The earthquake of March 11 in Japan can be seen in the accounts of the mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson. Controlled equally by the Japanese Sony and Swedish Ericsson, the joint venture made a loss of 50 million euros in the second quarter, the first for over a year. Its turnover was also affected, falling 32% to 1.19 billion euros.
"The impact of the earthquake has had an impact on the supply chain and delivery of approximately 1.5 million product especially at the beginning of the quarter," said the Swede Bert Nordberg, CEO of Sony Ericsson. Its mobile phone sales declined to 7.6 million units. What Sony Ericsson should immerse the tenth largest in the world.
Already, the whole of 2010, the group had fallen to sixth place, because of Apple's breakthrough in the rankings, according to research firm Gartner.Then, in the first quarter, Sony Ericsson has continued its descent into hell to register for the ninth World manufacturers. The thrust of the champions of smartphones such as Apple, Samsung, Research in Motion, which manufactures the BlackBerry, and the Taiwanese HTC, very involved in the smartphone using Google's Android, partly explains the loss of land. However, even the American and Chinese ZTE Motorola went to Sony Ericsson.
Play the card Android
Xperia product line, totaling 16 million units, has been slow to be renewed, which explains the loss of land until the first quarter of 2011. However, recent losses do not affect the strategy of the joint venture. This is a "hiccup." "We do not change our goals, plans or anything.We see a great demand for our products and we approach the last two quarters in a very positive, "said the boss of Sony Ericsson. The focus on Android, the Google operating system for smartphones, the most sold in the world. Already 70% of its sales of smart phones, designed to connect to the Internet, are equipped with Google software. Sony Ericsson claims therefore about 11% of the global market segment. Bert Nordberg hopes to achieve, ultimately quarter sales of Google Phone in the world. But it does not specify when this should occur.
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Gain an advantage over competitors like Netflix preparing their arrival in France. Thursday, VideoFutur announced a new offering called "hybrid" meant to build consumer loyalty and especially fond of videos of recent films. Netflix based on the model, offers a package VideoFutur Pass Duo 6.99 euros to access both video on physical media (DVD, Blu-ray) and video on demand over the Internet. For that price, subscribers will have access to all films released theatrically for over nine months on DVD and Blu-ray on Wheels. They have more opportunity to access video on demand for new films four months after their release at a price of 2.99 euros per film.Finally, the subscription will provide access from the start to an unlimited number of old films on the Internet (thirty-six months after their theatrical release).
"We found that video on demand suffered from very competitive prices since, until now, users had to pay 5 euros to access a work. However, the price of a physical video is now 2.90 euros, says Marc Tessier, president of VideoFutur. It was important to align the rates of physical and dematerialized video. We also wanted to compensate for the disadvantage of video subscription which provides access to a limited number of works thirty-six months after their theatrical release. "
This marketing offensive is primarily intended to prepare announced the arrival of more competition in the market for image and video over the Internet.
Rapidly changing
Netflix, the video service to 25 million U.S. subscribers as well as Amazon and Google – the search engine which now recognizes the images – prepare for their arrival in Europe. With their agreements with major U.S. studios purveyors of blockbusters, these new players may be required. For VideoFutur, it is especially important to speed up the transfer that the company is experiencing a difficult situation. In 2010, the results showed a loss of nearly 6 million euros for a turnover amounting to 8.2 million euros, down 42%. If the company does not envisage a return to balance by 2013, however, it focuses on new developments such as increasing the number of physical stores, which should be of the order of fifty 'By the end of the year.
This is unprecedented in the history of the prestigious American newspaper The New York Times, founded in 1851. A woman, Jill Abramson, will take the lead, at a time when the newspaper industry is undergoing a revolution. At 57, she succeeded on September 6 to Bill Keller, who declined to slow down but will remain a contributor to The New York Times Magazine and the weekend edition of the newspaper.
New York, Jill Abramson began his career as a journalist for Time magazine, while still a student at Harvard. From 1976 to 1986 she worked for The American Lawyer, a magazine for lawyers, before being appointed editor of Legal Times. From 1988 to 1997, she was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Washington.
In 1997 she joined the editorial of The New York Times, still in Washington. Bureau chief of the Federal Capital in 2000, she became its editor in 2003.In his new position, she aims to make "The Gray Lady" nickname of the newspaper, a "multichannel media committed to providing excellence in journalism," as explained by Arthur Sulzberger, owner of the title.
