European shares erased their gains in closing Wednesday on renewed concern about the ability of Athens to implement a second rescue plan that would avoid a disorderly failure of Greece.
The Paris CAC 40 index ended on a note stable (-0.05% to 3410.00 points, which corresponds to an important point of resistance, the German Dax has yielded 0.08% Eurostoxx 50 and 0.05%. London ended down 0.24%.
The leaders of the European Central Bank (ECB) remain divided on the potential contribution of the central bank to restructure Greek debt, two sources said the area euro Wednesday shortly before the close.
Meanwhile, leaders of the three coalition parties had entered Greek government meeting to agree on the reforms demanded by donors of new exhibitions ; born in exchange for a second aid plan.
Meanwhile, the President of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced late in the day for convening a meeting of finance ministers of the euro zone Thursday in Brussels to decide outline a new plan of aid to Greece.
Bank stocks remained the largest increases in Europe (0.56%), while having significantly reduced their earnings. Deutsche Bank took 1.53% and 1.16% BNP Paribas, the two largest increases in the Stoxx 50.
The profit taking continued on LVMH (-1.28%), which sold more than 4.3% since the end of last week of quarterly results has yet confirmed its good resistance to the crisis.
Sanofi fell by 1.7%. The company said results in growth in the fourth quarter of 2011, but 2012 will be more difficult with the loss of several patents of its major drugs.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos called on Sunday for three party leaders Greek government to publicly commit to implement the reforms demanded by the country's creditors in return for a second help.
The three party leaders were summoned Greek government on Sunday by Lucas Papademos to overcome their objections to the new austerity measures demanded by creditors, even if they have so far resulted only exacerbate the recession of countries.
George Papandreou, Antonis Samaras and George Karatzaferis – respectively leaders of the Socialist party, New Democracy (right) and Laos (far right) represented in the Greek coalition government – arrived mid-afternoon Maximos the palace, where the offices of the Prime Minister.
The representatives of the troika of institutional creditors of the country (euro area, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) have previously met the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the Minister of Labour. The Greek government has been negotiating for weeks on the establishment of a structural adjustment program of the country in exchange for a second loan of at least 130 billion euros, which would add to that 110 billion awarded in May 2010 the country to protect it from bankruptcy.
100 billion euros of debt
Negotiations described as "superhuman" Sunday by a senior government official, intended to prevent Greece a default in the month of March. An alternative trading-just as crucial-government with its private creditors to erase 100 billion euros of debt, depends on negotiating with creditors. Among the hard spots, rejected both by the Greek trade union leaders by most politicians, are the demands of the troika of generalized lowering labor costs.
"I come with the hope that I will not repeat what was said recently the former German Chancellor (Helmut) Schmidt," said George Karatzaferis to the press on arrival at the Prime Minister, after warning that it did not feel ready to bow to pressure from Berlin or "blackmail". In December, Helmut Schmidt had expressed concern about how other countries dealt Berlin and European partners in managing the debt crisis, when Germany imposes its solutions to its neighbors.
Saturday night, the Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the negotiations "on the razor's edge" were to conclude Sunday evening that Greece avoided a default in March
Risk of bankruptcy in March
The leader of the Eurogroup, Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker, has also lobbied on Saturday night by evoking the risk of "bankruptcy" of Greece in March if the reforms demanded were not completed.
"If we were to find that everything goes awry in Greece, then there would be no new program" refinancing of the country, said the head of government of Luxembourg. "This would mean bankruptcy in March," he added. "Greece must know that we will not back down on the issue of privatization," he said, regretting that there is no other "elements of corruption at all levels of government" Greek.
The opponents argue that wage cuts will exacerbate the recession in Greece, where the economy is stifled by a recession that puts on airs of depression, with GDP expected to fall by around 6% in 2011 after two years of austerity.
According to a government study released last week, the unit labor costs in Greece has already fallen by 14.3% between the first quarter 2010 and third quarter 2011.
But according to the head of IMF mission in Greece Poul Thomsen, measures of wage compression in the private sector will boost the economy through a gain in competitiveness. Paul Thomsen has advocated such a reduction in the minimum wage, a red rag to the unions, saying only 751 euros gross per month was 35% higher than in Portugal, and 20% in Spain.
