International News

France Telecom said Thursday it had made in the first quarter 2010 revenues down 2% to 10.96 billion euros, in line with market expectations.Profits from his business – not amortissment, charges and taxes (EBITDA) – stand down 4.8% to 3.76 billion euros.

The amount reported sales, which fall into falling 2.7% on a comparable basis, excluding the activities in the United Kingdom, merged with T-Mobile, the French operator said in a statement.

"The group has again demonstrated its ability to maintain its performance in terms of turnover and profitability in an economic and regulatory environment remains difficult," said the CEO of France Telecom, St?phane Richard, quoted in statement.

The operator maintains its 2010 goal of cash generation of around 8 billion euros, "before possible acquisition of new frequencies and without taking into account the impact related to the business tax in France before 2003" .

In its home market, France Telecom has recorded a turnover of 5.77 billion, a decrease of 2.4% (-2.1% on a comparable basis). Spain is even worse, with sales decline of 3.3% (-2.8% on a comparable basis).

In contrast, "Africa and the Middle East are growing more than 7% (on a comparable basis) due to" the rise of our business especially in C?te d'Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal and Uganda, " said St?phane Richard.

On Tuesday, France Telecom was willing to pay 300 million dollars, or about EUR 224 million, allowance to Orascom Telcom under its agreement with the group in Cairo to settle their dispute over Mobinil.

ALSO READ:

"France Telecom's earnings plaice, the reorganization takes place

In an email sent Wednesday to news agencies that Credit Agricole has made the announcement. The financial institution said its commitments related to the Greek state reached 850 million euros, 600 million for its Greek subsidiary Emporiki. No further comment was made.

The news comes as the crisis Greek climbed a step, revived by the relegation of the country score in the category of speculative investments by the rating agency Standard & Poor's. Many analysts believe that Credit Agricole is one of the banks most exposed to the current crisis in Greece.

More generally, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the French banks in Europe are most concerned with exposure estimated at 75.12 billion dollars (57 billion euros), followed by German banks with exposure estimated at 45 billion dollars (34 billion euros).

French banks are the only institutions to have bought Greek Emporiki to Credit Agricole and Societe Generale for Geniki. The latter has not yet discussed the amount of its commitment.For its part, the general manager of BNP Paribas, Baudouin Prot, said Wednesday that his institution's exposure to Greek banks was "absolutely negligible" fast cash loans.

The sector battered stock market

The markets are in any case a very dim view of the involvement of French banks in a country attacked by the rating agencies. Investors fear that such consequences could lead to default or restructure the debt of Greece.

Results: The bank is breaking titles in stock. The action of the Credit Agricole fell 3.41% Wednesday to the Paris Stock Exchange, after declining more than 7.6% during the session. It lost 9.57% over the five days and 10.60% since the beginning of the year.

Societe Generale has limited the damage on Wednesday with a decline of 0.33% in closing. But the fall is much heavier since January 1 of that Credit Agricole, with a decline of 16.42%.

For its part, BNP Paribas dropped 3.48% on Wednesday at the close of Paris, and 8.80% since the beginning of the year.

ALSO READ:

"GREEK FILE – Debt: A Challenge for Europe

"Exchange: Greece hurts banking

The pressure rises another notch on Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia. The action of the world's largest mobile phone has dropped by nearly 15% Tuesday in Helsinki. Investors are tired of poor results of the Finnish telecom giant. Its net income in first quarter to 349 million euros, below expectations. Its revenues, to 9.52 billion euros, rising only 3%. Finally, its forecasts have been downgraded savings account payday loans.

The poor results follow each other. In the third quarter of 2009, the group had published its first quarterly loss since 1996. On Thursday, the CEO admitted "continue to face a very tough competition in the smartphone and market conditions very difficult for Infrastructure Network.

Caught between the Asian and Apple

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just been presented with a request for assistance from Greece. Until now, the IMF provided only technical assistance to Athens. The team of experts is hard at work in the capital of Greece. "We are ready to act quickly in response to this demand," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn Friday, IMF Managing Director. And Youssef Boutros-Ghali, chairman of the board of the institution, recalled: "Aid to Greece will take time. This can not happen from one day to another. "Especially since the Papandreou government is engaged in negotiations on a plan" covering several years. "

So far, the IMF had not been involved in developing the plan of the European Union. This is not a member of the board of the fund. The proposals could therefore engage the IMF, said it does in Washington.It is expected to "several weeks" of negotiations. The amount of the full plan could exceed the record $ 58 billion set by Korea in 1997 with the conditions negotiated by the IMF.

