew its side of 29% to EUR 233 million. The current operating margin shows finally a decrease of 30 basis points to 13.9%.

In the second quarter alone, sales rose 2% to 4.436 billion euros but, at constant perimeter and constant exchange rates, sales rose 2%. The operating income increased 5% to 836 million euros. It is stable at constant exchange rates and constant perimeter.

At the Paris stock exchange, these ads are unwelcome.The title Lafarge has one of the largest decreases in ACC 40: 3.89% yield at 41.80 euros at the close No fax payday advance.

New measures to reduce debt

Bruno Lafont CEO of Lafarge, said in a statement that "the pace of economic recovery remains uncertain and highly variable from one country to another," led the group to adjust its market forecast for the year 2010. Lafarge table so now on a variation of the demand for cement between -1 and +3% on the year compared to 2009 (against 0% to 5% expected in late March).

The band announced further steps to reduce its debt amounting to 15.16 billion euros (down 1% during the first half).Thus, it will "limit its investments in 2011 to 1 billion euros" and sets "a new goal of structural cost reductions of more than 200 million euros."

Place the masons and painters! Members of the Committee on Social Affairs of the National Assembly completed late Thursday afternoon, discussing the draft law on pensions, with a few hours ahead of schedule. Members will now leave the Palais Bourbon completely delivered to artisans who have already begun the usual summer work. Return scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 7, even on Monday night at 6 for a special session will begin by examining the same text, but this time in the Chamber.

"It is in times of transition, summarized perhaps one at the Elysee. The real battle will take place from September. "The for Sarkozy are well aware that this first parliamentary stage was a formality. Not surprisingly, the debates have been looped smoothly."The Socialists have just wanted to make a coup by breaking the lock-in twitter discussions with their phone," is a counselor. What the left willingly admits. For now, she preferred surf the weakening of Labour Minister Caught in the case Bettencourt. Godsend for the Socialists, who are careful not to request his resignation.

Paradoxically, the majority seemed more worried by the progress of the case and its component Bettencourt Woerth that by the turn of the debate on pensions. "The left is going clubbing Woerth in September. He held up? "Wonders already a minister. The Elysee hopes that the summer break will reduce the pressure. Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon reiterated that Eric Woerth defend indeed the text on Sept. 7. In other words, he will not be driven to resign by then."It is quiet because we know there is nothing in the record," says the Prime Minister.

"Everything will be decided in September. We are ready for battle. But it also depends on the mobilization in the streets, "says one seat in the PS. Clearly, the left hopes to build on part of the public. Even if the opponents and proponents of reform are divided into two shares more or less equal faxless cash advance.

Unions united

Unions, too, prepare to maturity. For September 7 will also be a new day of strikes and protests against the reform that SF has, once again, on Thursday asked the "withdrawal". In reality, most organizations do not believe and do not even dream to win concessions on key points, beginning with the postponement of the age to 62 years.However, they have not conceded the changes on other aspects of the text during the parliamentary debate.

They rely for that on the "pressure" of the street. Will they exceed the threshold of two million demonstrators, after 1.9 million announced on the evening of the last day of action – successful – last June 24? Not easy to mobilize massively, just days after school starts. Therefore plants have continued their campaign all summer, touring the beaches to the CFDT distributed a booklet "educational" on reform and its "alternative" possible, the CGT.

The unions will have an advantage: their unity restored. Having refused to sign for months, FOR has joined its competitors, and the CFE-CGC has done the same.It is the only organization to accept the decline of legal age, but she believes that the conditions there pose – including a strong financial closure of the reform – are not met.

Faced with this united front, the government has chosen to keep the ballast drop. He has done at this stage, no specific proposals on issues which he is willing to develop: difficulty, and long careers polypensionnés.

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The boss of General Electric has no language in his pocket! On the occasion of a dinner in Rome, Jeffrey Immelt said that China would "the real concern," reads the columns in the Financial Times. He said the meeting today, the middle kingdom "the worst working conditions in 25 years." The leader has disavowed the policy of the Chinese government he accuses of becoming increasingly hostile to multinational companies.

Thus, the officer warned that General Electric (GE) is looking for growth opportunities outside of China, so as not to be "colonized by Chinese investors," says the boss. Despite the importance of the market, Jeffrey Immelt said that GE "is now turning to other countries rich in raw materials." The Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Indonesia are in the viewfinder.The officer has been loud and clear the feelings of many companies operating in China. The European Chamber of Commerce has in fact recently reported an uproar among foreign groups in place of the emerging economic power saving account payday loan.