Values to follow Tuesday at the Paris Bourse. </ P> * VALUE FINANCIAL – EU leaders could seal a final agreement on the second level of support Greece in the coming days, Monday and tried to calm an early debate on a proposed loan to Berlin to Greece Trust budget. </ p> The Prime Minister of Greece Lucas Papademos met after the summit in Brussels with EU officials and European Central Bank to discuss the details of the restructuring plan of Greek debt under negotiation with private creditors.</ P> * INSURANCE – Moody's Investors Service said Tuesday it had raised to stable from negative its outlook for the industry and damage to the French insurers maintained its negative outlook on the sector of 'life insurance. </ p> * CROSSROADS announced Monday the departure of its Executive Director responsible for growth markets, Pierre Bouchut, in which analysts had seen a candidate ; rieux to succeed Lars Olofsson. It Georges Plassat was chosen to succeed the CEO of the distribution group. </ P> * Renault, which owns 25% stake in Russian manufacturer AvtoVAZ, could take control via its alliance with Nissan in the first half of this year, said Monday the news agency RIA Novosti, citing About Sergei Chemezov, the chairman of the holding company Russian Technologies. </ p> * RENAULT and PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN – According to the Tribune, quoting unofficial sources, registrations of new cars have plummeted in January as planned in France, as a result of the context economic and very unfavorable comparison of early 2011, when the effect scrappage was still playing full. </ p> According to La Tribune, Renault fell by 45 %, 37% of Peugeot, Citroen Dacia by 31% and 18%. The two French manufacturers have refused to comment on the figures to be published Wednesday. </ P> * EADS – UBS moves from neutral to buy on the title with a target price raised 22 to 31 euros. </ p> * ACCOR – Nomura resumes coverage value with a recommendation to "reduce" and a target price of 19.50 euros. </ p> < p> * Veolia Environment – Morgan Stanley going to underweight-weight line on the title. </ p> * SOITEC, who had said it expected an operating loss "significant" in 2011-2012, has announced that it would be between 40 and 45 million euros. </ p> * EIFFAGE – JP Morgan goes underweight to neutral on the title.</ P> * NORBERT DENTRESSANGLE reported Monday night of "signs of slowing at the end of the year" in the business of its customers, in a macroeconomic context "showing progressive signs of slowing. "</ p> The group achieved in 2011 a consolidated turnover of 3.576 million euros, up 5.6% at constant exchange rates and like basis. The fourth quarter alone, the change in net sales was 4.2%. </ P> * ALTEN judge earlier this year "reassuring, if not encouraging," despite the depressed economic environment that characterized the end of 2011. "The activity in January remained satisfactory, comparable to last year," said Alten. Of 2011, consolidated sales increased by 14.5% at constant currency and constant perimeter, to 1065.7 million. The fourth quarter alone, growth stood at 12.5%. </ P> * DRY ENVIRONMENT, which in 2011 posted an organic growth of 6% of its sales of Business 424.2 million euros reported in 2012 on a build up its business in line with the last six months "in an uncertain macroeconomic environment." </ p> <p > Regarding the issue of participation in the Saur, including the assumption of an output, the chief financial officer Jean Geissler declined to comment, simply stating that mediation was ongoing. </ p> * ARTPRICE.COM expects a jump in sales this year with the launch of its online auction service, said Monday its CEO Thierry Ehrmann, in an interview with Reuters. </ p>
The rapid increase of the debt crisis in the euro area threatens the credit ratings of all European states, warned Sunday the U.S. rating agency Moody's. Moody's in New York.
In a "special comment" on European countries published Sunday, Moody's says it still considers that the euro area will maintain its unity without any fault as that of Greece, but notes that even this' scenario 'positive' carries consequences very negative for the notes "of European countries. The U.S. rating agency, recently warned that France could lose its "triple A" allowing it to borrow at favorable rates in the markets, and clearly indicates that no country, even among those considered most solids, such as the Netherlands, Austria, Finland or Germany, is immune to a lowering of note.
