A little optimism. Following the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Fed (FOMC), the Central Bank of the United States (the Fed) announced an increase in its growth forecast for 2012: GDP to grow by 2 devarit, 4% to 2.9% next year, against a range 2.2% -2.7% previously. For the IMF, U.S. growth is expected to grow 2.4% in 2013, after rising 2.1% in 2012.

Another good sign, the Fed estimates that the unemployment rate, currently 8.2% according to official figures, could drop to 7.8% in the fourth quarter, and, in worst cases to 8, 0%. The FOMC gave the end of January unemployment at 8.2% -8.5% at the end of the year.

Inflation would she, somewhat higher than previously thought and the FOMC would reach 1.9 to 2.0% throughout the year (not 1.4 to 1.8%), mainly due to the energy bill. Improved economic conditions associated with an inflationary outlook that fuels unexpected monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve. In other words, it is less likely that the Fed sets up new stimulus measures this year, as she was able to do in previous years by injecting hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy.

However, its chairman Ben Bernanke assured that the Fed was ready to increase its support for the U.S. economy if necessary. Anyway, it does not touch the rates before the end of 2014. For the Central Bank, growth remains moderate and high unemployment.

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Christine Lagarde is more than ever determined to "increase the firepower of the International Monetary Fund", that its financial resources. But if the euro area "is the epicenter of the potential risks" of the global economy, "Europe is not the only one? We are not obsessed with a region "said Thursday in Washington, executive director of the IMF during a press conference that opened two days of spring meetings of IMF and World Bank.

Capacity building support from the Fund will be the highlight of the discussions to be attended especially the G20 finance ministers. Christine Lagarde has renewed its appreciation to Japan, "the first country that has decided to commit themselves" to the tune of 60 billion euros, while acknowledging "the Scandinavian countries who responded to the call and Singapore."

The Japanese contribution is the first quantified commitment to a non-European. This is in addition to those States of the euro area itself, which from the outset, have said they would put 150 billion euros in the pot (just under $ 200 billion). But Christine Lagarde, who had advanced earlier this year the figure of 500 billion, reduced its ambitions "to just over $ 400 billion" figure it has itself argued in an interview Tuesday Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

Bilateral borrowing agreements

The negotiations will be very difficult and should not be concluded this week with the aim of reaching agreement at the annual meetings of October 2012 in Tokyo. On behalf of the United States, Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary, said two days ago that his country "would not put money" but would support those participating in the operation payday loans. Recall that this strengthening of resources take the form of bilateral loan agreements with its 188 member countries (including the last admitted this week is Southern Sudan). It is not a capital increase of the IMF, as such. Now this is where the rub the side of the emerging countries, including China and Brazil, who would like to link this extension means the Fund to an expansion of their representation. Now it is even less question that the last reform of 2010 increasing quotas and powers to the board in favor of emerging countries mainly, has still not been ratified by the necessary majority. Within the G20, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, have not yet ratified, do we reported to the IMF.

Christine Lagarde must also combat the widely held in international public opinion that the firewall is only designed to help Europe, Spain and Italy, among others. She also found that Spain does not need assistance plan "for now".

Executive Director of the IMF insisted on Thursday the new initiatives launched recently, as "the trust fund for the poorest countries", mentioning also "the five countries of the Arab Spring, for which we need more resources." But the difficulty is to find a common agreement with the governments, especially with Egypt, for which the loan of $ 3.2 billion from the IMF, which should be a catalyst for international aid, is still pending .

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Stalled, Yahoo! was forced to cut its workforce. The group will remove 15% of its jobs worldwide. The stated goal by Scott Thompson, the new CEO of Yahoo! is to create a "new Yahoo! smaller, more agile, more profitable, better equipped to innovate faster." Incidentally, the group also explains that the job cuts should enable it to carry 375 million savings per year. The group, which will publish its results for the first quarter to April 17, plans to generate 125-145000000-saving in the second quarter 2012.

Yahoo!, which boasts of having "700 million users and thousands of advertisers," saw its results decrease substantially in 2011 bad credit payday advance. Its sales fell 22% in one year, to $ 4.9 billion and net income from 13% to $ 1.04 billion. In early January, Jerry Yang, who co-founded the company 17 years ago, had resigned from the board, led by disgruntled shareholders.

Since the arrival of the Internet landscape in Google, Yahoo!, former star of the Web late 1990s has continued to decline. In six years the title has sold 61% of its value. The group, which earned up to $ 56 billion has seen its market capitalization fell to $ 18.5 billion.

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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. "

"We hear a lot of glasses Eva Joly and François Hollande, yet the optical is not a matter for politicians," sighs Alain Gersel. President of the National Federation of Opticians France (fnof) has just sent an open letter to presidential candidates, how to draw attention to the conflict that opposes complementary health.

