China cut Saturday the amounts that banks must hold in reserve, thereby increasing their lending capacity of 400 billion yuan (48 billion euros), a measure taken to e avoid the risk of a sharp slowdown in the second largest economy.
People's Bank of China reduced the reserve ratio by 50 basis points, bringing it to 20.0%. This new amount will be effective next Friday May 18
This is the third decline in six months of the required reserve ratio, a decision just one day after the publication of macroeconomic data for the month of April have concerned investors, including the numbers of industrial production.
Economists had indeed thought that the growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) of 8.1% over one year was a record low and that the activity would be departing in the second quarter. Considering the recent statistics, this scenario does not seem to confirm.
"The central bank should cut its reserve requirement ratio after the first quarter. She missed the best possible time, "said Dong Xian'an, chief economist at Peking First Advisory
." A drop TODAY 'Today will have a lesser impact. The Chinese economy will therefore be more vulnerable to weak global economic conditions and a slowing Chinese economy will in turn have a negative impact on the global recovery. "..
…… "The uncertainties surrounding the global and Chinese economies increase," said Dong Xian'an
… …… Economists estimate that China's growth should be 8% per year to absorb the annual flow of new entrants to the labor market and rural land left to find work in the factory
. The central bank announced its first drop in the ratio of bank reserves for three years on November 30, lowering the rate of 50 basis points.
According to a Reuters poll conducted in January, economists estimate that the central bank will reduce the reserve ratio of 200 basis points in total in 2012, bringing it to 19%.
Moreover, despite the inflationary risks, some believe that lower interest rates is not excluded.
"The problem is that loan demand from companies is very low, therefore the lower reserve requirement ratio is not as effective as lower rates of intere ; t, because a decrease in the ratio of reserves does not change the cost of loans, "said Liu Junyu (China Merchants Bank).
"If the economy continues to be hesitant, it is likely that the government will opt for a lower interest rate."
A decree published in the Official Gazette requires EDG and GDF to repay the overpayment charged to customers within 15 days of issuance of the annual bill or the subscriber's request. This obligation will come into force in 2013.
EDF and GDF will, from next year, reimburse their customers within 15 days of issuance of the annual bill or the subscriber's request, in case of overpayment exceeding 25 euros, according to a decree of April 18 published in the Official Journal (OJ). "During the contract, when the invoice based on energy consumption reveals an overpayment by the contractor less than 25 euros, the excess is carried forward to the next invoice, unless the consumer requests a refund" states that Order, which comes into force on 1 January 2013. "From this amount, the overpayment is refunded by the supplier," the statement said, adding that "the refund is made within fifteen days from the issuance of the invoice or the customer's request ".
Billing of the two suppliers is based on an estimate of consumption for customers who choose the monthly payment, with an annual bill of regularization based on actual consumption. "It has taken up several times to the plate and the publication of an official report to achieve this decree," said Bruno Lechevin, managing director of energy ombudsman, the daily Le Parisien on Friday which states that during the first quarter, 3.2% of complaints received by the Ombudsman were related to reimbursement of overpayments. "In 2011, EDF had made and pin: the utility reimbursement to amounts of less than 15 euros if the customers were demanding," said the newspaper. EDF now states on its website monthly installments if the client has paid a sum greater than its invoice regularization, the credit balance is refunded "by bank transfer within 15 days."
In May 2011, the supplier had agreed to reimburse "now" and automatically overpayments of all invoices to its customers after termination of their contract (move). The group previously had a policy not to refund overpayments of less than € 15.24 if customers were not doing the requests. Parliament passed a provision in the Law on Organization of the New Electricity Markets (Nome) of 7 December 2010 so that energy suppliers are now required to systematically repay overpayments to consumers.
The Group of Twenty (G20) pledged Friday to give the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over $ 430 billion of additional resources to identify the debt crisis of the euro area.
The agreement doubles the capacity of the IMF loan, which was the goal set by its Executive Director Christine Lagarde at the opening meetings of the IMF and World Bank this weekend.
"There are firm commitments to increase resources available to the IMF more than $ 430 billion, in addition to the planned quota increase under the reform of 2010" , declared in a statement the finance ministers and central bankers from the G20, referring to the project to give emerging countries a say in the larger fund.
The resumption of international trade should take place sooner than expected.
It's time for optimism for international trade. This is the conclusion of the study HSBC Global Connections: Trade Forecast (February 2012), which provides a faster growth of international trade from 2014, one year earlier than expected, according to previous analyzes. Between 2014 and 2026, world trade is expected to grow by 86%. Its annual growth is estimated at 3.8% until 2017, then mark a sharper acceleration beyond, with an annual growth of 6.2% from 2017 to 2021.
The biggest concern now trade oil, gas, petrochemical, automotive and electronic goods and equipment. But things are changing. With the threat of global warming and the demand for competitiveness, companies must now be closer to markets where they want to trade. This new situation allows to identify new growth areas. Here are the main:
– Electric power: all regions of the world are now seeking to develop non-fossil energy: nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind …
– Containers & Packaging: crates, boxes, and all objects to package and transport goods. This highly competitive industry is expected to grow particularly strong in America (nearly 10% annually over the next five years in Latin America and 8.9% in North America).
– Metallurgy: prepared binders for foundry. The annual growth forecast for this sector should be 8.8% in the next five years.
– Coal: coal and pellets. Demand is high worldwide, and especially in China which produces half the world's coal, but who is also the first consumer.
– Processed food: demand for more sophisticated food is high everywhere in the world.
– Electrical Control Systems: the development of new electrical power sources to the emergence of demand control systems and automatic control, especially in Asia, Europe and North America.
– Infrastructure: The sector is large, since the production of metal bars to the research services and consulting. This sector, vital for global economic growth, is expected to grow 110% in the next 15 years.