In addition, Jeffrey Immelt has made some unkind towards the Obama administration he blames the poisonous climate in the United States. It is also concerned that regulatory changes desired by the White House have a negative impact on the fragile recovery in the United States. And according to the officer, the U.S. business community would not appreciate the President of the United States, and vice versa.

Not the opinions of the group

But the group tries to reduce the scope of the declarations of his boss.The U.S. giant said that the leader was speaking at a private dinner and that the statements reported are not exactly those of Jeffrey Immelt. GE Jeffrey Immelt said in particular that was not directly involved Barack Obama. In addition, the group says that the speech did not reflect the opinions of the group.

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. "

Tens of thousands of trade unionists yesterday converged toward the center of Rome at the invitation of the CGIL, the main federation of workers in Italy (5.5 million members).

Shouting "not only on our shoulders," they denounced the sacrifices imposed by the government of Silvio Berlusconi to reduce the public deficit from 5.3% to 3.9% next year and 2.7% of GDP 2012.

At a rally Piazza del Popolo, Guglielmo Epifani, Secretary General of the CGIL, reiterated that his organization was not opposed to a correction of the accounts of the state. "We reject this maneuver only made budget cuts without structural reforms or measures to support investment, particularly in public education and research," he told Le Figaro before the start of the event."Those who will pay for will mainly employees and the lowest incomes while wealth and annuities will not be affected."

Guglielmo Epifani also calls for a broad mobilization to invite the Parliament, which will begin consideration of the bill next week, "to modify".

The CGIL has launched on June 25 a word of general strike of four hours in the private sector and the public 24 hours.

For its part, the Democratic Party (PD), the main opposition, has announced a rally against the plan "unfair" in Rome June 19 while magistrates, public sector doctors and world culture multiply protests.

The government plans to freeze wages and hiring in the civil service for two years and 10% reduction in the allocation of ministries and local authorities.No new taxes would be raised and the taxation of financial income would continue to benefit from a preferential rate, but a greater effort would be made against tax evasion.

For the Bank of Italy, the austerity plan could result in a reduction of O, 5% of GDP in 2011/2012 "as a result of compression of consumption and investment." Italy expects a growth of 1% this year and 1.5% in 2011.

Events in Germany

Protests against the rigor were also held in Germany. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people marched in Berlin, organizers said. And between 10,000, according to police, and 20,000, according to organizers, Stuttgart.

The German government announced Monday an austerity plan of 80 billion euros by 2013.He wants to save 11 billion euros in the budget 2011, including through budget cuts in military spending and social.

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Transport For leaders of the SNCF, the return to growth seems to square the circle. The public company announced Wednesday a net loss of 980 million euros in the year 2009, due in large part to impairment of assets (966 million).

Like every year, this underperformance is attributable to the business of transporting goods, whose loss has reached 520 million euros. The new deficit makes reform urgent cargo, which should lead to staff reductions and abandonment of the activity of individual wagon. "Our results for 2009 are that the amount of translation necessary restructuring of the industry, analyzes a senior officer of the public company.

To make matters worse, the TGV activity hitherto adjustment variable numbers of the group earned less money in 2009.For the first time this decade, its sales declined, while its operating margin fell by 422 million euros.

The company does not conceal its concern about a phenomenon of substance in addition to the impact of economic crisis. "Behind the difficult environment, we perceive a structural trend of slow decline in our margins due to higher expenses," e ect a part of the company. Trains said the planning has reduced from 120 million in operating margin. Another example: the TGV activity saw its personnel costs rise by 1.8% and tolls increase by 5%.This erosion of margins has boosted the group's debt rose from 6 billion euros in 2008 to 7.1 billion in 2009.

In undertaking the debate is not over

The station believes that these results raise the question of its business model and expectations of its shareholder, the state. If he waits her performance, the company will dispose of 20% of freight operations and close many unprofitable passenger lines. On the contrary, if the role of the station is to promote rail freight facing forward and contribute to the planning, the state should support it.

The state addressed the first issue in September by announcing a plan to support cargo of 7 billion euros. For now, its position is different on the passenger.In December he was called to order Guillaume Pepy, the chairman of SNCF, who said that higher tolls threatening the economic model of the TGV. In late January, he had clearly returned the station on the ropes when it was left leaking rumors of closure of unprofitable lines such as Paris-Arras, Lille, Strasbourg and Nantes and Strasbourg.