The multilateral institution also assumed that the share of aid to Greece will represent one third of the package agreed by the other countries of the euro area. But this figure could possibly change after the verdict of the negotiators of the fund. The absence of a margin for adjustment by devaluation, however, seriously complicates the terms that the IMF should negotiate with the Greek authorities.This is not entirely without precedent: for example, Latvia has received 1.7 billion euros from the IMF in 2008, as part of an international package of 7.5 billion, while keeping its currency indexed euro.

ALSO READ:

"Greece appealed for international aid

"SPECIAL – Greece, a challenge for Europe

Goldman Sachs began his defense alone. According to the report in the Financial Times, Lloyd Blankfein, the chairman of the bank, alleged organizer of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) fraud surrounding the collapse of the U.S. housing market, a slab as counsel yesterday. He allegedly spent part of Wednesday's call customers to restore the reputation of Goldman Sachs. The officer believes that the case rests primarily on political elements.

Lloyd Blankfein should be heard next week by the SEC, probably with a former trader, Fabrice Tourre, suspected to have developed structured products involved in this case alleged fraud by Goldman Sachs. The list of those candidates is not yet official.The names of those called to testify before the Senate subcommittee investigation on the financial crisis could be unveiled this Thursday payday loan no faxing.

But the suspicions of the SEC against Goldman Sachs are dehorned by the potential beneficiaries of the alleged fraud. The billionaire John Paulson and Paolo Pellegrini, a former head of its fund Paulson Co, assure for their Paris on the falling U.S. housing market, now at the heart of the controversy over Goldman Sachs, have been prepared under the rules art, and that their pronouncements t?aient public. They promise to provide evidence of such transparency in a timely manner.

ALSO READ:

"France will vote in late April on the case Goldman Sachs

"AIG could pursue legal Goldman

After two sessions of sharp decline, the Asian stock markets resumed colors Tuesday. In Japan, the Nikkei 225, which had fallen below 11,000 points, it brings back, gaining 0.62%, to 10,976 points.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng up 0.8% at 21,576 points. The S & P / ASX Sydney is 0.33%, to 4931 points. And the Bombay SE Indian wins 0.34%, to 17,459 points.

Bank stocks and airlines have regained some lost ground in recent days, says one local broker, because the complaint against Goldman Sachs for some, and the ash cloud for other

The day before, Wall Street has ended without direction, while European stock markets closed in decline consequent.

The charges against Goldman Sachs continues to be central to the concerns of investors worldwide Fast Cash Without a hassle.The investment banking side has explained to Congress. Sec could go for other banks. And AIG could also file a complaint against Goldman Sachs.

Toyota still reminders

Toyota (-1.89% to 3.625 yen) announced Tuesday the recall of 34,000 worldwide 4×4 vehicles that could run off the road if driven too fast around corners, a new concern for the automotive giant Japanese also regard the Lexus, its luxury brand ultra-lucrative.

This comes as yet another reminder Toyota has agreed to pay a record fine of nearly $ 16.4 million in the United States, where he is accused of being slow to call on other cases of defects.

The shockwave of the complaint Friday Constable American markets spread throughout the weekend. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused a number of Wall Street and the first investment bank in the world to be guilty of fraud. She says the bank, especially one of its French employees had deliberately misled the clients to whom it sold in 2007, complex products linked to subprime, which were highly toxic. The move was made for the benefit of another client, the famous hedge fund Paulson & Co.

This brutally violent blow brought to Goldman Sachs by an American authority has given new force to the criticism that rained down on the bank already, although it became a symbol of a fund that has too quickly found the way of profits.For the first time since 1986, when the first attack against the bank Drexel Burnham Lambert, the SEC declares the war a pillar of Wall Street! And this time, Goldman Sachs sees his reputation reached in a way that can impair depth to his "business" as it is accused of having "played" against the interests of its customers.