The glasses are poorly reimbursed by Social Security. Among the 15% of adults say they have sought care for financial reasons during the previous year, fourth evokes the optical (second position issue, behind the teeth). The role of complementary is therefore crucial. To reduce the amount their members out of pocket, while controlling the cost of repayments, they enter into agreements with opticians, constituting "managed care". The optician agrees to charge prices "reasonable" and comply with quality standards (glasses, antireflective treatment, preliminary estimate …). In return, the additional promises a certain volume of customers-the Mutual General Education (MGEN) guarantees member 1 to 1.5 per day per store. To achieve this, it does not require to visit the stores contracted but incites: no co-pay, third party payer reimbursement and often better.

First mutual health in France, particularly in the sights of opticians, MGEN reimburses 25% increase in its qualified opticians. Its network is "closed", that is to say limited to opticians on 12000 1900-that's what allows him to expect its partners a surplus of customers. Enough to arouse jealousy among the recalibrated? MGEN provides an optician on two postulated to integrate its network, which would mean about 4000 disappointed

. Legal offensive

The fnof aligned in any case the arguments "antiréseaux". First, the insured pushed a licensed optician might be forced to "40 or 50 km route" to find it. Proximity is especially important that opticians can renew and adapt prescriptions of ophthalmologists, a solution found in 2006 in response to the shortage of medical specialists. MGEN side, it was answered that few opticians established in villages: they are concentrated in cities, contact a professional under agreement would impose the worst to go one or two streets away. Second objection of the union of opticians: lack of customer follow-up, stores incoming and outgoing network each year. Finally, do some additional improvements that would offer rebates on a limited choice of lenses or frames, without clear to their policyholders. MGEN does not feel concerned with "170 000 references saved."

The fnof offers an alternative to further reduce their costs for: refund less often eyeglasses-many contracts support a pair a year while a renewal every three years would suffice.

Several legal offensives were also launched against the MGEN, one by the sign Afflelou, based on two grounds. The barrier to competition, on the one hand, but the mutual boasts favorable opinions of the Competition Authority and the DGCCRF (Bercy). The inability of a mutual practice different levels of reimbursement between its members, on the other. On this point, the case law is unfavorable to MGEN. Following a recommendation by the Court of Auditors to slow health spending, Parliament intended to remove this barrier to care networks in 2011. But the article of the law passed was censored for reasons of form.

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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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The former stars of mobile phones, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, RIM (BlackBerry) and even Microsoft have missed the turn of the smartphone. Can they still get back in the race? Their image is tarnished by this delay. BlackBerry and Nokia-Microsoft duo are the first victims. They are also penalized by the unattractiveness of their application stores. While Apple displays 550,000 applications in its App Store and Google 350,000, for its Android Market, RIM and Windows Phone as having between 10,000 and 50,000. In response, the Canadian has just effected a turnaround first. It is now possible to download applications on its Android tablet playbook. For its part, Microsoft relies on the arrival of its new Windows 8, dedicated to the convergence between tablet PC and smartphone finally manage to win in telephony. Telcos want the arrival of a third player to escape the duopoly Apple / Google. For now, these wishes are not sufficient to ensure a start to a fanfare Windows Phone. Specialists have to find many beautiful virtues, it has sold just over 1 million Lumia (the Windows Phone from Nokia) since their launch in mid-November no faxing payday loans. For Nokia, it's a matter of survival. For Microsoft, success becomes an obligation, in a world where smartphone sales surpassed those of PC.

Motorola bought by Google

"Ten years ago, consumers chose a terminal. Today, they opt first for an ecosystem, "said Pierre Peladeau, an analyst at Booz & Co. And for now, the choices are on Apple and Android. The brands of the 2000s fetish pay the price. Sony Ericsson, soon renamed Sony, seeking to revive the glory. The new product launches are expected to accelerate. For Motorola, the situation is more ambiguous. The former star of mobile telephony, inventor of the clamshell phone, was bought by Google in August. Motorola has released its new Razr Android without the benefit of exclusivity from Google. The latter should spare the susceptibility of its other clients, Samsung, LG and other HTC.

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Lefigaro.fr is the first news site in France in January. The study Médiamétrie / NetRatings, it was viewed by over 8.8 million unique visitors a month. A hearing is always the historic site of Figaro to a million users of the follower.

Development, the second place, occupied by Orange in December, was conquered by the Nouvel Observateur. High of 7.7 million unique monthly visitors, the site of the weekly benefits from the integration of "pure player" Rue89, bought in December.

Launched in late January, the site of the Huffington Post has also brought new visitors to the World, which brought together a total of 7.3 million Internet users in January. The web offers daily evening was nevertheless made the steal third place from the site of Le Parisien / Today in France, with nearly 7.5 million unique visitors.

January has generally drawn the hearings of the press line up. Portals and aggregators of articles edited by tech giants have, themselves, not take advantage of the French appetite for news. Orange News was relegated to sixth place in the ranking with 6.7 million unique visitors, Yahoo! News is eighth with 5.4 million visitors, MSN News and Google News are respectively the 11th and 13th.

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