One million copies a day
An 'ascension into heaven, "according to its own terms. Jill Abramson takes the reins of a newspaper sold nearly a million copies daily, which is speeding up the turn on the Web (31 million unique visitors per month).
The site was chosen in March for a mid-free formula, half-pay: After the free consultation of 20 articles a month, readers are offered Internet users to subscribe monthly or yearly.A "freemium" inspired from the Financial Times.
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Whoever does not pay pockets. According to The Echosce Monday, the UMP would favor the principle of taxation of companies that pay wages to their employees outside the norm instead of fixing an additional tax for very high incomes. This is to discourage entretreprises to pay fees too high, as is the case for the 50% tax on the traders' bonuses. "The idea is (…) to treat the problem at its source, a disincentive for companies to pay compensation aberrant, rather than trying to correct the situation then by taxes," said an elected majority in a maintenance business daily.
The majority remains divided on the threshold, beyond which the tax should be levied.For many UMP deputies, the threshold should be set at 150,000 euros per unit, while others, like Pierre Mehaignerie, advocate the taxation of income in excess of 1 million euros no checking account payday advance.
The definition of the Tax Code regarding salaries "excessive" is not very clear and now it is more applicable to the bosses of SMEs and large companies. It would therefore define the notion of "excessive compensation" based on wage policy and business sectors. A working group will floor on this subject during the summer to give a decision in September.
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The Cac 40 will test its ability to safeguard the 4000 points on Tuesday. Having dropped 1.25% Monday because of the deteriorating financial situation of Greece, the Paris stock market should open up slightly. But this context of uncertainties could cause investors to be very cautious on Tuesday.
These follow closely the issue in six months in Greece amounting to 1.25 billion euros.
On the macroeconomic front, some indicators are on the program: industrial production in March in France (8.45) and import prices in April in the U.S. (1430).
Greece in big trouble, gasoline at record levels
Bank stocks could again battered on Tuesday after losing more than 2% Monday. The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded two notches sovereign rating of Greece.
Oil companies will still follow while gasoline prices breaking new records almost 1.55 euros on average.
BNP Paribas is expected to formalize Wednesday Pébereau departure from the presidency of the French bank at the end of the year or early 2012, and appoint in his place the current chief executive Baudoin Prot, the Financial Times.The latter should be replaced by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, deputy CEO of the group.
JCDecaux has significantly exceeded its target on the first three months of 2011 by signing a growth of 7.8% of its turnover but it is more cautious for the current quarter assuming an increase of about 4%.
Safran and Thales should arrive this summer with a tentative agreement on an exchange of assets in the defense wanted by the government, as the chief representative of arming Laurent Collet-Billon, in an interview Tuesday at Les Echos.
Sales and general meetings in the program
The IT services company Atos Origin said Tuesday sales down 1.3% in the first quarter 2011 to 1.22 billion euros.For the first half, the group seeks an operating margin up 50 basis points, compared to 6% for the first half of 2010.
The investment company Eurazeo in the first quarter revenues stable at 866.8 million euros, but up 5.9% in not taking into account the base effect associated with adverse chain of budget hotels B & B Hotels, sold in 2010.
The turnover in the first quarter of Medica and Noble Age will be known before the opening of trading. And those of Maurel et Prom, Nexity, Ruby, Alten, Assystem, Devoteam and Eutelsat (third quarter), after market close.
Note that the general meetings of ArcelorMittal, Lagardere and Havas will be held Tuesday.
After France, Germany. The support of Nicolas Sarkozy to Mario Draghi should accelerate an official position in Berlin, which will be decisive to the European Council in June If Angela Merkel Knights turn Mario Draghi, the Italian's appointment is granted. If she vetoes, even verbal, post escape him.
According to relatives of the Chancellery cited by the business press, Angela Merkel is more qu'embarrassée by the statement by Nicolas Sarkozy, who allegedly caught short once more."The government will decide on possible candidates in a timely manner," said the spokesman for the German government.
"The decision on the successor of ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet, will be taken at the next EU summit," said Steffen Seibert.
Contrary to his finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, Angela Merkel believes that the arrival of an Italian to the position of treasurer general of Europe would be an indefensible decision against the German public.
"At any price this Italian!"
