The 35 o'clock a ball for SNCF

The statement should be screaming the railway unions. According to the Court of Auditors, the reform of 35 hours explaining the difficulties of the station to cope with the opening of its monopoly to competition, including productivity gap with its competitors. They can reach 30% in the sector of freight transport.

According to the report published today, law enforcement has led to increased numbers of staff from 7000 to 7500. However, "the additional staff that the reform had resulted represents almost half the number of posts abolished during the seven subsequent years, totaling approximately 15,600 officers between 2002 and 2008.

This reform overstaffed and it has quickly established a consolidated "in terms of labor significantly less than the theoretical time required by law."In 2008, train drivers have been working daily 6:14, 1:35 or less than the theoretical length of bad credit payday loans . Even finding for drivers to maneuver and supervisors who work 20 minutes at 1:35 less than their working theory. On the RER B, managed with the RATP, the effective working time of workers down even at 5:50 am daily.

The institution of the Rue Cambon notes that despite its efforts, the station is "not reached a sufficiently relaxed social setting strictly regulated. A situation that could weaken against its competitors and "constitute an obstacle to its development."

The Court of Auditors called the coup, a "necessary harmonization of rules between the station and private operators.

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New stall the euro under $ 1.37

The euro fell Friday to its lowest level since May 2009. This morning, the single currency goes on its third session decline and fell below the $ 1.37, after passing down the threshold of 1.38 dollars the previous day (Thursday evening about 22 hours). It reached 1.3648 dollars around 9 am 30. It's a new level for the single currency since May 9

Since the beginning of the year, the euro lost 2.5%.

This drop is explained in particular by the concern of traders due to budgetary problems of many countries in the euro area. Many expect a strong intervention of Europe and even appealed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help Greece to get out of a budget crisis without precedent.

Another concern is about the euro on the currency market, the case of Spain, which has poorly digested crisis including an unemployment rate of nearly 20%.Besides Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF head, spoke Thursday on RTL crisis "very strong in Spain and that the country had" an effort "to reduce public deficits Business Card Holders . The Spanish public debt has soared just over 60% of GDP in 2010 while in 2007 it accounted for only 36.2% of GDP.

Tuesday, Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize in Economics in 2008, believed that Spain was the main weakness in the euro area. To this the Spanish Minister of Economic Affairs, Elena Salgado, has responded Thursday by saying on the radio station La Cope: "The euro is a very strong and we continue to strengthen the currency.I see absolutely no risk for the euro area, "adding," there may be a lack of understanding about what the euro means for our economy. "

Another country in the euro area is also starting to worry, Portugal, again because of deteriorating public finances of the country. Besides the titles of Portuguese banks fell by 5 to 6% Thursday on the Lisbon Stock Exchange.

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JP Morgan's activity disappoint the stock market

As expected, the U.S. bank JP Morgan Chase announced a great performance this Friday for its fourth quarter 2009. Over this period, net profit stood at 3.278 billion dollars (2.27 billion euros), a figure four times over the fourth quarter of 2008. Net banking income (equivalent to the turnover) amounted to 23.164 billion dollars over the same period against 17.226 billion in 2008. Levels well below expectations of analysts who had forecast at 26.2 billion.

For the full year, JP Morgan Chase is much better than expected with a net profit stood at 11.728 billion dollars. Twice in 2008. Regarding the benefits of the fourth quarter alone, the performance of the bank exceeds expectations at $ 74 cents per share in the fourth quarter against the 62 expected by analysts.On the year, net earnings per share were $ 2.24, against expectations of 2.12.

The bank also announced having strengthened its balance sheet, with a Tier 1 capital of 133 billion dollars or 11.1% ratio against 10.2% in September 30.

The banking investments have contributed greatly to the group's results, with net income of 1.901 billion, against a loss of 2.364 billion last year in the same period.

Deception

Yet the markets react badly to this first major publication in the banking sector. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones opened down 0.26% at 10,683 points. Action JP Morgan lost 2.15%, resulting in his fall Citigroup (-1.71%), Bank of America (2.32%) Goldman Sachs (-1.06%) and Morgan Stanley (-2, 76%). In Paris the CAC 40 in red switch to -0.60 while it was resumed in mid-session.

