Business & Financial News

Neopost intends to acquire distributors in Asia Pacific to obtain the direct presence which is lacking in this region with high growth potential, said Wednesday its chief executive Denis Thiery.

The manufacturer of franking machines for mail account also make acquisitions on the West Coast of North America and Europe to complement its network, "he told a news conference at its annual results.

Neopost published Tuesday in line with profit expectations for 2010 and forecast for 2011 said an operating margin of 25.5% to 26% against 25.7% in 2010, with growth of 2 to 4% of its sales business in exchange rates.

The action yields 0.80% at 63.35 euros to 12.00, in the absence of surprise results and prospects.

Neopost expects to acquire one or two major distributors of Neopost in Asia, where opportunities have been identified in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, said Denis Thiery told Reuters after the news conference.

The group aims 40-50000000 euros in turnover in 12 to 18 months in the region promises a great potential in delivering mail and parcels, he added.

"Our ambition in the short term is to establish a direct presence in Asia perennial," said the boss of Neopost Reuters."Asia is followed from Paris, it's not very convenient (…) and it is not the right way to develop a region as promising as this one."

Neopost achieved in 2010 a turnover of EUR 965.6 million – against 5.4 billion (3.85 billion euros) for his main competitor, the U.S. Pitney Bowes.

The French group, which produces 41% of its sales in North America against 26% in France and the rest in Europe, has come on the market for small franking machines.

"The positive impact on economic performance is guaranteed in our opinion in time, without appearing in the very short term," says a note in CM-CIC, which maintains its recommendation to maintain a target price of 58.50 euros .

A dual delay effect, the premium to the scrap yard and shifting balances compared to 2010, has boosted the French household consumption of manufactured goods in February, but the next few months could be more delicate.

Consumption of manufactured goods rose 0.9% last month, after falling 0.3% in January, show statistics released Tuesday by INSEE.

Seventeen economists polled by Reuters had forecast an average increase of 0.4% of consumption in February after declining 0.5% originally announced for January.Their estimates ranged between -0.5% and +1.5%.

In one year, the French household consumption was up 5.5% in February, the most significant annual rate since December 2009.

The rebound in February reflects among other things a 1.0% increase in purchases of automobiles after a fall of 6.4% in January.

"Their continued at a high level due to the delayed effect of many orders late last year to qualify for the scrapping before the end of the device," said INSEE.

Clearly, part of orders for cars registered in the last weeks of 2010 has actually been delivered and paid in February.

Purchases of capital goods remained robust housing, up 0.9% in February after 2.5% the previous month, which can be explained, in addition to sales, stop by the television Analog Ile-de-France.

INFLATION RISK OF WEIGH

For purchases of textiles and leather, they show an increase of 4.2% after falling 1.4% in January.

"This does not, however, reflects a fundamental shift in the economic sector, but rather reflects the timing of sales," said Alexander Law, chief economist at research firm Xerfi, who speaks of "cocktail euphoric" about the joint Indeed balances-scrapping.

This euphoria may be short-lived consumer sentiment deteriorated in March, due mainly to rising fears of inflation.And that factor prices will materialize on Friday by a 5.2% increase in regulated tariffs for gas.

Household spending in "other manufactures", which represent approximately 40% of the total amount of statistics, fell 0.3% last month.

Joost Beaumont, economist at ABN Amro, "we must wait for the numbers next month to have a clearer picture of the state of mind of the consumer."

"We expect a stabilization of spending at a more moderate over the coming quarters as fiscal consolidation, the continuing weak labor market and rising inflation will leave traces."

Household consumption of manufactured goods accounts for about one third of private consumption in France.

Given the likely green light of the CFDT, the agreement makes it very likely FO validation of the text proposed by the MEDEF despite opposition from other unions such as the CFE-CGC. The Secretary-General Jean-Claude Mailly FOR here during a demonstration against pension reform in September 2010

The Secretary-General Jean-Claude Mailly FOR announced Thursday on BFM TV that his union "will be signing" the agreement on the future of supplementary pensions in the private sector Agirc-Arrco proposed by the MEDEF. "We will sign the agreement we have obtained guarantees. It is the culmination of a negotiation," he said.

