The second largest global industry saw its shipments fall by 22% in Europe, its biggest market, while increasing by 39% in North America.

The industry is facing hard times in Europe, with widespread debt crisis, but also in Brazil, the first South American market, where demand is suffering from new rules on emissions.

Deliveries from Volvo in South America fell 30% while they increased by 9% in Asia. 

The Volvo share fell by 1.9% to 82.40 Swedish kronor (9.02 euros) to 8:35 GMT, while the benchmark index of the Stockholm Stock Exchange yielded 0.84%.

Volvo, which manufactures trucks under the brand name but also under names Eicher, Mack, Renault Trucks and UD, had raised its annual targets for Europe in late April, saying anticipate an increase in production over the coming months.

The band, which rivals the industry leader Daimler, said Wednesday that its production would increase slightly in his division in the second quarter and Renault for its Volvo brand in the third.

Volvo expects a contraction of the European market for heavy trucks to 230,000 vehicles this year, against 242,400 in 2011.

The country has many strengths that explain this singular economic health. Since the end of communist rule in the 1990s, Poland has embarked on major structural reforms to transform a collectivist economy in a market economy. To do so, the country receives substantial support from the European Union to finance large infrastructure projects, including the equipment needed to hold this year's UEFA European Nations Football. Subsidies granted by the EU for the period 2007/2013 reached 95 billion euros (source: Embassy of Poland).  

Poland, which enjoys a stable political system, attracts foreign investors, sensitive to the importance of a rich market of 38.5 million consumers.

She finally has a strategic geographical location between Eastern Europe and Western Europe, making it an economic and commercial hub.

The study HSBC Global Connections: Trade Forecast Poland (February 2012), the Polish trade growth should be higher than world trade, reaching 5.7% from 2012 to 2016 and between 6.8% 2017 and 2021. These figures show the speed with which the Polish economy is integrated into global supply chains, especially in the automotive and electronics. Thus, Poland imports from China of spare parts it assembles radios to export the finished apparatus to Hungary or Germany.  

In automobiles, it produces and exports of both vehicles and replacement parts. Forecasts of vehicle exports to France and the UK are soaring (respectively 8.3 and +8.75% per annum by 2016), despite weak demand in Europe, which shows the emergence new trade corridors in this area.

If, in the longer term, growth levels observed in Poland tend to be reduced, as the country has caught up with its neighbors to the EU, Poland should maintain, for the next five years, its number 10 in the global ranking of the major emerging countries.

The first media group in Europe – which has among others the broadcasting group RTL and publisher Random House – said that its operating profit (EBIT) reached 280 million euros against 248 million a year ago.

"For the full year, we are confident to achieve our goal of moderate growth in sales, EBIT stable at a high , and an increase in profit after minority interests, "said Thomas Rabe said in a statement, chief executive of Bertelsmann. 

RTL Group also announced Wednesday an increase in sales during the first quarter. Growth on French and German advertising markets offset a continued decline in Southern Europe and East.

Bertelsmann, which focuses on digital and abroad to spur growth, announced in late March a change in legal structure, which might suggest that the group is more strongly opposed to an introduction scholarship.

The operating company of Disneyland Paris has improved one percent of its revenue from tourism activities for the period of increased spending by visitors to its parks, despite a decline in attendance.

The group reported in a statement to a net loss of 120.9 million euros in the first half 2011-2012 (October-March) against a loss of 99.5 million, with EBITDA margin reduced to 0.3% against 4.5%. 

Its total sales down 0.9% to 552.4 million euros within the scope of the reduction in its property development activities and lower revenues from its hotels which the occupancy rate fell by 3.6 points to 79.8%.

"Fiscal consolidation is not only necessary but is necessary for a specific purpose: to generate sustainable growth, which is the best way to generate employment" , he said during a joint press conference with the Spanish Minister of Economy, Luis de Guindos.

"The economic and fiscal consolidation is the first condition. If we now speak of growth, we must not understand this as a change of course. It would be wrong. Priority (for austerity) must remain, "he added, before holding that Spain was on track

… Referring …… French presidential election, he felt that his result would not call into question the European fiscal pact

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This rise of the French bank, announced Friday by an opinion of the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), comes as the businessman Vincent Bollore could rise, according a source familiar with the matter, up 5% stake in Vivendi against 1% currently.

According to the AMF, Societe Generale said to have crossed over on April 20 the threshold of 5% of share capital and voting rights of Vivendi and Vivendi hold 98,045,823 or 7.86% of share capital and voting rights. 

This total includes a participation of 5.25% effective in custody and the balance by assimilation.