Google reported Thursday a net profit of 2.89 billion dollars or 8.75 dollars per share (GAAP) in the first quarter and announced a division of its shares on a two for a.
The net sales for the first quarter, which excludes fees paid to partner sites, totaled $ 8.14 billion.
The total turnover of the quarter is 10.65 billion.
The industrial orders rebounded in February in the United States and businesses have increased their orders for capital goods, leaving the industry think that retains some vitality despite signs of slower growth.
These orders rose 1.3%, slightly below the consensus of analysts polled by Reuters which gave 1.5%, according to figures released Tuesday by the Commerce Department.
Many economists believe that the expiration of certain tax benefits on productive investment in late 2011 has encouraged companies to move their investments.
The decline in January was revised to 1.1% against 1% in the first estimate.
Orders for civilian capital goods excluding aircraft, a category closely followed because it was considered a good indicator of future investment plans, rose 1.7% in February against 1.2% in the first estimate.
Officials of the European Union hopes that the leaders of G20 countries will agree to contribute more to IMF resources in April after the agreement Friday on increasing the power of the wind fire-euro area financial.
The IMF seeks to double its war chest through raising $ 600 billion of new resources to help countries struggling with the fallout from the debt crisis in the euro area.
But most G20 countries have said that before they do inject money into the IMF, the euro area was first put more money to solve the crisis of sovereign debt.
This was done on Friday finance ministers of 17 countries in the euro area in agreeing to carry 500 to 700 billion combined capacity of two rescue fund.
"It is important to ensure that the IMF has sufficient resources to fulfill its systemic role in the global economy and yesterday's agreement within the Eurogroup (…) is very important in this regard, "he told reporters the Danish Minister of Economy Vestager Margrethe, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries must discuss an increase in IMF resources on April 22 in Washington.
"It's time to increase IMF resources. It is in the interest of all countries, the focus is on Europe, but it is very important to recognize that there are also vulnerabilities in other parts of the globe, "added Minister
." I think and hope – and this is to How we work – we will reach an agreement in April, "she said
." We Europeans, we can get to re ; unions spring the Washington sense of accomplishment ", for his part said Jörg Asmussen, Executive Board Member of the European Central Bank
… Five …… major emerging countries, said the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), however, have said they would support an increase if they were accorded a more important within the IMF.
The euro area has already said it would contribute € 150 billion more resources to the IMF. The Czech Republic will contribute 1.5 billion euros, 5.3 billion of Denmark, Poland and Sweden 6.3 billion to 6.9 billion euros.
"The EU calls on other G20 countries and financially strong IMF members to contribute to this effort," we read in a paper for the Washington meeting.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended almost unchanged Monday after slight correction suffered last week, investors focusing on actions related to metals and blue chips that have underperformed ; the market lately.
The Nikkei gained 0.07% or 6.77 points, to 10,018.24. In contrast, the Topix broader, yielded 0.71 points (-0.08%) to 851.82.
This evolution of the Nikkei, helped by the decline of the yen against the dollar, was recorded in a few exchanges expanded.
"Even if the Nikkei falls below 10,000 points, Japanese institutional investors are not going to take profits because they have more net sellers in the rally (in recent months)," said Kenichi Hirano , a director at Tachibana Securities.
Technical analysts believe that the decline of last week could lead investors who missed the bull cycle in action since the beginning of the year to enter the market.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 1.1% Friday, accusing its largest percentage decline in two months. But it is still up over 18% since the beginning of the year.
There was never enough analysts, says a former Moody's and Standard Poor's has. Some had multiple dozens of folders and noted without sufficient data. Moody's in New York.
Former analysts rating agencies testified Wednesday in the Senate on their working conditions, reporting a dire shortage of manpower and intense competition among agencies that sometimes pushed to note without sufficient data .
The Senate on Tuesday launched a mission of information on credit rating agencies and which audition until July consult experts, former employees of agencies, debt issuers and investors in France and abroad.
"Your question is daunting, watermark, you ask us: + Did you know what you did? +, Told senators who questioned Anwar Hassoune, who spent seven years at Standard & Poor's and three years at Moody's. "The answer is + not + always. There is never enough analysts, "responded Normale Associate Management, a graduate of HEC and Sciences Po, who says he experienced analysts for 35 to 45 cases each
. "It is humanly impossible, we had to follow two Credit Agricole, it is not possible!", he said. For him, the analysis of Crédit Agricole would require "a battalion of a dozen analysts with 15, 20, 30 years of experience, knowing all the ins and outs of each business" of this banking giant. "But this is not sustainable economically because each entry will cost 500,000 euros and 600,000, including bonus" and your "business is dead," he said.
Behind this problem is the business model of agencies, the high margins they achieve for their shareholders, analysts have estimated the former. "It is rightly said that it is outrageous that agencies emerge as significant margins," said Catherine Gerst, who worked at Moody's Paris from 1991 to 2000, first as an analyst before becoming CEO.
Agencies who had "no obligation to reinvest in people," Ms. Gerst suggesting to create constraints of this type, for example to limit to 10 the number of entities to be processed by analyst. As for subprime ("subprime"), the agency had only two years of decline on these new products and noted "knowing full well they had no data" necessary, she lamented, explaining this fact by "too much competition between agencies."
The sustained improvement in the U.S. labor market continued in February for the third consecutive month, confirming the scenario of a broadening recovery é economic.
The economy created 227,000 non-farm jobs last month, according to statistics from the Labor Department, and the unemployment rate remained at its lowest level in three years, 8.3%.
This is the first time since early 2011 that the new posts remain above 200,000 for three straight months.
The figures for December and January were also revised upward, from 61,000 in total.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected an average of 210.000 jobs created in February after the figure of 243,000 was originally planned for January.
