Financial, Business, Personal Finance News

Paris and London exclude build together an aircraft carrier

France and Britain agreed Friday to pool some of their defense programs, including the A400M aircraft, but have ruled out building an entire aircraft carrier.

The defense ministers of both countries met in Paris to discuss their weapons programs in times of fiscal austerity that strikes the two countries.

'It is logical to examine the issues where we can share the assets rather than acting separately, "said the British minister, Liam Fox."It's a purely pragmatic."

His French counterpart Herve Morin said a series of tracks were considered, including on the A400M transport aircraft, tanker aircraft and naval assets.

On the A400M EADS, he added that cooperation would cover the maintenance, operational maintenance and possible pooling of fleets.

But he stressed that the use of common carriers was not currently planned.

Wall Street ends in red, anxious for employment

Wall Street ended lower on Thursday, concerned about the unexpected rise in jobless claims and mixed numbers on sales of major distributors in July, which underlined the fragility of the economic climate on the eve of the monthly employment statistics.

The Dow Jones closed at a decline of 5.45 points, or 0.05%, to 10,674.98.The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 1.43 point (-0.13%) to 1,125.81 and the Nasdaq composite 10.51 points assigned to (-0.46%) to 2293.06.

The jobless claims rose to 479,000 last week, while the market awaited them down.

This figure disappointed investors and urged them to exercise caution on the eve of the monthly report on employment in the Department of Labor, which should show a further rise in the unemployment rate in July.

"The entries do not persist in fall and this could foreshadow a bad time tomorrow," said Bruce Zaro, responsible for technical strategist for Delta Global Advisors.

Economists polled by Reuters expect for July 65.000 jobs were non-agricultural, particularly because of the end of many fixed-term contracts in the public related to the decennial census of population.The private sector, he should have created 90,000 jobs.

These uncertainties on the employment front are fears of a continued weak consumer spending, the main engine of the U.S. economy.

As for July, 28 retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters have reported an increase of 2.9% over one year of their store sales, while analysts had forecast to 3.1%.

NEWS CORP SOUGHT AFTER RESULTS

The Morgan Stanley sector yielded 0.35%.

Several values of the retail sales of which have consistently been disappointed penalized, like JC Penney, which yielded 7.7%, and Dillards (-5.2%).

"We are now in a situation where dollars are increasingly scarce in the pockets of consumers, thus able to compete for these dollars is intensifying," said Lawrence Creatura, manager at Federated Clover Investment Advisers.

If July is the 11th month of improvement in retail sales according to data from Thomson Reuters, analysts point out that comparisons to last year will be less favorable over the month.

Large groups have published their results on Wednesday or Thursday experienced divergent fates: while News Corp. gained 3.6% thanks to strong performance of its cable networks and the resumption of advertising revenue from its newspapers, Viacom yielded nearly 1 %, analysts have been disappointed by the stagnation of its turnover.

Also note the sharp increase in fertilizer producers, such as CF Industries (+3.5%) and Mosaic (+1.8%) in the wake of wheat prices after the announcement of the interruption of Russian exports .

In after-hours trading just after the closing, Kraft Foods gained 2.8% in response to the publication of its quarterly. The title had ended in decline 0.3% on the New York Stock Exchange.

Car registrations fell by 12.9% in July in France

Registrations of new cars in France fell 12.9% in July over a year to reach 169,804 units with the continued weakening of the effect "scrappage" announced the Committee of French Automobile (CCFA).

The month of July had 21 working days, against 22 last year.A comparable number of working days, the decline in sales stood at 8.7%.

Of the first seven months of 2010, registrations in France, however, still stand up 2.8% in raw data to 1,382,240 units, and 2.1% in comparable number of working days compared the same period of 2009.

Sales only French brands fell 15.4% in July, while those of foreign brands fell 9.9%.

Car sales of PSA Peugeot Citroen shrank 15.0% last month, and those of Renault were down 7.6%.