Investors, disappointed, hold that the bank has added $ 1.9 billion to its reserves for losses on consumer loans. The financial institution also announced that "the results have not reached a level of return on capital adequacy and realized their full potential." "The results of companies have certainly not the desired leverage effect '," noted Joseph Hargett of Schaeffer's Investment Research. "JPMorgan Chase has even gone so far as to express a high degree of caution on the current economic environment," says he.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, will indeed "be cautious" about its outlook. His bank has, he says, face a cost of "high" risk. JP Morgan has included in its accounts last quarter to 7.3 billion dollars in reserves to cover these risks.

Moreover, while the swelling controversy over the pay of bankers and traders on Wall Street, JPMorgan reported costs of "compensation" (which includes wages and bonuses) increased by 18% in 2009 compared to the year prev. A new and should not meet U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that a proposed tax of fifty large bank.

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The crisis creates a record deficit

Declining tax revenues and rising costs: the state budget did not end in 2009, suffering from this terrible effect scissors. The budget deficit widened to 143.3 billion euros in November 30, cons -66.6 billion a year earlier, said the Budget Ministry on Tuesday.

The difference, over one year amounted to 76.8 billion euros. He "explained mainly by the impact of economic conditions on changes in revenue and up to 34 billion euros by the end measures of recovery plan," says the ministry said in a statement.

In late November, total expenditure amounted to 329.7 billion euros, 13.9 billion more than a year ago. A difference can be explained by the cost recovery plan, advance Bercy."Out Recovery Plan expenditure (general budget and levies on revenues) increased by 850 million euros a year to another," says he.

In late 2009 the fiscal deficit, however, register under the 140 billion euros, one billion less than originally planned, said the Budget Ministry. This table to limit the deficit on tax revenue in December "slightly less degraded" and on "buoyant spending.

Direct consequence of this widening deficit, government debt under the Maastricht should represent 77.9% of GDP at end 2009 and 84% of GDP in 2010. To fill this gap, the state will borrow this year to market a record $ 188 billion.

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Panhard dream wedding with the Leclerc tank

The French manage to reach a critical size in the Light Armored? It is hoped that the group Panhard attempting a rapprochement with the public Nexter (formerly Giat). The building is well underway in Europe, led by the Anglo-Saxons.

To the north, Britain's BAE Systems has steadily increased, including the purchase of Swedish Hagglunds, and now shows 7 billion euros of turnover. To the south, the U.S. General Dynamics has swooped on the Spanish Santa Barbara. The French Nexter and Panhard, which respectively carry a turnover of 579 million euros and hundreds of millions, have emerged as Tom Thumb. A rapprochement with Renault Trucks Defense, a subsidiary of Volvo Trucks, has also been mentioned.

Hence the idea of boss Panhard, Christian Mons, initiating a rapprochement with Next.Especially since the group's main shareholder, with 75% of the capital, George Cohen, had once considered separate from that asset. Having no desire to become a sub-subsidiary of a foreign group, Panhard therefore seeks to grow, with a preference for a Franco-French solution. Interviews with representatives of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) – who presides over the future of Nexter – have already been held and the proposal would have received a rather favorable.

Crossing several pitfalls

Panhard side, do not hesitate to think big. The company already imagine that after having bought Nexter it could begin negotiations with its German competitors Rheinmetall and KMW, also looking for external growth operations to reach a critical size.Such discussions would kick off an equivalent of one armored EADS.

Before that happened, it remains to Panhard to cross several hurdles. Only Nexter Armored Division and its flagship, the Leclerc tanks, interest Panhard. It performs alone 450 million euros of turnover. The group led by Christian Mons no secret to be much less inclined to acquire the activities of artillery and information systems and command.

Although it is still too early for a pattern emerges, buying only part of Nexter or the total surrender before a non-strategic assets, then he should know how to organize a form of privatization of the former Giat. Finally, if Thales does not seem to be a candidate for a merger with Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense had already expressed interest Nexter in 2008.The subsidiary of Swedish group had also extended a hand to Panhard, who was then preferred to decline the proposal.

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United States: enrollment in unemployment at its lowest since September 2008

Good news on employment front in the United States. New entries in unemployment at its lowest since September 2008, to 452,000 in the week ended on December 18. This figure comes after two weeks of up and confirms the downward trend observed since late March in the United States.

Analysts do not expect a decline of this magnitude and had forecast about 470,000 new registrations. The total number of unemployed receiving benefits rose to 5.07 million, a decrease of 127,000 persons over the previous week.

The Department of Labor, which published the statistics, held relative to this development, stating that "this week in particular is extremely difficult to adjust for seasonal variations, because the raw numbers can be very different depending on the configuration calendar year. Clearly, the actual unemployment has probably not declined much.

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