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Ten weeks after the arrival on the shelves of stores of its nearest competitor, Nespresso is on the offensive … judiciary. Nestle, the world leader in food and owner of Nespresso, sued Friday in front of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris the U.S. Sara Lee, which sells in France for use in coffee pods Nespresso machines under the brand Gold ( coffee house).

According to our records, Casino is also covered by this assignment, as distributor caps Gold. However, neither Carrefour or Leclerc or Auchan, which also sell, have received blue paper. Nestle has obviously wanted to spare its main customers in France.

In fact, the Swiss Casino attacks because it sells, in addition to pods Gold, its own brand caps, also compatible with Nespresso machines.Available for less than one month, they were designed by CSC, a company founded by a former boss of Nespresso, which claims to have found a way around the patents by the Swiss group. The best advertising we could do that Nestle would drag us to court, "repeated John Paul Gaillard, head of CSC. The latter will have to wait to see if it will receive such a boost from his former employer.

1700 patents

Nestlé experts (engineers, mechanics, lawyers), which took ten weeks to complete their technical analysis of the capsules, however, have not yet completed its review of those Casino."This assignment is a clever shot pool with three bands, according to a avocat.Casino will prepare his defense for Gold, while avoiding having to contradict itself in any future case."

Nestle has taken the risk of him a (bad) publicity to defend its brand and its margins."We welcome fair competition, the company said, but we will take all appropriate measures to defend our intellectual property rights."

With the Nespresso coffee machines tailored to accept (in theory) that caps his coffee house and sold exclusively in a distribution network owned, Nestle has a nugget that was made last year a number of business by 1.94 billion euros (up 22%) and whose profitability, kept secret, is close to levels recorded in the luxury industry.

The 1700 patent cover both Nespresso pods, machines, and the mechanism that provides the link between the two. The assignment of Sara Lee would focus on these last two points, not the pods themselves. While those of Nespresso, aluminum, are completely sealed, those of Gold, plastic, are already holes.The panel discussion promises to be tricky. Pending the outcome of the proceedings, which could take 12-18 months (unless an agreement was reached earlier), provides Nespresso not have noticed the slowdown in its rate of growth since the arrival of new competitors. Sara Lee and sell between 1.1 and 1.5 million capsules of coffee … ten to twenty times less than Nescafe.

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This Monday has been the day of surprises. A few hours after completing the rescue funds to the euro, the European Union president Herman Van Rompuy announced Monday night that the EU finance ministers agreed that the Commission consider their national budgets. An agreement all the more unexpected given that some hours before the meeting between Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel to be held on Monday evening was canceled at the last moment. Every indication that this was yet another sign of the tension between France and Germany. And even if both sides because they advanced the calendar.Markets do not make mistakes: Shortly after the cancellation, the CAC 40 lost more than 1%, while it had managed to return to balance in mid-session.

Budgetary discipline

Anyway, this agreement will enable Europe to invent a new fiscal discipline. This is especially good news that Germany and France had openly opposed on this issue. We remember especially about the government spokesman, Luc Chatel, who said "this is not the European Commission to approve the budget of the French nation."

The EU finance ministers have also agreed Monday night to create new sanctions against countries too indebted to strengthen the Stability Pact.The agreement envisages the possibility of sanctions even when the current limit of 3% of GDP by the Covenant for public deficits has not yet expired, said President of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy, at a press conference. The idea would be to trigger the excessive deficit procedures earlier for countries whose debt is not declining fast enough payday loans. It also put more emphasis on the future monitoring of the overall debt deemed not exceed 60% of GDP, and not just the annual deficits.

A modification of treaties is not excluded

The ministers have asked the European Commission to make proposals to define new sanctions.Brussels thinking, for example the suspension of payment of certain subsidies from the European Union for uncooperative countries. Germany also advocates for the suspension of voting rights at European ministerial meetings in Brussels. "We talked about but everyone is aware that financial sanctions not require a treaty amendment," said Herman Van Rompuy.He added: "We have not ruled out a treaty amendment, but has concentrated on what can be done at short notice and under the current treaty that does not have to go to the ahead and impose sanctions, non-financial, "he added, however, ensuring that there was" no taboos "for the future.