At the station, the debate does not seem closed. "The TGV is a system of equalization between internal profitable lines and those who are not, said a company executive. How can we maintain our Paris-Charleville-Mezieres if we levy more charges and more than a private competitor arrives on the Paris-Strasbourg, which is profitable? That the public to make a choice. "

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Rio Tinto and Google. In recent months, two cases have come spectacularly recalled that the business climate here was much celebrated its "Chinese characteristics", more often worse than the best payday loan !!!???!!!??? !. And he even tended to become increasingly harder for foreign companies, with limited access to market, a heavy political interference and opaque legal system.

Employees of the Total refinery at Dunkirk, under threat of closure, blocked Friday tanks containing 500,000 tons of crude oil, by removing the pumping mechanisms, three days of a meeting to decide their future.

"We want to refine. We do not want this (oil) crude go away from here, "said Philippe Wullens, Steward South (majority site), evoking a" war chest ". He said Total has made a profit of 200 million euros from the time of purchase of this oil in the fall and today, due to the increase in prices. The employees also say they have learned that the management of Total planned to ensure that oil can be loaded on ships to other refineries."This oil should not leave the tank so that things do not stop," he said, estimating that 400 million euros worth of stock.

Several dozen employees from the site of Flanders, in the case since September, traveled Friday to dawn on the storage area of crude oil located at Gravelines, and disassembled electronic components essential to the operation of pumps used to extract the contents of the tanks. Some components will be given to state services, another in the region and a third in the urban community of Dunkirk, knowing that all equipment is necessary to restart the pumps, said Marcel Croquefer, secretary of the cluster Chemistry CGT Dunkirk cheap payday advance .

A radicalization of the movement evoked

Employees are then symbolically held a lock port of Dunkirk.They wanted to question management port, 18% of turnover depends on the refinery. "This refinery can and must restart now", even if a mutation of the site must be decided for the future, said Croquefer, suggesting a possible "radicalization" of the movement.

If farmers spread manure or milk to express their discontent, "in the refinery there are petroleum products," he warned.

Proposals for the future of the Flanders refinery, which employs 380 employees and 400 people from sub-contractors, should be announced Monday at a central works council (CEC). Employees are expected to travel to many in La D?fense on Monday to be heard.

The threat of closure had resulted in late February several days of strikes in all French refineries group.Unions had set an end after the guarantees provided by Total on the future of refining activity in France. Since then, employees of Dunkirk only continue their strike began January 12.

Wall Street should open in a tone slightly negative on Friday. However, publication of results in the fourth quarter of giant Intel on Thursday night after-hours trading was better than expected. But the JP Morgan Chase established the doubt. The day before the U.S. markets have closed up slightly, despite the disappointing statistics across the Atlantic. The sectors of health and technology have supported the trend.

Earlier Friday morning, Asian stock markets closed broadly in the green. Tokyo The Nikkei ended the session up 0.68% at 10,982.10 points. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong, however, ended down 0.3% to 21,654.16 points as investors still worried about a possible tightening of Chinese monetary policy.

The Dow Jones, S & P 500 and Nasdaq retrograde by 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.16%.Shortly before they were further back but the index of industrial activity in the New York area has accelerated sharply in January, according to the Empire State index released Monday, to 15.9 points, much higher than the waiting analysts.

The President's speech yesterday, Obama did not surprise the markets. As announced by the spokesperson of the White House, a proposed tax of fifty largest banks will be presented to Congress in the coming weeks. According to the Financial Times, the U.S. Treasury would press other countries to also adopt a tax on banks.

New wave of statistical significance

Even today, the news on the economic front should shake the markets.The consumer prices in the United States rose by 0.1% in December, bringing inflation over the whole of 2009 to 2.7%, according to figures released Friday by the Labor Department. In the short term, the inflation risk sembre low.

Industrial production in the United States rose in December by 0.6%, as expected by analysts, according to official figures published Friday, but this increase was primarily allowed by having an unusually cold boosted the energy sector.

Intel and JP Morgan Chase surprised

Intel (-1.27% to 21.21 U.S. dollars) Thursday confirmed the resumption of its activities, with net income nearly tenfold in the fourth quarter of 2009, which allowed him to limit to 17% decline in annual net profit, to 4.369 billion dollars. This exceeds the expectations formulated earlier by analysts.Conversely, Microsoft (0.71% to 31.18 dollars), IBM (+0.28% to 132.68 dollars) and Cisco (+0.16% to 24.99 dollars).

