SRI is an investment made in companies that meet the criteria of respect for people, environment, values ​​… Socially responsible investment thus favors companies actively engaged in an ecological approach and those who have good social and ethical practices.

Conversely, it excludes those:

-Of which the activity is considered dangerous, as the tobacco, alcohol or weapons,

Who does not respect the environment,

Who does not respect human rights,

Who give undue importance to performance, to the detriment of the overall balance of the company.

An investment in life insurance attached?

Solidarity investment is present in companies that develop an approach for assistance. This is, for example, companies that have employees in situations of exclusion or disability.

All these companies have not necessarily an activity-oriented integration and assistance to people in difficulties. Some are subject to competition, but are choosing to include these employees as part of their general social policy.

Note: These criteria also include the financial profitability.

An investment in life insurance attached?

It is twofold. On the one hand, the investor contributes to the development of an economic base more respectful of people and the environment low interest rate personal loans. Moreover, these areas are probably more long-term carriers.

Indeed, socially responsible companies or mutual aid are not looking for immediate profit. Their approach is a vision where a company is strong because its development is sustainable. In 2010, business leaders have used two times less energy than others and have created twice as many jobs.

Can we invest in these sectors through the life insurance?

Life insurance is particularly suited to this type of investment. In addition, these funds were not to be ashamed of their performances against the euro fund or stock standard. They are especially less sensitive to economic equity, many companies in which they invest are not listed.

As part of a diversified life insurance, investment responsibility and solidarity is one way to go. There are still few in the market, but the comparative life insurance contracts reported providing access thereto.

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SERVICE:

"You want to invest in savings responsibility and solidarity? Seek advice from a broker life insurance. It will select for you Companies that offer these funds.

Alert at Total. The gas leak occurred Sunday afternoon on his Elgin gas field, 240 kilometers east of Aberdeen in Scotland is growing. Tuesday afternoon, the authorities decided to ban flights within 3 nautical miles (5.5 km) from the Elgin platform and navigation within 2 miles (3.7 km).

The latest information provided by a spokesman for Total in Aberdeen, the gas does not ignite. The 238 employees of the platform were evacuated by helicopter Monday, without being able to stop the leak. And for good reason, Elgin is nicknamed "the pit of hell" because of the pressure and temperature "extremes" in the words of the website of Total, prevailing in the gas tank, buried 5000 meters below seabed. Total According, the pressure is of the order of 1100 bars, the equivalent of one tonne concentrated on the surface of a fingernail. By comparison, the pressure in the well Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico, scene of the worst oil spill in U.S. in 2010 was 800 bars.

Two fireboats are on alert at the limit of two miles, ready to intervene. Tuesday afternoon, experts from Total does not always explain the reasons for flight. Among the possible operations is discussed drilling a relief well which would reduce the pressure of the leak in the original well. An intervention that would take six months, admits it at Total.

According to the spokesman of the French company in Aberdeen, 20 tons of gas may have leaked. Moreover, the condensate-oil-sprawled on Tuesday 4.8 km2. A plane with the dispersant on board was ready to take off. The company Shell has reduced its staff on its neighboring platforms and Noble Hans Deul Shearwater.

Total shares fall

At the Paris Bourse, the action of a number of CAC 40 lost 8% to 14.30. At Total, the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon BP in 2010 is on everyone's mind. The company has launched a website dedicated to the incident.

According to Frederic Hauge of Bellona Norwegian environmental NGO that monitors the production of hydrocarbons in the North Sea, quoted by Reuters, "the staff has seen the sea boil. I am very concerned about the situation. It can only get worse. "

SWFs have definitely an appetite for stone. In January, Qatari Diar, already owns the premises of the Hotel Royal Monceau in Paris, put his hand on those of the Carlton in Cannes. Reportedly, GIC, the Singapore fund, has made him a ticket of 100 million euros in the funds spent on office property completed by the end of 2011 Altarea land.

This spectacular arrival of sovereign wealth funds in commercial real estate almost makes you forget a more pervasive phenomenon. Insurance companies have become the biggest buyers of offices, shopping centers, hotels and warehouses. According to the consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield, they earned last year 26% of investments in this asset class in France. Their representatives are out in force this week in Cannes at MIPIM, the international exhibition industry.