"We obtained a stabilization of rates of return on pensions for the next four years, so there is more down," said Mr. Mailly.In his project, management has proposed to stabilize from 2012 to 2015 the rate of return of supplementary pensions Agirc (all employees) and Arrco (frames) that keeps falling every euro contributed to a pension entitlement increasingly low . It also provides for an extension until 2018, AFFMB (Association for the fund management and financing of Agirc Arrco) who can "make the join" between the dates of retirement of the general and those supplemental plans.

The decision of the Workers Force makes it very likely the validation of the text by the unions, the CFDT has already hinted that she would sign. Three unions may oppose the signing, but so far only the SGC said it expected to.

Other unions (CGT, CFDT, CFE-CGC and CFTC) to announce their decision next week. But the CFE-CGC is the most opposed to the agreement.In an interview in L'Expansion. Com, Daniele Karniewicz, the negotiator of the plant managers said that they "will be stripped of five billion euros."

Expansion has sifted through attendance and activity of all members of metropolitan France. Verdict: elected to the nation are very unequal in parliamentary work. Our exclusive ranking.

The same badge on the car, the same monthly allowance of 5,515 euros but not even the hard legislative work. Exclusive Expansion ranked members based on their attendance at the Assembly. Everything passes, the number of times in the chamber, presence in committee until the number of amendments and written reports. Verdict: a small fifty parliamentarians did the bulk of legislative work.

View the top 20 MPs most serious

View flop 20 members dilettantes

View the classification of the stars of the Assembly

And the headliners are not necessarily the most valiant.The prize goes without question to Gilles Carrez, UMP du Val de Marne, also general rapporteur of the budget in the Assembly and Mayor of Perranporth. A true serial-legislator: 4,834 interventions in the Chamber, 306 in commission meetings, 1076 amendments signed.

Find all of our money back on elected officials and regional rankings of your members in the next edition of L'Expansion forthcoming March 30

The contrast with his colleagues begin in the House. Since the beginning of his term (June 2007), a member typically takes the floor six times per month. Not bad, even if some never pronounce more than two words in a row as Jack Lang – taciturn on the seat – or the member of the Drôme Patrick Labaune much less known, morbidly shy. Conversely, followers of jugglers round effects and theatrics are having a field day.Particularly in the Communist ranks. PC member for the renovator Seine-Saint-Denis, Jean-Pierre Brard, occurs a hundred times each month.

Some political stars are a forum of the House to break into the public debate as the ecologist Christmas Mamère (40 monthly public speaking) or the member of the majority Méhaignerie Pierre (17 times). But the most active in the amphitheater will also recruit among the technicians who can talk for hours on a paragraph or a codicil. Prototype: Marc Laffineur, UMP Maine et Loire, unbeatable on public finance and local government, now four days a week in Paris. "When you have to replace colleagues, willingly I go to the forum, even when voting ends on the budget at eight o'clock in the morning when the cameras are filming more."

Past the rants folk in the Chamber, in committee is that members actually roll up their sleeves. "This part of the work has expanded considerably since the texts adopted in the Assembly today were first debated and amended in committee," said Francis Brottes technician, socialist deputy of the Isere. Yet again, the parliamentarians do not all the same hard work. Since the beginning of the mandate in June 2007, more than half of them attended only less than one third of committee meetings.

Some even shine by their absence: 8 entries only for the ghostly UMP member of the Orne Sylvia Bassot, no intervention for very frightened Francis Xavier Villain, MP North.And yet, the reform of the Rules of the Assembly in 2009 and the introduction of financial penalties – 353 euros per unjustified absence – has increased participation. "We even had to change rooms because the former had become too small. But it has won more hubbub than work, "said Jean Jacques Urvoas, Member of the Law Committee. Good friend, Gilles Carrez stresses the geographical advantage of these Ile colleagues: "Members of Lozère d'Isere or lose a lot of time in transit," he pleads. Still, the physical presence is not everything. The incessant flow of legislation requires expertise to treat more and more pointed.

And, logically, it is the diligent committee, techno MPs who support the more amendments."Reaping the maximum signatures required a big influence in the work bays of the chamber and thus time" reflects the UMP Marc Le Fur, one of the most influential members of the Palais Bourbon. Her feat of arms: an amendment on the job Sunday against the advice of the government. National champion in the field, Charles de Courson also knows by heart the game of alliances and alliance-cons. "The wording of the amendment is an art than a tiny minority of MPs mastery" he adds.