Given the events of recent weeks, Moody's said have to consider "the likelihood of a scenario even more negative." She said "the probability of multiple failures (…) States in the euro area is no longer negligible" and continues to grow in the absence of solution to the crisis. If this probability were to materialize, it would increase the likelihood that one or more countries leave the euro area, the agency said, for whom this scenario of a "fragmentation of the euro" would have "negative repercussions for all countries the euro area and EU. " For Moody's, the situation is constantly evolving, and new "shocks" (new rescue or rising interest rates which states borrow) while policy makers define new measures are "likely to lead to changes of note in case by case "for some countries.
Societe Generale said Thursday in an email to the press that the goal of equity of 9% at end-June 2012 without resorting to the market, after testing by the European Banking Authority (EBA ).
Earlier in the morning, the French bank whose needs additional capital was estimated at 3.3 billion euros, said it will recapitalize on its own without explicitly rule out an increase of capital.
For avoidance of doubt, SocGen said that it does not seek public money or raise capital in financial markets.
Under the agreement reached on the night of Wednesday to Thursday at the conclusion of a new double top, the European authorities have agreed to recapitalize their banks to the tune of 106 billion euros, 8.8 billion for French banks.
BNP Paribas, whose capital needs were assessed by the EBA to 2.1 billion euros, also rejected any appeal to the market.
Heineken, the world's third largest brewer, reported Wednesday a surprise increase in the volume of beer sold and its sales in the third quarter, supported by the strength of African markets and a rebound in sales in Russia.
Revenues rose 0.6% to 4.65 billion euros against 4.51 billion euros expected on average by eight brokers polled by Reuters.
In August, the brewer warned that weak consumer confidence, combined with a sluggish summer, would affect earnings growth this year.He also maintained its forecast for net profit before exceptional items for 2011, saying it would be roughly consistent with the previous year.
In the third quarter, net income amounted to 525 million euros, an amount virtually unchanged from last year.
The title gained 1.24% to 0800 GMT, having reached in early trade a high of two months with an increase of 4.1%.
The Greek Parliament approved on Thursday its new austerity plan. It provides for the establishment layoffs of 30,000 employees. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou at the EU summit of June 23, 2011.
The Greek parliament adopted Thursday night by items, with the only voice of the majority Socialist, the new law austerity contested by the opposition and on the street by the unions. The Prime Minister, George Papandreou, welcomed the vote in a letter read by the Speaker of Parliament, and announced the deregistration of one Socialist MP and former Labour Minister Louka Katseli, which marked its difference by voting every items except 37, the freezing collevtives sectoral conventions.
At the request of the opposition, a registered ballot was held about twenty articles of the law's most controversial, or in addition to Article 37, those providing for new wage cuts and layoffs in the placement of some 30,000 people in the public sector. All members of the opposition present, 144 out of 146 voted against the second day of a general strike against these measures by the unions, and massive anti-austerity rallies interspersed with incidents.
The rest of the articles was adopted by a simplified procedure following the roll call vote, while the law had already adopted "in principle" on Wednesday night. A new formal vote "throughout the text" has been postponed to a later meeting, said the Chairman. The Ministry of Finance said earlier that it was only a formality.
The adoption of this law, required by the creditors of the country, European Union and International Monetary Fund fell "national responsibility", so that the country "avoid bankruptcy" by receiving a new tranche of international loans, said M . Papandreou. He also found that the country gained in strength and to negotiate in the EU and the euro area for a resolution of the problem of its indebtedness.
Air Liquide finds no significant decrease in demand of its customers and believes that the market environment for the group was relatively normal, except for some adjustments in the electronics, said Tuesday its CEO Benoît Potier.
"We do not see a significant drop in consumption by our customers.At this point we can say that the economy remains strong for Air Liquide, "said the boss of the world's largest industrial gases reporters.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of tests of electric vehicles to hydrogen at the Circuit de Marcoussis (Essonne).
"The environment was relatively normal, so the consumption of our customers large and small ways consistent with what we had until now," said Benoît Potier, whose group has clients in sectors as diverse as Health, refining and steel.
Air Liquide was confirmed in early August target steady growth in net profit in 2011 "in a normal environment."
Asked if he confirmed the group's objectives in 2011, Benoît Potier declined to comment, a few weeks before the publication of revenue for the third quarter scheduled Oct. 26.
The strategic plan "Alma 2015", introduced in December 2010, is an average annual growth of 8% to 10% of sales – compared to 9.2% as reported in the first half of 2011 – and a sustained increase of Net income in the past five years.
