US & World News

The economic downturn continued in September in the major economies, particularly Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Brazil, show OECD leading indicators published Monday.

Declined for the sixth consecutive month, the leading indicators are below the 100 – which distinguishes the increase in lower activity – in most countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Japan, the United States and Russia are the only three countries where the leading indicators remain above that level.

The CLI for the OECD area as a whole declined to 100.4 in September from 100.9 in August to 101.4 in July.

The G7 folds 100.6 after 101.1.

France announced Thursday it had called for an investigation to the European financial markets and the AMF after transmission error by Standard & Poor's a message on its sovereign rating.

The Minister of Finance, Baroin said he asked regulators to investigate the causes and possible consequences of the mistake, which he described as "quite shocking rumor of information that do not match any foundation".

"We will not leave any negative message through. It was a strategy, we have an appointment in terms of deficits that is fixed.It will not change one iota, "he said in Lyon on the sidelines of a conference of the economy.

Standard & Poor's has sent a message to some clients who might suggest that the rating of France had been changed.

The rating agency said in a statement that following a technical error, a message was automatically sent to some subscribers suggesting that the credit rating of France had been changed.

"This is not the case notes of the French Republic are AAA/A-1 + with a stable outlook, and this incident is not related to any monitoring activity notes," she said. "We are investigating to determine the cause of this error."

Euro Disney said Wednesday it has widened its annual net loss due to deterioration in the profitability of its property development activities and increased its costs.

The operator of Disneyland Paris has recorded for the year 2011, ended September 30, a consolidated net loss of 63.9 million euros, against 45.2 million last year.

Its annual turnover to 1.297 billion, increased by 1.8%, tourism growing by 4.9% to 1.275 billion while the real estate development saw its sales drop 62.4% to 22.5 million, reflecting a major assignment.

Parks attendance reached 15.6 million visitors, 600.

JCDecaux has significantly exceeded expectations in the third quarter, posting a sales growth almost twice the stated goal, boosted by its transport division and the dynamism of France.

World number one outdoor advertising company in front of the U.S. Clear Channel Outdoor, has for the first time provided a forecast for the full year, saying rely on organic growth of about 5% of its turnover .

"The current economic uncertainties lead us to be cautious," said Chief Executive and Co-CEO Jean-Francois Decaux, in a statement, while the group's growth stood at 6.7% in the first nine months of the year .

Alstom said on Friday plan to establish up to two production sites offshore wind in France if the consortium to which it belongs is held in satisfactory conditions at the end of the call for tenders launched in July by the government.

These two production of components and assembly of offshore wind turbines six megawatts – one in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) and one in Cherbourg (Manche) – could generate up to 1,000 direct jobs and 4,000 indirect jobs, the group argues in a statement.

The specialist in energy infrastructure and transport is part of a consortium of six companies led by EDF Energies Nouvelles, which also includes Dong Energy Nass & Wind Offshore, Offshore wpd Poweo and ENR.

Alstom is prepared to invest up to 100 million euros in these two sites "if the consortium is selected at a level that ensures a critical industrial scale."

The project, covering a total capacity of 3,000 megawatts (MW) in five areas, corresponding to half the target set by the government to install 6,000 MW offshore by 2020, equivalent to almost four times the power of a nuclear reactor EPR.

GDF Suez, together with Vinci and Areva, are part of a rival consortium.

Candidates have until January 11, 2012 to submit their bids. They will be screened in April 2012 and retained permanently in 2013.

G20 countries Thursday put the finishing touches on a concerted action plan to try to put the global economy on the path to a sustainable and balanced growth and discussed the possibility of increasing IMF resources to help countries reeling from economic shocks.

According to a draft final statement dated November 2, they should agree at the end of their summit in Cannes on the need for countries with high deficits to put their finances straight and for those who have surplus boost domestic demand.

As part of this plan, Italy, which is in the eye of the storm of the European crisis, promise to reduce debts and deficits (see) to quickly bring in 120% from 2012 in its public debt of national wealth."There is a broad consensus on the need for additional financing (…) We will work on it tonight and tomorrow," she said.

PASSAGES IN WHITE

If the passages devoted to IMF resources and currency remain white, indicating that these issues are still debated, the draft final communique is also no real surprise.

Given the risk of future crises, the G20 leaders are considering a proposal to create a new credit facility in the short term the IMF to help countries that are virtuous face of exogenous shocks ().

The Director General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, on Wednesday approved the holding of a referendum in Greece on the rescue plan passed by the Europeans. All the latest news. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou announced the holding of a referendum in January in Greece, to check the public support for austerity plans adopted by the country.