Methodology

Our ranking was made from data collected in the Official Journal and the site of the Assembly by the Citizens Association at a Glance, Site Editor NosDéputés.fr. It ranks the legislative attendance members from metropolitan France to warrant uninterrupted since June 2007 (43 months).By excluding the elected mandate from the legislature and discontinuous those overseas, the classification is composed of 511 deputies. They received a score of 20 for each of the following seven criteria measured since the beginning of the mandate in June 2007: number of attendance in committee (1) and number of words spoken during the meeting (2), long operations in the Chamber – more than twenty words-(3) and words spoken during the meeting (4), written questions (5) and amendments signed (6) and adopted (7). The overall ranking is determined by adding the seven criteria (the latter two related amendments were each noted in 10).

Remains the ne plus ultra of parliamentary work: the report. The "something more" to become an inescapable topic. Forty reports for bulimic Guy Geoffroy, UMP Seine et Marne.To achieve its next report on social dialogue in the public, the agenda of the member of Lozere Pierre Morel-A-L'Huissier promises busy week: "15 days of hearings and forty interviews. A time-consuming, many not: nearly a third of MPs have written any reports since the beginning of the mandate.499 Sandrine Hurel Seine-Maritime PS 29 9308498 Alain Ferry Lower Rhine UMP 59 10127497 John Auclair Creuse 49 36 43 496 UMP Patrick Balkany Hauts-de-Seine UMP 21 22 71 495 Marie-Josee Roig Vaucluse UMP 36 August 10 494 Jean-Christophe Paris Cambadélis PS 25 8307493 Jean Ueberschlag Upper Rhine UMP 60 19 28 492 Conchita Lacuey Gironde PS 47 5300

Toyota announced Tuesday it had extended until March 26 the closure of its assembly plants in Japan to a standstill since March 14 following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the north-east of the country March 11.

For its part, Honda said it had extended the closure of its plant until March 27 because of difficulties in ensuring the delivery of automotive components from certain suppliers.

Toyota said the closing days of its factories in Japan between 14 and 26 March will result in a decreased production of about 140,000 units.

The world's largest automaker said it had not yet decided whether to restart production after March 26.

Ares Life Sciences fund holds 73.18% of the final capital and voting rights of the specialist allergy treatment Stallergenes at the end of the second phase of its takeover bid, said Friday the AMF.

The offer, which originally ran from January 11 to February 14, was reopened on 22 February to 11 March inclusive.

"In total, the company Ares Life Sciences, controlled by Mr.Ernesto Bertarelli, holds 9,844,053 shares and voting rights Stallergenes, representing 73.18% of share capital and voting rights of that company, "said MFA in a statement.

Ares was acquired last November's 46% stake held by Wendel Stallergenes priced at 59 euros, then launched a bid for the entire share capital of the company at the same price.

At the Paris Bourse, the action of specialist allergy treatment gained 1.63% to 56.81 euros in mid-afternoon.

The G7 countries agreed on a concerted intervention in the exchange market to counter the outbreak of the Japanese currency. An announcement immediately greeted by a weaker yen and increased the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The yen is now at its highest level in 15 years against the dollar

Looked at the bedside of Japan, the central bankers of the G7 have decided on the night of Thursday to Friday to take action "concerted" on the foreign exchange market to contain soaring yen's history that could complicate the challenge of reconstruction after earthquake.

This decision, made during a conference call convened by France, which currently chairs the group of most industrialized countries of the world, is a first since 2000, said the French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde."The Bank of Japan has already begun to intervene in markets, other central banks will also be involved," she said.

The announcement had an immediate effect: the dollar has fallen over 80 yen in Tokyo Friday, the day after a record at 76.36 yen. For its part, the Nikkei index of Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 2.72% at the close, leaving in its wake other Asian bourses.The decline of the yen should prevent that Japanese exporters are not too adversely affected by a currency too strong.

"In response to recent movements in the yen exchange rate associated with tragic events in Japan and at the request of Japanese authorities, the authorities of the United States, Great Britain, Canada and the European Central Bank will join the Japan, March 18, 2011 (Friday, Ed), for a concerted intervention in foreign exchange markets ", the G7 said in a statement issued by France.

"Excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates have adverse consequences for economic and financial stability," added the finance ministers and central bank governors, promising to continue to "cooperate if necessary."

The release of central bankers from Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, however, evokes no other type of financial assistance to Tokyo.