These sanctions, which remain to be defined, could be decided whether a country has ignored warnings from its partners on the drift of public accounts, or if the overall level of debt swells too fast.

In an environment where markets are concerned about the financial situation now in Hungary – which is not part of the Euro-zone, this agreement, which follows the completion of the rescue funds of the euro, should enable bring some stability to financial markets that really need it.

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While France has 75,000 Internet subscribers high-speed fiber optics, Maxime Lombardini, Chief Free said that France has everything to expedite the arrival of this new technology into homes. While some question the framework put in place in France to deploy fiber, Free hand, considers that promotes investment and competition and allows the French to receive subscriptions less expensive in Europe. Free calls within the regulation, its competitors to invest with him in fifty common.

LE FIGARO. – France takes it from behind in the deployment of fiber optics?

Maxime LOMBARDINI. – Quite the contrary, France is ahead. The advent of fiber optics in homes is accelerating.After three years of work, France is at the forefront in Europe, thanks to a very successful framework that enables rapid deployment of fiber networks without digging sidewalks and minimizing interference in the condominium thanks for sharing. In addition, this framework allows consumers to freely choose their provider and gives them the cheapest in Europe. In France, subscriptions to fiber costs 30 euros a month, against more than 100 U.S. dollars. Operators will deploy fiber in the condo together for 5 million homes in the dense areas. Four operators have begun deployments significant.Result, there will be at the end of the year more than 100,000 subscribers to the optical fiber (FTTH), and hundreds of thousands in late 2011.

Why do operators do not they do more advertising for the fiber?

We do not launch national campaign as the fiber is not everywhere. But when a neighborhood or a town is connected, we inform our ADSL subscribers and the people that for the same price, we offer very high-speed fiber. They have therefore a very fast internet access. Other immediate benefits they can receive television via their optical box on multiple televisions, enjoy high definition, the catch-up TV, 3D programs, etc..

France Telecom has called on its competitors to co-invest with him on a fifty Commons. Free is he leaving?

Sure.We have responded positively to France Telecom, which will pose a dedicated fiber to each home to Free bundle. For Free, this represents an investment of tens of millions of euros. We ourselves will today call for co-investment in more than 50 towns, including Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, representing nearly 3 million potential catch. We ask that interested operators to respond to us by early July.

How much will you invest?

In fiber optics, Free has taken 2 million and 1.5 million work in the study. I confirm that we have 4 million homes connected with fiber in 2012. We signed agreements with condominium units representing 350,000. Free has invested 350 million euros in the fiber to date in 2010 and will invest over 150 million. The creation of direct and indirect employment is significant.All this shows that we are in a phase of very concrete investment and our motivation to deploy broadband is strong.

This hampers Does the deployment in parallel, on your mobile?

No. Free has the means to pursue these two sites in parallel: in 2010, over 2 billion turnover, the group will spend more than $ 750 million to capital spending, while remaining one of the least indebted telecom operators to Europe.On mobile, the deployment is well underway, and we, again, created over 1,000 jobs directly and indirectly.

When towns and villages can they expect to be connected to fiber optics?

If governments continue to encourage all operators to invest and participate in construction through big loan, we can begin to connect the less dense areas in 2011.

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The Chinese central bank announced this weekend a further increase in reserve requirements of major banks by 0.5%. This level will be 14% for small financial institutions and 17% for large banks. This is the third time that the People's Bank of China raised the reserve this year. The move is seen as a prelude to higher interest rates, much anticipated in 2010, but it is also a way to delay interest rate hikes this by tightening the screws on the credits via the proportion of reserves. This measure will be effective on May 10

Beijing seeks to put a brake, while concerns about overheating and bubbles in real estate including resurfacing.

Most analysts remain confident about the ability of the Chinese government to curb the overheating, but some are sounding the alarm.In an interview with Bloomberg, economist Marc Faber announcement and a possible implosion of the Chinese economy by a year.

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

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.