The share was down 1.18% to 85.66 euros by 24:50, outperforming the market, down 2.7%.
The new austerity measures agreed on Sunday will not allow Greece to limit the budget deficit to 7.4% of GDP in 2011 as it had promised. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos and the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Parliament during the vote of a new austerity plan, June 30, 2011.
Greece confirmed Sunday that it would not achieve the objective of reducing the public deficit set in June 2011, but recovered over the bar skid found its creditors in September, after the introduction of new measures austerity.
The draft budget for 2012 containing new objectives, to be tabled in parliament on Monday passed Sunday night during a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister George Papandreou, in which was set the difficult reduction plan public as required by international creditors Greece.According to the draft budget, in 2011, the deficit of Greece will be reduced to 8.5% of GDP against 10.5% in 2010. The deficit remains above the target of 7.4% of GDP set in the initial multi-year legislation passed in June, but it is significantly better than the projection made in early September by the troika of creditors which stood then at Athens around 9.5% of GDP, according to the press.
This exceeded the deficit target in 2011 means that Greece will need two billion more if only to fund its spending this year.It also means that tax increases and wage cuts announced over the last two months by the Papandreou government have failed to redress the country's finances.
Growth forecasts for the budget adopted in 2012 point to a contraction of 5.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year and 2.0-2.5% next year. These figures are the latest IMF projections, but are much more pessimistic than the projections used to calculate the bailout plan of 109 billion euros on July 21, anticipating a growth of 0.6% in 2012.
The copy of the Greek government and its financial projections will be examined Monday by the finance ministers of the Eurogroup and Luxembourg on Tuesday to those of the European Union, which must decide whether or not pay the next tranche of 8 billion, vital to the troubled country.By the end of August, the government warned it would not take its goal of reducing the deficit mainly because of the worsening recession. Officials of the troika (EU-IMF-ECB) to inspect the country's public finances and fiscal consolidation had left Athens when requesting the introduction of new corrective action to reduce costs and increase revenue.
"The additional austerity measures announced for 2011 and 2012 equivalent to 6.6 billion euros," said the Ministry of Finance said in a statement Sunday. Among them are the introduction of a new tax on real estate levied on electricity bills, lower pensions in excess of 1,200 euros per month, lowering the threshold for income tax to 5,000 euros annually. VAT on food increased from 13 to 23% in September.
The main difficulty concerns the lay-off of some 30,000 public sector employees by creating a "reserve labor force" where they will be affected for a year with salaries reduced to 60% of their basic pay . After one year some will be laid off. The choice will be based on criteria of age, persons over 60 years to be entered automatically in the program. The mechanism of labor reserves in its final version is the most "painless socially speaking" it was possible to adopt, said government spokesman Elias Mossialos in a statement.
In 2012, the Greek government expects a further reduction of public deficits, by setting a target of 6.8% of GDP instead of 6.5% forecast in June, 14.65 billion euros.And Greece should reach next year for the first time a primary surplus of 3.2 billion euros of public finances, excluding debt service.
According to the newspaper Kathimerini, the Troika mission, which returned to Athens on Thursday after an absence of nearly a month, could continue until Friday, October 7. The German finance minister warned last week that no final decision would be taken on the payment or not the next aid installment loan of 110 billion made in May 2010 in Greece, before 13 October .
Values to follow on Friday at the Paris Bourse.
* AXA. Offers for Axa Privaty Equity, private equity branch of the insurance group, must be filed by early next week, the Financial Times and The Tribune.
The Strategic Investment Fund (ISF) said Thursday he would not consider an acquisition of Axa Private Equity.
* DEXIA. Belgian finance ministers and French planned to meet Monday to discuss the future of Dexia, a bank in the center of intense negotiations on a possible restructuring, write Friday Les Echos. No one was immediately available at Bercy or the Belgian Ministry of Finance to comment on this article.
* SOCIETE GENERALE.UBS lowered its recommendation to buy from neutral and cut its price target to 21 euros against 35 euros.
* SOITEC sought to reassure the market on sales growth plates in the first half of 2011-2012, two days after a warning from Advanced Micro Devices, its main customer, on their own perspectives.