Registrations only Dacia (Logan, Sandero and Duster) jumped 47.5% on month, while those of Renault fell 15.9%.

For PSA, sales of the Citroen were down by 17.0% and Peugeot were down by 13.3%.

Wall Street opening undecided

Wall Street operates on a hesitant note in early trading, pending the publication of monthly statistics of sales of new homes.

The major indexes started up after raising earnings forecasts from FedEx Group but they quickly moved into the red.

Ten minutes into trading, the Dow Jones was almost in equilibrium at 10,427.27 points, the Standard & Poor's 500 index was virtually unchanged at 1102.91 points and the Nasdaq Composite Index retreated 0.16 % to 2265.93 points.

FedEx earned more than 4% after raising its earnings forecast for the quarter and year.

Values pharmaceutical react to rumors of acquisition of biotech company Genzyme. Genzyme earned the title at 5.33% 65.85 dollars in early trade.

Finally, the BP side as New York took 2.79% to 37.89 dollars before the board meeting, scheduled for Monday evening, which could define the modalities of the departure of CEO Tony Hayward and announce his replacement by Bob Dudley, the American leader who also oversees the fight against the oil spill.

Plastic Omnium second half sees a "dynamic"

Plastic Omnium said Thursday confident the second half after a first half of the year marked a rebound in net income and revenue thanks to the automobile and the environment.

The group specializes in large plastic parts for the vehicle (body and tanks) or for the collection of waste (containers), posted first half net profit of 72.3 million euros, against eight million a year earlier.The results of the last six months is more than double that achieved all of 2009.

"The activities of Compagnie Plastic Omnium will continue to appear dynamically in the second half of 2010," the group said in a statement.

The title, which earns more than 106% since the beginning of the year, bringing its market capitalization to nearly $ 700 million, has risen by 4.5% to 39.82 euros ten minutes after the opening of trading Paris.

If the turnover of Plastic Omnium has fallen 15% in France, total sales were up by 28.5% to 1.52 billion thanks to a near doubling of sales in North America and Asia.

Emerging markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China) now account for 9% of turnover Automotive Group, a proportion expected to rise "significantly in the next three years," said Plastic Omnium.

This balance, which specifically involves the construction of five new plants should help offset the slowdown in the European car market anticipated the second half of the year with the gradual disappearance of the last car scrapping.

Plastic Omnium has also stated that the acquisition of 50% of the Belgian Solvay Inergy Automotive Systems, a leading global fuel systems and fuel tanks, which the project was announced in June, is expected to close shortly and completed by the end of the year if the competition authorities give green light to the operation.

In the environment, the group's turnover increased by 6.2% in the first half thanks to the development of sorting and of underground containers for the collection.

Iberia signs the merger agreement with British Airways

Iberia announced it has signed a merger agreement with British Airways, a combination that will create the world's third largest airline.

The Spanish company affixes his signature to a text that defined last April, one week after her British counterpart said it had reached an agreement to cover the deficit of 3.7 billion pounds of its pension scheme .

The transaction, which will see shareholders of British Airways to 55% of all new, must still be endorsed by shareholders, which is expected in November.

Iberia has also an exit clause for three months, always linked to its assessment of the ability of BA to the deficit of its pension system, a point already in the past failed to derail the proposed merger .

"Iberia has three months to leave the project from the time the agreement (signed between British Airways and managers of pension funds) is subject to the regulatory authority of British pensions," said Iberia.

The CAC 40 to drop off again, the sovereign risk returns

The Paris Bourse is distributed downward and fell below 3,600 points on Thursday mid-morning, the fears surrounding the sovereign debt of the euro area resurfacing and penalizing bank stocks.

In addition there are comments from the Federal Reserve of the United States, acknowledged Wednesday that a U.S. economic recovery faltering.

A significant gap between the yields (spreads) of debt Greek and German revived fears about the euro area.