"With the crisis, insurers have found that some of their favored investments such as bonds had become riskier, says Xavier Seagull, Director of Acquisitions at Allianz Real Estate France. They therefore turned to real estate. "These properties correspond perfectly to the needs of insurers, they offer a 6% return, which allows them to fulfill the contract made with the purchasers of life insurance: a performance around 4%.

As a result, insurers have decided to strengthen real estate. Allianz, which was 3% of its investments in stone in 2008, rose to 4% and now account for 6% of spend the next four to five years. "At group level, we want to happen in three years at the 10% position in real estate as against 7.5% today," says Philippe Depoux his part, Chairman of Generali Real Estate France.

Acquisitions financed with equity

Insurers are likely to keep their goals because they have a secret weapon: with the money collected by life insurance, they can finance their operations from their own funds. An asset, at a time when banks have drastically reduced their loans to buy back buildings and shopping centers. "Today, we are fine business when they were proposed by the trustees of private equity funds that financed their operations by resorting to massive debt," said Joelle Chauvin, Property Manager of Aviva France.

Each insurer has its strategy. Aviva took the risk of launching 50-50 with Predica construction of a tower of defense, Carpe Diem, to be delivered late 2012-early 2013. An operation "blank", that is to say developed without identifying a tenant. An approach that refrains Allianz, positioned on existing buildings with long leases. In 2011, the German company bought 260 million Forum Seine, a building of 35,000 m2 including leased Locapost. However, these players are always looking for the same locations: Paris, La Défense and near western suburbs.

Along with their purchases of real estate, insurers are increasingly engaging in more in mortgages that are secured on the asset value to fund. One way to enjoy the disengagement of the banks real estate field. The possibility of waiving the banking monopoly is under the Insurance Code. Axa and Allianz have decided to play the forerunners in this field.

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Despite the announcement by Sony 1.2 million PS Vita installed in the U.S. and Europe after the first week of sale, the new portable video game console of the Tokyo group experiencing disappointing start. Reportedly, she has sold half as well on the Old Continent as the PSP, when it was released in September 2005. Developed under the direction of Kaz Hirai, who will be April 1, the head of the Japanese group, the PS Vita was last at least 250,000 units a week, in combination, in major European countries. Over the same period, the PSP had reached 600,000 copies. The rise of smartphones and internet tablets reduces the attractiveness of the PS Vita.

In France, with 42,000 units sold in the first week, the new handheld is twice worse than the PSP. Retailers have been less well stocked than in 2005 and no stock outs are noted. In Britain, the situation is more serious: the PS Vita crawls around 50,000 copies sold against 189,000 for the PSP. In Australia, major retailers refuse to offer it.

To erase this bad start, Sony should follow the lead of Nintendo in 2011, which was not as successful as hoped with its portable console 3DS, launched at a price too high. A price reduction of the PS Vita, sold at 250 euros for the Wi-Fi version and 300 euros for 3G, is expected by experts. But the Japanese can not reduce its prices too quickly. He urged distribution agreements in Europe with Vodafone and in France with SFR for the PS Vita in the 3G version. Finally, a rapid drop in prices could be interpreted as the first failure of Kaz Hirai, the next CEO of Sony.  

"Read this article in English

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While the Lorraine steel industry is fighting for its survival, the region is to take advantage of its central location in Europe to attract Chinese companies. Monday, the company TerraLorraine presented in Thionville (Moselle) his plan to create an area of ​​130 hectares on which Chinese companies will be moving.

"We target medium-sized Chinese businesses, with between 5,000 to 20,000 employees, says Régis Passerieux, president of TerraLorraine. This is to welcome their branches, subsidiaries or representative offices in Europe. "This project, located Illange, between Thionville and Metz, will take place in five phases over a period of ten years. The first is about 245,000 square meters. "The building permit has been issued, said Regis Passerieux. The construction will start in September or October for delivery late 2014 or early 2015. "

Attempt to Chateauroux

The project proponents expect the creation of 30,000 direct jobs in ten years, including 3000 for the first phase. "We have already received numerous Stay Tuned! From Chinese companies," commented President TerraLorraine.

This subsidiary of an investment fund specializing in real estate business, Comex Holdings, is investing € 150 million directly in the first phase, without aid.

"A business center value-added"

Lorraine is not the only region to show interest in China. At Chateauroux (Indre), a former NATO air base and is already in work to attract Chinese companies. Launched with great fanfare two years ago, this area, which would accommodate 4,000 jobs, slow to see the arrival of Chinese companies.