The popular press, leading Bild, has continued to point the finger at the overspending in the South."At any price this Italian! "Until recently headlined the tabloid Berliner, who does not hesitate to denounce tax evasion in Greece and the taste of the Italians for inflation.
The euro crisis has revived the Germans the trauma of abandonment of the Deutschmark, for countries of the "Club Med" they never considered worthy of the single currency. At the time of the creation of the euro, Germany was suspicious of accounts of Italy … In this context, the appointment of Mario Draghi, capable and respected as it is, at least appear iconoclastic in Germany .
However, the application of the Italian made his way into the German political circles. After having praised the German economic model in the press Frankfurt, Mario Draghi has managed to win support weight in the person of Wolfgang Schäuble, who has the ear of the Chancellor."Schäuble enjoys good reputation Draghi as central banker, his integrity and personality," says a senior official in the Handelsblatt.
More than the opinion of Wolfgang Schäuble, is the support of Nicolas Sarkozy puts Chancellor in a difficult position. Exercise a veto Draghi's candidacy to head the ECB might trigger a new crisis in the euro area and create a damaging conflict with France, even as relations between Paris and Berlin were severely affected by denial Germany to support the UN resolution on Libya.
The Paris markets do not take risks on Monday. The CAC 40 thus begins the day on a small drop of 0.19% to 4054.32 points. At mid-session, the Paris index was down 0.67% at 4034.68 points. A trend that has persisted until the end because at 17:30, the CAC shows a shrinkage of 0.57% to 4038.70 points.
In Paris as elsewhere, investors are trying to make a first point on the Japanese situation, one month to the day after the disaster that has ravaged the north-east. Reassuring news fell on the nuclear situation: According to government spokesman Yukio Edano, "the risk that the situation at the nuclear power is deteriorating and it leads to a new major radiation leak was significantly reduced. " In Asia this morning, markets have however not given clear signals.
Side indicator, the day promises to be especially quiet since no statistics are expected. Only INSEE announced before trading up 0.4% of French industrial production in February, after rising 0.7% in January.
The rest of the week will be loaded with particular current accounts in France and the German ZEW index Tuesday, the Fed's Beige Book on Wednesday, the weekly jobless claims in the U.S. on Thursday and the index of U.S. consumer sentiment Friday.
Markets await especially forward to the start of the dance publications of quarterly results in the United States. As usual, Alcoa will begin the festivities this evening.
As for currencies, the euro appears small drop, to 1.4453 dollar. Same thing for oil, hit by profit taking after sharp gains last week.Oil prices retreated Monday in the opening in New York, a barrel of benchmark yielding 62 cents to 112.17 dollars, as investors pocketed some profits while waiting to see if the possibility of a cease-fire became a reality in Libya.
EDF and its subsidiary EDF EN fly
Renault: -2.21% to 39.98 euros
The board of directors of the group will try Monday to see more clearly in the wrong spying scandal at a special meeting and will try to establish the responsibilities of everyone in this fiasco. The group planned to communqiuer after closing. According to Reuters, Patrick Pelata, number two in the group had resigned and this time his resignation was accepted by Carlos Ghosn.
EDF: 1.99% to 27.92 euros, EDF Energies Nouvelles: 9 guaranteed payday loan.74% to 40.21 euros
The listing of both Kingbird, who was suspended Friday after the announcement of a takeover offer from EDF on the 50% stake in its subsidiary EDF EN it does not already own, resumed today with a bang.
EDF also requested that the EPR reactor being built at Flamanville is considered "priority" as part of the audit of nuclear safety in France, said the Nuclear Safety Authority.
United States, the commission (NRC) has denied Unistar, owned by EDF, a license to build a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.
Saffron: -1.75% to 23.59 euros
The Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI) investigation on suspicion of spying for Turbomeca, a subsidiary of Safran including computer networks have been "looted" for several months.
NYSE Euronext: -1.64% to 26.31 euros
The board of directors of the transatlantic exchange operator yesterday rejected unanimously the offer of participation of $ 11.3 billion made by Nasdaq, coupled with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).
Crossroads:: 31.72 EUR -0.28%
The walkouts on Saturday in favor of wage increases were a success according to the unions, who speak highly mobilized. The strike rate ranged from 30 to 85%.Negotiations will resume Wednesday.
Sanofi-Aventis: 1.04% to 51.27 euros
The group said Friday night that completed the acquisition of Genzyme after the reopening of its bid and said the U.S. biotech is now a subsidiary that holds all.