Japanese officials have "informed" counterparts "the answer given by economic and financial authorities," state governors and ministers, who expressed their "willingness to provide all necessary cooperation" and their "confidence in the soundness of the Japanese economy and its financial sector ".

The economic impact of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March is still difficult to assess. Economists totaled at least $ 100 billion, representing 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) of Japan as the cost of the earthquake in Kobe in 1995. However, many experts believe that the devastation could represent around 3% of GDP.

This shock then, many economists believe that Japan is able to absorb it. "The Japanese economy will be significantly affected in the short term to rebound with ample measures of monetary and fiscal stimulus," summed up in a note Axa IM, while the Bank of Japan has injected into the economy billions of 36,000 yen (324 billion) since Monday.

Much will depend, in fact, the seriousness of the nuclear accident in Fukushima. More uncertainty "will be significant and long to dissipate, as the recovery of the activity will move away in time," said Philippe Waechter, Natixis, highlighting the risks of a sustainable electricity supply limited, when many Companies are already stopped.

About the consequences for global growth, already fragile, opinions are divided.The crisis could still increases more energy prices, while oil burns already – Moscow has even predicted $ 200 a barrel.

The other threat is a massive repatriation, for the purposes of reconstruction funds invested by the Japanese abroad. Many investors already expect such a movement, which has dramatically raised the yen to its highest level against the dollar since the Second World War. However, Japan is behind China and Germany, the third net exporter of capital, according to Natixis.

Tokyo is also one of the largest holders of foreign debt of U.S. and euro area. A large sale of bonds of these states lead to a rise in interest rates which ultimately could hamper the global recovery.

Colette Lewiner, director of the Energy sector at Cap Gemini, takes the first consequences of the nuclear disaster in Japan on the world energy market. Colette Lewiner, a specialist in energy markets at Capgemini Germany launches a moratorium on the extension of life of its reactors and Switzerland on its new plant … The Japanese drama questions the nuclear industry. How far?

Colette Lewiner: I do not think nuclear power will be stopped globally. There will probably be a brake on the nuclear renaissance, that is to say to new construction projects in some countries, such as Europe, India, Korea, South Africa. But China, for example, who needs this energy, is likely to continue to build the reactors.There will be inspections to improve the safety of existing reactors, including their resistance to earthquakes and their emergency cooling systems and electrical power systems. This is the main problem currently encountered at the plant in Fukushima.

Some plants are arrested, how will Japan does meet its energy needs?

First, Japan can not move immediately to nuclear energy because it represents 33% of its electricity production. However, some plants will be finalized and the Japanese will probably import more gas, as LNG (liquefied natural gas). In the medium term, they will also develop renewables.

The halting of the nuclear mean it in the months and years ahead, greater reliance on fossil fuels?

The rate of availability of current nuclear plants (and therefore production) could decrease because there will probably be additional investment to improve safety, which require prolonged periods of reactors. The share of fossil fuels, especially gas, will therefore grow in the years ahead. As for renewables, they will also grow more but they are still expensive. All this means that electricity prices will rise, the consumer will accept. But there is another lever that should not be overlooked: the energy savings. It is imperative to accelerate investments in this direction.The energy we could save money by better insulation of buildings and changing our behavior amounts to a global scale, that we spend annually on public transport! Is considerable.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended down 10.55% Friday, its sharpest decline since October 2008 amid concerns about the nuclear risk in the country.

Four days after the powerful earthquake that devastated the north-eastern Japan, investors have succumbed to a panic that could weigh on an already fragile economy.

The Nikkei lost 1,015.34 points to 8,605.15 points and the Topix broader yielded 80.23 points (9.47%) to 766.73 points.

None of the 225 components of the Nikkei has finished in the green.

The major groups listed in Tokyo lost about $ 720 billion in value since the beginning of the week.

The title of Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), owner of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, could not be scored because of an influx of orders for sales in excess of regulatory limits.

During the target price, the stock has plunged 42%, however, over two days.

The New York Stock Exchange finished up 0.47% on Friday supported by the energy sector, the earthquake that shook Japan has devastated the refining capacity of the Japanese archipelago.

The Dow Jones industrials gained 30 points to 12,041.22 56.61. The S & P-500, wider took 8.97 points, or 0.69%, to 1304.08.

The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 14.59 points for his side (0.54%) to 2715.61.

For the week, the Dow lost 1%, the S & P has assigned 1.3% and the Nasdaq dropped 2.5%.

These data are likely to vary even slightly.