"We want to make a business center TerraLorraine value-added, not just a center for retailers," says Regis Passerieux. Voices are raised to point the risk of these locations: the Chinese would simply assembled on site products made in China. They would get the precious label "Made in France". "It is better to be active rather than undergo massive imports", however, defends Passerieux Regis.

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"When China buys the world

Kellogg's takes its revenge. After being out of the game last year, the world's leading cereal offers Pringles potato chips, for $ 2.7 billion. It takes advantage of misadventures of the seller, Procter & Gamble (P & G), which had entered into negotiations in April 2011 with fellow American Diamon Foods for the sale of Pringles.

These negotiations were unsuccessful, the purchaser being mired in a huge accounting scandal. Within months, the stock price Diamond Foods has lost half its value. But the company had committed to spend $ 2.4 billion, mainly in equities, to get their hands on Pringles. In early January, Diamond Foods announced it would need to reassess its accounts the past two years, following an internal investigation into its accounting practices. Hours later, P & G said look for an alternative.

Kellogg's and P & G should complete the operation by the summer. The withdrawal of Diamond Foods will not result in financial compensation for P & G.

By offering the brand of chips, which generates about $ 1.5 billion in sales and employs 1,700 people, Kellogg's is a giant step for the future. "Pringles has a global presence that propels to Kellogg's second in the world of crackers, helping us achieve our goal of becoming a real business of cereals and snacks," says John A. Bryant, CEO of Kellogg's, which topped last year's $ 13 billion in revenue.

PepsiCo, the leader

Sold in over 140 countries, produced in Belgium and the U.S., the Pringles potato chips become the second brand of Kellogg's Special K behind The U.S. giant has already Keebler cookies and crackers and Cheez-It Townhouse. The group also sells cereal bars and fruit snacks. But he has to go up a gear abroad.

"The acquisition of Pringles it provides a platform for international distribution of its products ready for snacking," analysts said BernsteinResearch. This should lead to synergies, particularly in Asia, where Kellogg's is still low.

Dominated by PepsiCo, the snack market, with sales approaching $ 65 billion, grew twice as fast in the last five years in emerging markets (+9.6% on average) than in mature markets. The sale of Pringles brand disengagement of P & G's food, a segment where the world's leading consumer products had tried to diversify in the 1990s. In 2004, he had already sold its Sunny Delight juice. It intends to focus on cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products.

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Taeco, headquartered in Xiamen, southeast China, has also opened an investigation into the incident Tuesday. The Chinese maintenance company is a leader in the maintenance of large aircraft and works including Lufthansa, British Airways, American Airlines, JAL and Emirates.

Last night, hours before the summit, Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel put pressure on Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. It wants a referendum on the European rescue plan for his country. French and German leaders asked him an ultimatum: "the question to the Greek people come down to this: do you want it not to remain in the euro area?"

24:37: "Finally, the G20 officially begins, says Cyrille LACHEVRE, Special Envoy of Figaro in Cannes.Nicolas Sarkozy welcomes everyone while Europe, meeting in Council emergency continues to struggle online payday loans. "

24:18: "The EU treaties do not provide output in the euro area without leaving the European Union, the European Commission confirms the sidelines of the G20, about Greece. The only option on the table is that Greece is the euro. "

24:10: immediate response of the Secretary General of the Greek prime minister to the call of the deputies of the majority: George Papandreou "did not resign, will not resign."

24:09: The Greek Socialist MEPs propose a coalition government led by former Vice President of the European Central Bank Lucas Papademos, according to Reuters citing sources internal to PASOK, the socialist party majority

12:08: "The extraordinary summit between EU leaders continues.

But the strengthening of the CDC, regarding the Club Med, a symbolic value. Between the public institution and the flagship of the French tourism, relations have always been close. In 2009, when Club Med was jostled by Bernard Tapie and various takeover rumors, the Deposit had dam, committing to purchase if necessary to a capital increase, finally buckled from other investors.Today, with 5% of the round, the CDC is involved in the consolidation of the company led by Henri Giscard d'Estaing.

Strategy carried out in several stages. Last year, the highlight had been the arrival of the Chinese Fo Sun, also a partner in the Club in the Middle Kingdom. The Deposit and Management of Morocco, also an industrial partner, is also installed in the capital. The French Caisse des Depots, for which tourism is a strategic activity, also maintains links with the business club, which it funds such as the site of Valmorel.

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