In Germany, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said that her own financial policeman, BaFin, demanded an explanation from the SEC and considering, where appropriate, prosecutions: one of two customers cheated named to United States is another qu'IKB, a German bank bailed out that Berlin. Asked by the BBC, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "shocked" by what he calls "moral bankruptcy" of investment banks. He asked that the FSA, British counterpart of the SEC, in turn opens an investigation.Finally, the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Olli Rehn, has promised an investigation "deep thrust" on the role of Goldman Sachs vis-?-vis Greece. The bank, which he denies and which has been cleared by the U.S. Federal Reserve in this regard has been criticized for several weeks helping Athens to hide, via financial products, the actual deficit.

The lawyers are already working actively to bring proceedings against Goldman Sachs on behalf of other investors potentially affected by the product under investigation by the SEC. In addition, the whole complex financial instruments and addicted to subprime will be winnowed at Goldman Sachs, but also in other banks.

In turn, the bank Goldman Sachs has reacted strongly against the accusations made against it in civil also, and not criminal.First line of defense: it has itself lost $ 90 million in the case, for only $ 15 million of revenue. The SEC estimated the total loss for investors to 1 billion. Then Goldman would reject the caricature of IKB, for example, an investor easily fooled. IKB had an active market sophisticated CDOs, says the firm on Wall Street.

ALSO READ

Goldman Sachs sued for fraud related to subprime

A "golden boy" among many other French

Since Tuesday, investors are moving away from safe-haven assets following the various signs of recovery in the global economy. The success of Intel promote appetite for risk. What will weigh on the dollar. Just as the maintenance of the speech by the Fed, which promotes interest rates still very low even for long.

EUR / USD – Sessions hectic since early April

After the Easter weekend, there has been a depreciation of the euro against the dollar in a climate of distrust of so-called risky currencies. The operators were cooled in their appetite for risk because of their fear on the issue of Greece. The single currency has lost about 220 pips * from a quotation of dollar 1.3500 1.3282 U.S. dollar on Thursday at 10am (lowest of the week).

Then the tension on the markets have weakened.Speech by Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the ECB (European Central Bank) last Thursday, has eased the financial world. He said he pursued the policy of low interest rates up to 1% in the euro area. And it has said that "Greece was able to reduce its deficit" and had already started to employ strong measures.

Nothing better to give a boost to the euro. The last weekend, offering assistance to 30 billion euros – Athens does "not want to use" – the European Union gave a big blow oxygen, allowing the euro to rise around 1 36 dollar on Monday.After two sessions of stagnation (Monday and Tuesday), the exchange rate has increased again, bolstered by renewed investor optimism about the strength of the global recovery due to favorable economic statistics, while comments Fed chairman on a forecast of "moderate growth" have weighed on the greenback.

On Tuesday, the foreign exchange markets have welcomed the issuance by Athens Treasury bills.And on Wednesday, Ben Bernanke (Beige Book) reiterated Wednesday that the rate of the institution should remain close to zero, at which they are set since December 2008, for an extended period, dismissing speculation of an anticipated tightening of Fed monetary policy, which has given new impetus to the euro.

As expected by analysts Realtime Forex Tuesday, which saw the euro test the 1.3541 support for better back, it is mounted to 1.3667 to 18 hours.

CDN / JPY – Same trend

Nippon side, the euro followed the same "trend" * weekly against the yen. The single currency began a decline of more than 400 pips against the yen. On Monday, the euro / yen was quoted at 127.70 to touch a low of 123.40 yen. But from the response Trichet yesterday, the euro strengthened to 125.60 yen to return.

The yen fell for the sixth straight session against the euro, with one course from Wednesday to 127.07 yen against 126.83 yen the day before.

GBP / USD – Sterling held up better than the euro

Across the Channel, the BoE (Bank of England) has also left interest rates unchanged at 0.5%, indicating that this was not the time to make an adjustment of rates.

Monetary side, the pound sterling, however, fared better than the euro against the dollar. Like British macro-economic figures emerged this week (GDP 0.4% and manufacturing output up 1.3%), the pound has evolved into a "range *" between 1.5130 and 1.5320 dollar.

* The cable is able to break this channel by treating up to 1.5473 dollar.

Against the yen, the pound again the delay and found almost the level of 144.21 yen on Monday.

CHF / EUR – Swiss Franc still going strong

On Wednesday, the Swiss franc 1.4362 per euro symbol. This is a very strong for the Swiss franc, which traded in 2009 almost all the time between 1.50 and 1.54.