The CAC 40 index, which opened in rebounding, losing 1.17% to 3599.27 points at 10:55, the next support lying at 3580.

BNP Paribas (-4.19%), Societe Generale (-3.01%), Dexia (-2.73%) and Credit Agricole (-3.05%) recorded the largest declines the CAC 40.

"The market fell because of Greece, the spreads diverge. It's affecting the banks," said a vendor.

Other major European markets have also turned down.

Raoul Sachs, edited by Dominique Reynolds

Monceau Fleurs accelerates its international expansion

Monceau Fleurs Group wants to expand its international presence and is aimed primarily Germany and Asia to boost its sales, told Reuters CEO Laurent Amar.

To support this development, the florist has launched a bond issue in May to a maximum of 12 million euros, which ends June 25 The unit amounts to 500 euros maturing in June 2015, with a coupon of 8%.

"It was rather a good home," said Laurent Amar in an interview. "The receipt of the loan shows that the financial reputation is being done.And the financial reputation is essential for the liquidity. "

Laurent Amar said it had rejected the option of a capital increase because he believes that the current valuation does not reflect his company or its doubling in size after the company acquired in 2008 Rapid'Flore nor its international success.

"As I have my heritage that is in, I refuse to dilute the value then," he said.

Laurent Amar counting on improved financial visibility to see the group increase its capitalization today of 52 million euros.

The group, which already has over 450 stores in eight countries, confirms its objective of growing its network of sales by 20% during 2009-2010, which ends Sept. 30.He added that the pace of store openings to accelerate the international over the last year.

"We went from 6% to 10% in number of stores opened abroad. It'll go faster," said group finance director, Eric Villedieu. "We aim for 1,000 stores in five years," said Laurent Amar.

The group is particularly Monceau penetrate the German market, which he estimated at seven billion euros a year against three billion to France.There is already present through a joint venture with Lagardere Services which owns 40% stake.

The company, which owns the brands Monceau Fleurs, Rapid'Flore and Happy, already extends for several years its international presence by establishing joint ventures with partners.

They have a franchise for periods of seven to ten years in exchange for a fee and a requirement to provide priority via the Monceau group.

"We went further we got from our partners to be the capital of these companies that hold rights in the country.It is quite rare to get this from its partners, "said the CEO.

ASIA, FLORISSANT CONTRACT

Monceau Fleurs said having well through the crisis because of its policy of low prices, achieved in particular through the integration of its suppliers, in addition to its innovative products like its pink bioluminescent.

The CEO also said to have benefited from the crisis to negotiate leases for new retail outlets on terms much more favorable, thereby facilitating its expansion.

Already present in Japan with nine shops, Monceau Fleurs placed on the dynamic Asian markets and their high consumption of flowers, partly due to the multitude of temples in the country to develop.

"It's part of our priorities is a market that is made for us.It would be a mistake not going there, "said Laurent Amar.

Besides the development of the network through franchises, the group does not make acquisitions as opportunities arise, but he says he remains "extremely cautious".

"In terms of developing countries, through acquisition, we do not refuse any opportunity," said Laurent Amar, whose grandfather created Monceau Fleurs in 1965 in Paris.

The group was incorporated in 1985 by the Compagnie Financiere Edmond de Rothschild.

After a degree in business law, Laurent Amar, confident that the flower industry was promising and mostly impervious to attacks, developed the network in the province from 1998 in 2002 before acquiring the company, which now holds , 38, 69% of the capital.

Monceau Fleurs, whose competitors are the Jardin des Plantes in France or the U.S. 1-800-Flowers internationally, has seen its turnover grow by 72% in 2008-2009 due to external growth, 66, 4 million euros for an operating profit (EBITDA) of 1.2 million euros.

At the Paris Bourse, the title listed on Alternext Monceau Fleurs showed a stable course Tuesday to 9.00 euros. Since the beginning of the year, he sold 17% after surging 101% in 2009.