The bank was not immediately available for comment on whether share purchases had been made for herself or on behalf of a client.

Bollore announced in September 2011 a proposed sale to Vivendi of free TV channels Direct 8 Direct and Star in exchange for remuneration in Vivendi shares up of 22.4 million shares.

The source familiar with the matter, Bolloré could reach 5% stake in Vivendi by the combined effect of the implementation of this agreement and new purchases of securities on the market. 

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Bloomberg news agency reported Wednesday that the conglomerate was considering an overhaul of its structure that could lead to a dismantling of the group, which was denied by Vivendi.

Up to a thousand individual companies will put the key under the door every week in Greece in the first half of 2012 due to the serious crisis that is sinking the country, said Friday the European Commission, which seeks to root the problem.  

"Greece is facing an economic crisis and social crisis which is reflected in the situation of small and medium enterprises: six out of ten companies have seen their incomes decline in 2011 and 150,000 jobs were lost," said the Commission in a press on the sidelines of the visit to Athens Friday the European Commissioner for Industry, Antonio Tajani. "It is estimated that during the first half of 2012, up to 1,000 small businesses have closed every week," said the statement, which does not provide estimates on the number of companies created in parallel.

The Commission therefore calls for increased aid to these companies, self-entrepreneurs and family businesses, which form the bulk of the Greek economic fabric. Since last September, the European Union through its Task Force for Greece including trying to find ways to overcome the credit crunch affecting SMEs, banks, deficit, cut off from markets and dependent on the ECB, having suspended loans. In March, a special guarantee fund, with 500 million euros, was created by the EU to promote through the European Investment Bank lending to SMEs up to a billion euros.

According to the Commission, in 2010, Greece had 742,600 very small businesses, employing a total of 2.512 million employees, over 85% of total employment in the country, a record level in the EU. These structures produce 35.3% of the value added of the country against 21.8% on average in the EU. With 14% of employees on average in Greece, against 33% in the rest of the EU, large companies they create 28% of the value added, highlighting the low productivity of small businesses in Greece, the Commission added.

Most of these countries have much higher ratios, significantly aggravated by the recent crisis, the OECD average in excess of 100% and 200% Japan.

For comparison, the French public debt amounted to 1.717 billion euros at end 2011, nearly 86% of GDP.

"Cleaning up public finances to cope with the consequences of the crisis, the underlying weaknesses as well as future pressures on public spending is a major challenge for many countries", e described the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

"It appears there could be an important and lasting fiscal tightening in almost all countries to reduce debt to prudent levels," she says, adding: "Given the weak economy World, commissioning Å? work of a broad program of fiscal restraint could be particularly costly. "

Industrial production in France rose slightly by 0.3% in February, thanks to the consumption of gas and electricity induced by the cold wave, is now on the same rate as in January (0.2%, revised), announced Tuesday the National Institute of Statistics (INSEE). In the manufacturing industry alone, which excludes mining and construction, production was down sharply by 1.2% over one month, after a slight increase of 0.2% in January, said INSEE in a statement.

Over the last three months, production was down 1.1% in manufacturing and 0.5% in the entire industry. Over this period, production was down in the "other industrial products" (-1.2%), in the agricultural and food industries (-0.8%) and transport equipment (-0.7%) . The refining business suffers from maintenance outages, with a decline of 7.2%. Manufacturing production for the last three months has significantly decline (-1.6%) compared to the same three months last year. Over the same period, production has fallen sharply in the "other industries" (-2.0%), transport equipment (-2.7%), as well as in electrical, electronic, computer and machinery ( -0.4%).

She also declined sharply in the refining (-13.1%), mainly because of the shutdown of the refinery in Little Crown, according to INSEE. For February alone, refining is down 5.1% after a 12.0% drop in January. The production also decreases in the rubber, plastic and non-metallic minerals because of the cold wave (-6.7%), metallurgy and metal products (-1.7%), chemicals (-1.7%) textiles, clothing, leather and footwear (-1.5%). However it increases by 2.1% in "other manufacturing". It was down in electrical equipment (-4.3%), computer products, electronic and optical products (-2.3%) and remained stable in machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified (0.0%). It remains stable in the other transport equipment (-0.1%) and automotive (0.1%).

The Nikkei ended down 0.59% or 59.48 points, to 10,050.39 points while the Topix retreated in the same proportions (-5.03 points) to 851.02 Points .

The dollar is trading around 81.89 yen after three weeks of low points touched 81.55 yen on trading platform EBS in early trading.

Toyota, which has won over 37% since the beginning of the year, has limited its decline to 0.28%, while Sony has lost 0.58%. Its gain since the beginning of the year exceeds 20%.