Since the beginning of the year, the Swiss Frabce climbed more than 5%. This is not the business of the Swiss Central Bank, whose foreign exchange policy is heckled.

The yuan under the spotlight of the world

On Wednesday, Ben Bernanke, who appeared before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, reiterated that "the United States must continue to press China to bring it to revalue its currency, the yuan."Barack Obama this week's encounter homolgue Chinese President Hu Jintao on China's trade deficit background.

Most economists agree that the currency is undervalued – by 40% according to analysts and has been used to obtain an economy more oriented toward exports to domestic consumption.

On the one hand, in case of revaluation, China would be ready to counter the speculative bubbles that threaten, and inflationary pressures. But then again, remember that a more expensive yuan will be more expensive for the "Western" to fill all Chinese products.And they will have the effect of melt exchange reserves in dollars of the Chinese, which does allow them to buy as many more U.S. Treasury Bonds, and therefore finance the debt of the United States …

* Definitions

• Forex: For Foreign Exchange, or foreign exchange market

• Technical analysis: analyst or chartist. She studied graphic evolution courses. The research in the historical price behavior involved in a situation to predict the evolution of financial securities.

• Pips: Price Interest Point. Unit rating for foreign currency. It designates the last digit used: in the case of the euro, the fourth decimal place.

• Trend: trend.

• Range: range.

• Support: value as the price has very little chance to pass down.

• Resistant: value as the price has very little chance to overtake on the rise.

• EUR: Euro, USD: U.S. Dollar, or U.S. dollar JPY Japan Yen or Japanese yen, GBP: British Pound, CHF: Swiss franc.

Since Tuesday, investors are moving away from safe-haven assets following the various signs of recovery in the global economy. The success of Intel promote appetite for risk. What will weigh on the dollar. Just as the maintenance of the speech by the Fed, which promotes interest rates still very low even for long.

EUR / USD – Sessions hectic since early April

After the Easter weekend, there has been a depreciation of the euro against the dollar in a climate of distrust of so-called risky currencies. The operators were cooled in their appetite for risk because of their fear on the issue of Greece. The single currency has lost about 220 pips * from a quotation of dollar 1.3500 1.3282 U.S. dollar on Thursday at 10am (lowest of the week).

Then the tension on the markets have weakened.Speech by Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the ECB (European Central Bank) last Thursday, has eased the financial world. He said he pursued the policy of low interest rates up to 1% in the euro area. And it has said that "Greece was able to reduce its deficit" and had already started to employ strong measures.

Nothing better to give a boost to the euro. The last weekend, offering assistance to 30 billion euros – Athens does "not want to use" – the European Union gave a big blow oxygen, allowing the euro to rise around 1 36 dollar on Monday.After two sessions of stagnation (Monday and Tuesday), the exchange rate has increased again, bolstered by renewed investor optimism about the strength of the global recovery due to favorable economic statistics, while comments Fed chairman on a forecast of "moderate growth" have weighed on the greenback.

On Tuesday, the foreign exchange markets have welcomed the issuance by Athens Treasury bills.And on Wednesday, Ben Bernanke (Beige Book) reiterated Wednesday that the rate of the institution should remain close to zero, at which they are set since December 2008, for an extended period, dismissing speculation of an anticipated tightening of Fed monetary policy, which has given new impetus to the euro.

As expected by analysts Realtime Forex Tuesday, which saw the euro test the 1.3541 support for better back, it is mounted to 1.3667 to 18 hours.

CDN / JPY – Same trend

Nippon side, the euro followed the same "trend" * weekly against the yen. The single currency began a decline of more than 400 pips against the yen. On Monday, the euro / yen was quoted at 127.70 to touch a low of 123.40 yen. But from the response Trichet yesterday, the euro strengthened to 125.60 yen to return.

The yen fell for the sixth straight session against the euro, with one course from Wednesday to 127.07 yen against 126.83 yen the day before.

GBP / USD – Sterling held up better than the euro

Across the Channel, the BoE (Bank of England) has also left interest rates unchanged at 0.5%, indicating that this was not the time to make a recovery rate of payday loan lenders.

Monetary side, the pound sterling, however, fared better than the euro against the dollar. Like British macro-economic figures emerged this week (GDP 0.4% and manufacturing output up 1.3%), the pound has evolved into a "range *" between 1.5130 and 1.5320 dollar.

* The cable is able to break this channel by treating up to 1.5473 dollar.