After three days of Easter break and while European markets are closed on Monday, the NYSE should begin the week in green. The recovery of new posts in the United States, announced Friday as the market was closed, has something to restore confidence among investors. In March, the United States have created 162 000 jobs. This is the best performance in nearly three years. It is partly due to the hiring of 48 000 federal agents responsible for conducting the population census planned this year. But overall, the trend shows that employment in the private sector restarts. In industry, in services such as retail and even construction companies have started to recruit. "America still has work to do to restore jobs, but it's the best news in this regard for two years, welcomed the president Barack Obama.In fact, the unemployment rate remains high in the United States to 9.7% in March and February.

Investors scrutinize closely this afternoon two other important indicators: Promises of home sales in February in the U.S. and especially the index (ISM) activity in the service in March faxless cash advances. Experts expect a continued recovery in this sector (which accounts for 80% of jobs-with the exception of agriculture, the country) for the third consecutive month.If these statistics confirm the strength of recovery in the U.S. economy, the Dow Jones, which closed Thursday at 10 927.07 points could cross the threshold of 11 000 points.

Despite the absence of European investors, still Easter weekend, futures on indices of NYSE were well oriented two hours before the opening of U.S. markets. Futures on the Dow Jones traded at 10 890 up 30 points and those on the Nasdaq at 1 960 points (8 points).

Side values, Apple will be closely watched at the market opening. The Americans were indeed rushed during the weekend on the iPad, the new multifunction tablet from Apple. More than 300 000 copies have been sold as of Saturday, the first day of worldwide commercialization of this new high-tech product.

An ad that was not one. The Russians do not enter the race for the tender of 35 billion dollars to supply 179 tanker aircraft to the U.S.. The company export Russian Rosoboronexport arms and aerospace manufacturer United Aircraft Corp (UAC) denied Monday to prepare a proposal.

Friday night, it was about a partnership between UAC and "a U.S. publicly traded" interfering in the list of contenders for the giant contract.At least that's what John had said Kirkland, who appeared as counsel for the future identity.

April Fools before the hour

"We know absolutely nothing of this tender," said Vyacheslav Davidenko, spokesman for the Russian arms exporter, the only Russian company authorized to participate in tenders of foreign military personal loans for people with bad credit .

With UAC, the news was taken with humor: "I think someone is preparing to advance an April Fool," said spokesman UAC, which said not even know "the lawyer "he read the name" first Friday "on the Internet and in newspapers.

Boeing still alone

For example, Boeing is still single track. But EADS could seep again.The European manufacturer has applied for a period of 90 days for the closing of the tender to submit a new proposal. At the Pentagon to decide. The installment is currently scheduled for May 10.

EADS had been ejected from the race in February, while its U.S. partner Northrop Grumman had withdrawn from a competition judged biased.

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The latest figures of U.S. employment for the month of January seem paradoxical. The unemployment rate fell to 9.7%, against 10% in December. Better than expected. But most companies have dismissed that hiring, the net destruction of reaching the 20,000 jobs over the month. Analysts had expected between 5,000 and 15,000 new jobs.

These two contradictory figures in fact derived from two studies of the U.S. Department of Labor, based on two different methods.The difference in trend indicates that employees are more numerous in January than in December, but they are less likely to occupy several positions simultaneously.

"If unemployment remains a serious problem, today's figures contain some encouraging signs for a resumption of gradual labor market," said the White House.

The U.S. administration has estimated that the employment situation has therefore remained "almost unchanged". In detail, the building was destroyed 75 payday loans for bad credit .000 Jobs, while industry and services have created respectively 11,000 and 48,000 positions.

Economists agree, though, that unemployment has peaked."The pace of job losses still slows significantly and the return of job creation in services and industry is good news," said John Thomas, for example, economist at Natixis.

The strong upward revisions in the number of job destruction in 2009, however, may worry. The December figure was revised sharply upward from 75% to 150,000 against 85,000 initially. At 12 months, are shedding 600,000 jobs that were added following the revisions of the statistics. This is does not affect the positive trend, according to Inna Mufteeva, economist at Natixis' share is only a point of reversal highest previously believed.