9:56: "The Greek referendum can be won" according to Pascal Lamy.Interrogé France Inter on Wednesday morning, the Director General of the World Trade Organization has justified the holding of a referendum in Greece. On the one hand, it "is normal that the people decide." On the other hand, argues that it is not in "the interest of creditors dealer with a government" which may be weakened and not reversed its commitments. "Finally, he believes that" from what my friends tell me Greek, the referendum can be won.The Greeks are probably able to appreciate that this or something even worse. "He admits, however, that the collapse of the euro area is" not totally ruled out a possibility today. "

9:34: "China sincerely hopes the stability of the euro area and the euro," said Hu in an interview with Le Figaro on the eve of the opening in Cannes for a G20 summit, to be dominated by the issue of European sovereign debt. The Chinese president is silent, however, on specific measures that China could hang in helping Europe to solve this crisis, in particular its proposed participation in a relief fund for highly indebted countries.

Wall Street finished sharply lower Monday, the initial enthusiasm born of the EU summit last week's fading from investors who question now no longer on how to resolve the debt crisis in the euro area but their use.

Still Wall Street has done its best month since 1991 and many analysts believe that the worst case scenario is ruled out at this time in Europe, the stock market is ripe for a further rise, investors are turning their attention to Chinese statistics and the U.S. better than expected.

The values ​​of natural resources have suffered from the fact that the dollar reached a peak three months against the yen as a result of intervention by the Bank of Japan to roll back the domestic currency.The Nasdaq Composite yield 52.74 points (1.93%) to 2684.41.

Of the month, the Dow shows a gain of 9.5%, the S & P by 10.8% and the Nasdaq 11.1%.

The new concerns generated by the European debt situation are what feed the bankrupt broker MF Global Holdings derivatives, an event that affected financial stocks in particular.

The latter, who had engaged in heavy positions on European sovereign debt, filed for bankruptcy after the breakdown of negotiations to sell assets to Interactive Brokers Group.

MF Global transactions have been suspended. Interactive Brokers has closed up 1.05%.

Values, the S & P Natural Resources lost 4.2%.

The French left the presidency of the European Central Bank on October 31. It gives way to the Italian Mario Draghi. Record of eight years of a presidency marked by the seal of the crisis. The mandate of Jean-Claude Trichet President of the ECB ended October 31, 2011

The least we can say is that the end of term Jean-Claude Trichet has not been easy. The French left the European Central Bank (ECB), after eight years of presidency, when the euro area is experiencing a critical step – critical? – Of its crisis. For if the Europe Agreement birth Thursday morning in pain is an important step in the short term, it does not eliminate all long-term risks of contagion from the debt crisis.

We do not worship nor hate Jean-Claude Trichet, as it is more consensual than cleaving – it boasts of never having been outvoted by the Governing Council of the ECB. We respect him.For he succeeded in making the institution of Frankfurt an economic and political front. The markets were suspended in any of his words at monthly conferences of the ECB on interest rates. And since Europe is in crisis, he took part in EU summits as well as leaders and heads of government of member states of Euroland.

The route of Jean-Claude Trichet

1942: Born in Lyon

1969-1971: ENA

1978-1981: Economic Advisor, Valerie Giscard d'Estaing

1986-1987: Director of the Office of Edouard Balladur, Minister of Finance

1987-1993: Director of Treasury

1993-2003: Governor of the Banque de France

2003-2011: President of the European Central Bank

Of the review of eight years as president of the ECB, it can be fierce independence vis-à-vis the Franco-German policies.No sooner did he take the levers of the ECB in November 2003, accusing Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder to gut the Stability Pact. In 2010, he opposed the will of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel to involve private investors in the rescue of Greece. But we remember also its renewed calls for member states to implement a real economic governance of the euro area. Not to mention his extraordinary responsiveness during the financial crisis in August 2007 first, then in October 2008, noting that the interbank market is frozen, the ECB is the first to lend banks as much liquidity as they wish.

The strong euro, the result of the fight against inflation

Two of his actions, however, are highly controversial.

BASF, the world leader in chemistry in terms of sales, announced Thursday a quarterly profit above expectations, but warned that its growth was slowing, clients sell their stocks.

"BASF's customers are more cautious, reduce inventory and postpone some of their orders in hopes of a possible drop in prices," explains the German group said in a statement.

Operating profit (EBIT) fell 11.3% to 1.96 billion euros, while analysts polled by Reuters anticipate an average of 1.89 billion euros.

The quarterly revenue was up 11.6% to 17.6 billion euros, according to consensus.

BASF has confirmed that the CAand EBIT adjusted for taxes on oil would experience a significant increase this year.

"However, growth slowed further over the first half of 2011. We expect this trend to continue in the fourth quarter," warns the group.