Against the yen, the pound again the delay and found almost the level of 144.21 yen on Monday.

CHF / EUR – Swiss Franc still going strong

On Wednesday, the Swiss franc 1.4362 per euro symbol. This is a very strong for the Swiss franc, which traded in 2009 almost all the time between 1.50 and 1.54.

Since the beginning of the year, the Swiss Frabce climbed more than 5%. This is not the business of the Swiss Central Bank, whose foreign exchange policy is heckled.

The yuan under the spotlight of the world

On Wednesday, Ben Bernanke, who appeared before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, reiterated that "the United States must continue to press China to bring it to revalue its currency, the yuan."Barack Obama this week's encounter homolgue Chinese President Hu Jintao on China's trade deficit background.

Most economists agree that the currency is undervalued – by 40% according to analysts and has been used to obtain an economy more oriented toward exports to domestic consumption.

On the one hand, in case of revaluation, China would be ready to counter the speculative bubbles that threaten, and inflationary pressures. But then again, remember that a more expensive yuan will be more expensive for the "Western" to fill all Chinese products.And they will have the effect of melt exchange reserves in dollars of the Chinese, which does allow them to buy as many more U.S. Treasury Bonds, and therefore finance the debt of the United States …

* Definitions

• Forex: For Foreign Exchange, or foreign exchange market

• Technical analysis: analyst or chartist. She studied graphic evolution courses. The research in the historical price behavior involved in a situation to predict the evolution of financial securities.

• Pips: Price Interest Point. Unit rating for foreign currency. It designates the last digit used: in the case of the euro, the fourth decimal place.

• Trend: trend.

• Range: range.

• Support: value as the price has very little chance to pass down.

• Resistant: value as the price has very little chance to overtake on the rise.

• EUR: Euro, USD: U.S. Dollar, or U.S. dollar JPY Japan Yen or Japanese yen, GBP: British Pound, CHF: Swiss franc.

Pressed by the markets which seem to question the reality of the support plan for Greece, the central bankers in the euro zone agreed Sunday on the financial terms of emergency loans to Athens. "An agreement has been reached" at a meeting of experts in Brussels, assured on Friday, several European sources. "A very important decision has been taken," said Sunday Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou on television.It can be triggered at any time if Greece requests.

Any aid to Greece based on bilateral loans of at least 30 billion euros, which would be made at a rate of about 5%.

"For loans up to three years, the rate of special drawing rights (SDR) plus 300 basis points plus 50 basis points of service charge, claimed Friday from European sources.

Under discussion for ten days, the interest rate was a crucial point of the plan, anxiously awaited by investors. Germany insisted that loans be granted to Greece "no subsidy" that is to say, the market price, while France and Italy were ready to make a flower in Greece.

Berlin was right partners, obtaining successful even in the smallest details."A premium of 350 basis points above the SDR rate – the benchmark for the IMF – is the average for the market this week," said Dominique Barbet, head of market research at BNP Paribas. "For a country of the euro area is very expensive," he adds. "But at least Greece is attached to his fate," said the economist.

What interest could she Greece to seek EU aid, if the price of loans is not less than the market? "In the markets, lenders are not obliged to lend, even if the price is attractive: it is all the difference," said Dominique Barbet low rate payday loans.If Greece asks EU aid, she knows she will obtain a price fixed in advance, which will never be below the market price, because the latter will naturally.

Spectrum of banking crisis

For now, Athens has not seen fit to seek the help of the euro area and the IMF, even if the markets will grow, calling for a rate of 7% for loans to ten years, or surcharge of 4% compared to Germany.

Although the markets have calmed down a bit Friday, Greece is at the foot of the wall. It may not only failure refinancing at its next bond issue, but also a banking crisis. Fearing bankruptcy, the Greeks have already withdrawn 10 billion euros of deposits and place them in foreign banks.

On Friday, ratings agency Fitch lowered the debt by two notches to BBB-Greece, citing "budgetary challenges" growing."The sharp rise in interest rates will make it harder for the government to achieve its goal of reducing the budget deficit to 8.7% this year," says the rating agency. Fitch is particularly heard it was the first to degrade Greece December 8, 2009, giving the signal for the Greek financial crisis.

ALSO READ:

The Greek debt riskier than ever

"SPECIAL – Greece, a challenge for Europe