Total: -0.34% to 43 euros, GDF Suez: -0.33% to 27.33 euros
The French government has decided to ban the exploitation of shale gas and the repeal of licenses already granted.
Areva – 0.50% to 31 euros
The group bought for 1.62 billion euros from Siemens in the joint venture Areva NP, paving the way for a merger between Siemens and the Russian Rosatom, said on Sunday the German newspaper Die Welt.
Note that the bank respond well to the changing situation in Portugal and the ads on Friday on the European stress test.Societe Generale (-1.32% to 47.22 euros), BNP Paribas (-1.08% to 54.11 euros), Credit Agricole (- 0.67% to 11.78 euros) and Natixis (-0 , 63% to 4.13 euros) are in green.
Faced with pressure from parliamentarians, very angry against the simultaneous increase in fuel prices, gas and electricity, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Christine Lagarde, Minister of Industry and the Energy, Eric Besson, and Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs, Frédéric Lefebvre will meet Friday and discuss the solution to ease the surge of energy. While a further increase of 5.2% in gas prices comes into force today, bringing the rate increase on a year to 21% or even 61% since July 2005, the daily Les Echos revealed that the government could decide to freeze any further increase of gas by the Presidential in 2012. Soaring oil prices, which serves as a basis for setting gas prices, could indeed lead to a new rate increase on 1 July.A measure politically difficult to pass a year of elections.
Taking into account the actual costs
In addition to freezing outright increases potential, ministers are considering another option: the Revision of the method of calculating gas prices. For now, the formula considers only the volume purchased by GDF Suez via major supply contracts signed with suppliers such as Gazprom, Sonatrach and Statoil cash advance now. Now the operator has also signed contracts for short-term cost that took into account would lower the cost of supply of GDF Suez and therefore futures prices for consumers. It as found by the Commission for Energy Regulation in a resolution dated August 31, 2010.
Finally, the government should look at the price of electricity.The state must stop in the next few days the price at which EDF will sell part of its nuclear energy to its competitors. The conditions requested by the incumbent would result to increase rates for consumers by 5% per year until 2015. But Baroin, budget minister and spokesman of the government has already said he opposed such an increase.
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"The evil at work live: enough is enough!". Here is the slogan that should flourish on banners at the event's national staff of the Post on Tuesday. The call to action is launched by the CGT, SUD, CFDT and CFTC (FOR, UNSA and CFE-CGC has called the strike separately). In Paris, a demonstration is planned for mid-day from the Place Denfert-Rochereau to Vaugirard, near the headquarters of the group. Other rallies are expected across the territory.
"This is a movement focused on suffering and working conditions on work reorganization and destabilization of the staff," says Hugo Reis, federal secretary of Sud PTT, which aims "to mobilize 30 to 40%."
Sick leave up
This movement builds on the social crisis that has shaken the Post. Illustrating the unease surrounding the unions point to the proliferation of sick.The cost of long-term leave and leave long illness had increased by 4 million euros over two years. In May 2010 a letter of occupational doctors, sent to management, sounded the alarm and accused management of "unable to create physical and psychological."
Some unions even speak of 70 suicides. Which is still difficult to verify, "the Post refuses to do a census. It is a figure neither confirmed nor denied, "says Hugo Reis. However, unions do not hesitate to put the case of the Post in parallel with that of France Telecom, hit by a wave of 35 suicides in 2008 and 2009. "France Telecom has also experienced the opening of capital, privatization, strategic choices at one point refusing to accept the role of employees with a challenge of public service.We currently live in a few months what the Post has lived in France Telecom in a few years, "says the majority union CGT which warns that" the same ills that tend to produce the same effects, we must not wait that the Post is aware of what is asked. "
Employment in the crosshairs
These conditions, described as "very, very bad" by South PTT, are rooted in the strategy adopted by the Post Payday Loan for Bad Credit. The group last year became a limited company, still owned 100% public and is facing the loss of its monopoly on delivery of letters weighing up to 50 grams. Jean-Paul Bailly, Chairman of the Post has decided to reorganize the group. A policy that requires the consolidation of offices, the closure of several facilities, and by extension, job losses.
In 2010, 11,700 jobs were lost and 10,000 according to South PTT should be followed in 2011, despite the announcement of the recruitment of 4000 people, 2500 in alternating. Marc Duhem (UNSA), this leads to a "lack of visibility. There are places where it's ready to explode. " Although management is committed to space 18 months reorganizations, postal workers are "disrupted" by their multiplication, according to the CFDT.