Boosted by a return to growth in the fourth quarter, PC sales grew by 5.2% in 2009, according to a study by analyst firm Gartner published yesterday. Acer dethroned Dell (-2.38% to 14.35 U.S. dollars) in second place worldwide.

This Friday, JP Morgan Chase (-1.70% to 43.93 dollars) has announced having doubled its net profit in 2009 to 11.7 billion dollars. Per share, net income reached 74 cents per share in the fourth quarter, against 62 held by analysts. In the fourth quarter alone, the bank has increased by more than four net profit to 3.3 billion dollars. The bank's CEO, Jamie Dimon, welcomed the news that the bank in late 2009 enjoyed a "very strong capital ratios Tier 1 of 11.1%.But the cost of risk (failure to pay on credit) remains "high". The bank especially in its accounts last quarter to 7.3 billion dollars in reserves to cover these risks.Morgan Stanley lost 2.60% to 30.39 dollars, Goldman Sachs 1.25% to 166.42 dollars, and Bank of America 1.96% to 16.49 dollars.

Citigroup (-1.71% to 3.46 dollars) would be decided by the Financial Times, to cap the bonus at $ 100,000.

Market research firm NPD has revealed sales of video game consoles in the United States for year-end 2009 total, the three major manufacturers have passed 40 million consoles in 2009, including 20 million for the Wii Nintendo, 10 million for the Xbox 360 and 10 million for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) by Sony, thanks to an aggressive policy of lower prices.

In addition, Verizon Communications (-1.19% to 30.85 dollars) will host a conference on its wireless subsidiary, which is partly owned by Vodafone (-1.78% to 22.10 dollars).

Oil retreats, dollar strengthens

Side materials, oil slipped below the 79 dollars a barrel and connects its fifth session lower after the report of the International Atomic Energy: global consumption of oil should rebound by 1.7% in 2010 fully supported by demand from emerging countries and Asia, after falling 1.5% in 2009.

The dollar is strengthening against the euro, which is penalized by the situation in Greece after the publication of inflation. One euro is worth 1.4395 dollars.

Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled Monday morning during a press conference at the Elysee Palace, his final arbitration on the general borrowing. An announcement comes more than two weeks after submission of the report of the Committee-Rocard Juppe, in charge of determining "the strategic priorities for investment and domestic borrowing. The Head of State took its time in the interval, receiving unions and consecrating a shift on this subject last week in Alsace. An inordinate delay on the part of the Elysee. "To spend 35 billion euros, is not nothing, it takes a bit of reflection," said a government official.

On the merits, the amount and priorities recommended by the two former prime ministers have not caused major problems.The government feels "quite consistent" with the report's proposals: the head of state has already said he would follow "broadly."

Elysee Matignon and paid closer attention to prioritization. The Committee recommends investing 35 billion of public money which, coupled with private funds, could reach 60 billion of new investments. A portion of public money – 13 billion – will come from money borrowed last year by the government to support banks, which have paid much since. The Head of State should announce that in 2010 France will borrow twenty billion more, a level considered tolerable for the public finances by officials of Bercy. A priori, the loan should be exclusively reserved for markets.The idea of opening some individuals, which is mainly political advantage in strengthening adherence to the French investment in the future is rejected by most government advisers who find it too expensive. Nicolas Sarkozy is expected on this very subject this morning.

As for investment priorities, the cursor should be slightly adjusted.Perhaps a little more towards the industry, much less on research – which is carving out the lion's share of recommendations Juppe and Rocard, with a budget of 16 billion euros.

Beyond the substance, the advisers of the Elysee have mostly reworked the governance component of the report: who will handle money and how? "We do not want to create a gas plant," observes one government where one is not willing to sprinkle the funds raised through borrowing.

Matignon should have the task of managing the money

The report Juppe-Rocard proposed the establishment of three branches (a branch of renewable energies, a digital campus and Excellence). "Why create new structures? Both use what already exists, "says an adviser. This will Matignon – "the place par excellence Inter, says one – which should have the task of managing the money borrowed.The question of appointing a minister of the loan, the report rejected by Rocard-Juppe, has not been finally determined either. Rather than a minister, Nicolas Sarkozy could create a post of high commissioner, less political and more easily placed under the authority of the Prime Minister. The bill will be considered large loan January 20 the Council of Ministers.

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