"Adapting to its environment"
Facing these criticisms, the management group, which employs 276,000 workers, including about a half of civil servants, trying to calm the game "The Post has to adapt to its environment" while having "the greatest concern for health and quality of work life for all postal workers, "said a spokesman. The group emphasizes that its "social model is based on the quality of employment and lack of severance schemes imposed."
To justify its strategy, the group highlights the decline of mail, the business of La Poste. Jean-Paul Bailly expects a fall in volumes of 30% between 2008 and 2015 despite a decline in this activity limited to 1% in 2010. "I'm not sure that La Poste measure the level of seriousness of the situation," Roey slice Joëlle (CGT).
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The NYSE, returned to its levels before the earthquake in Japan after braving geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, nuclear crisis in Fukushima and threats to the eurozone, catch your breath. Very hesitant start, the indices have flirted with the balance throughout the session before finally closing down very slightly. The Dow Jones loose and 0.19% at 12,201 points, the Nasdaq lost 0.45% to 2731 points and the S & P coward 0.27% at 1310 points.
Yet, on the side of macroeconomic indicators, the positive news were chained:
– Household consumption has increased slightly more than expected in February, as consumers tapped into their savings while inflation accelerated at an unprecedented pace since June 2009, official data showed on Monday.According to the U.S. Commerce Department, spending rose 0.7% after rising 0.3% in January (revised from 0.2%).
– The promise of home sales rose against all odds over the month of February, according to data released Monday by the National Association of developers. One month to another, this increase amounts to 2.1%, while analysts expected a decline of 1% after falling 2.8% in January.
Employment at the rendezvous
But the caution was then that the main highlight of the week is expected Friday with the monthly figures of employment in the United States. These numbers will give "a fairly complete what happened in March for consumer spending, industry and economy, and give a good idea of the performance of the economy in the first quarter" , say the experts Hugh Johnson Advisors.The market expects the new posts at the same level as last month, around 190,000.
On the currency markets, the euro retreated against the dollar on Monday, suffering still concerns on the eurozone, while the dollar remained supported by comments from U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) on a possible next policy normalization U.S. monetary. At closing, the euro stood at 1.4090 dollars against 1.4081 on Friday.
Time to "window dressing"
The side of values this week, while the month of March ends investors should conduct operations offs quarter-end or "window dressing". A system that is to buy at end of period shares that are doing well to present a portfolio more attractive to future investors.The values of energy, which, buoyed by rising oil prices gained 14% since the beginning of the quarter according to the S & P sector, the compartment is the most powerful moment for the first quarter. Marathon Oil is up 40% so far this quarter. El Paso 31% and 30% of Valero Energy, Chevron 17%. The latter is the value of Dow Jones, which displays the largest increase since January 1. Behind the energy sector, industrial arrive, up about 6%, consumer specialist, up 4% and technology (+3%). The second value is the best performing Dow Jones Caterpillar, up 16.5%.
Always on the side of values, an eBay (-4.29% to 30.34 dollars) has announced its intention to acquire GSI Commerce, a provider of marketing services for e-commerce. The transaction represents approximately $ 2.4 billion.
This weekend, AMR Corp. (2.62% to 6.67 dollars) could decide to split its American Eagle regional airline in May, according to information compiled by Bloomberg from the pilots' union.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has rejected Nokia (4.67% to 8.74 million), accusing Apple (-0.31% to 350.44 euros) for having violated several of its patents.
Ford (-1% to U.S. $ 14.86) announced a cessation of production of five days at its plant in Genk, Belgium from April 4, following supply problems caused by the earthquake in Japan.
Netflix (3.18% to 237.32 U.S. dollars) have entered into a distribution agreement for a period of five years with the studio Miramax, for a total of more than $ 100 million (Reuters).
Greenstone, the branch of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (-0.39% to 20.27 dollars) has recalled two drugs in the United States, and citalopram finasteride following a labeling error on the part of a supplier.
Research In Motion (-1.56% to $ 56) announced the acquisition of Canadian tinyHippos startup, mainly known for Ripple, its development platform and test mobile applications. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Wal-Mart (-0.31% to 52.19 dollars) has announced the reopening of 12 Seiyu stores in the region of Sendai, Japan.
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