After flirting with bankruptcy last year, the group Technicolor, resulting from the safeguard procedure in February, comes in green in the first half 2010, despite a further decline in sales.
The Group's net profit was 96 million euros in the first six months of the year, while last year it posted a loss of 325 million euros. A benefit to be attributed mainly to reduced losses in the activities of the group arrested or held for sale, valued at 117 million euros in the first half. The former television manufacturer has refocused indeed, during the backup process that will emerge from the ashes of Thomson on the services of content creators for film, television and advertising. In the first half, net income from continuing operations amounted to further 213 million euros.
New Stuff
The turnover of Technicolor however continued to decline from 18.5% a year, to 1468 billion euros. The decline was however lower in the second quarter, from 12.4% to 776 million euros, showing an improving trend. The CEO of Technicolor, Frederic Rose, has indeed found "patterns of improvement and signs of recovery in most activities, and reaffirmed a target of growth of sales in the second half of 2010 no fax cash loans. "Our financial restructuring is now completed, we started to win the trust of our customers," he said.
Frederic Rose has given evidence for the conclusion of two contracts announced Thursday.Verizon has indeed signed a letter of intent for the provision of broadband residential gateways, while DirecTV has signed a contract extension for the supply of decoders.
Surrender of Grass Valley
The second half should also be more positive, with the sale of assets deemed non-strategic. The group had announced in early July the first major sale of its loss-making with the sale of Grass Valley, into three pieces. The first part has already been the subject of a transfer agreement with the U.S. private equity group Francisco Partners. For other assets, "progress is expected before the end of the year," said Frederic Rose.
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The trading day is difficult for Amazon Friday. In after market trading Thursday, the securities are traded on the internet provider declined by almost 15% to 102.55 dollars. This Friday, the trend is confirmed to significantly lower at 16 hours since the security loses 10%.
After the official closure of Wall Street Thursday, Amazon has posted results that disappointed investors. Of course, earnings rose 45% for its second quarter to 207 million or 45 cents per share. But analysts had predicted earnings of 53 cents per share. As for sales, Amazon will display a turnover of 6.57 billion, exceeding expectations (6.54 billion).
Operating profit rose 71% to 270 million but there is also far from the consensus (320 million estimated).
For the current quarter, Amazon provides billings between 6.9 and 7.6 billion dollars my credit score. The operating profit should be between 210 and 310 million showing a margin of 3 to 4% The analysts' estimates were much higher: 361 million expected to be a margin of 5%.
In a statement, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of the site says, "We see rapid growth in sales of Kindle, Amazon web services, sales to third parties and retail." "Over the last twelve months, customers worldwide have ordered from their mobile device for over $ 1 billion worth of Amazon," says Jeff Bezos still, he was confident in the potential of Tablet PCs, or as the Kindle 'iPad, to "become a vehicle extra" sales.
The decline in registrations in France in June already gave an overview of the state's automobile market throughout the European Union (EU). The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has confirmed on Thursday the downward trend by announcing a 6.9% decline in registrations in the EU. In total, 1,341,092 vehicles were registered in June
For June alone, the largest drops are collected by Slovakia (-40.6%), Greece (-39.3%) and Bulgaria (-32.1%). In addition to these countries is Germany, the largest European car market, with a decrease of 32.3% to 289,259 vehicles registered. France, second largest market, recorded a decline of 1.3% lighter.To explain this phenomenon, ACEA highlights the end of support measures for the sector, including the scrapping bonus.
The largest increases were reported in Ireland (75.8%), Portugal (62.5%), Finland (54.6%) or Spain (+25.6%) and United Kingdom (+10.8%).
A draft "courageous, necessary and just." After the day of action against the pension reform, which drew between 797 000 and nearly two million people across France, Economy Minister Christine Lagarde, has defended the government's project on air in France Inter Friday. "Our priority is to protect the retirement plan division," she insisted.
While Prime Minister Francois Fillon has expressed this morning, Christine Lagarde said that "the government is not obtuse", and that "dialogue will continue. Discussions will be limited to "some point" in the text of the government, confirmed the minister."President Nicolas Sarkozy said on the issues of hardship, of polypensionnés and long careers, there is room for negotiation," she added.
"The message we give is our determination to continue to reform in serene courage and wherever necessary," said Christine Lagarde, who emphasized "the urgency" of the situation of public finances France. Asked about the signal that the French government would provide the markets with pension reform, Christine Lagarde did not deny the need to 'send a message of safety "for those who invest in the" France risk. However, the triple-A rating enjoyed by France, which is the best possible debt rating is "stable," Plassnik said.
Safeguarding the employment of older
While the unions believe the government bill "unfair" to employees, the minister said on France Inter radio that "high income will contribute" to the overall effort while "capital income will be taxed" payday loans . She also stressed the government's job to safeguard the employment of older workers. Two directions are preferred, namely training and alternate agreements with the companies on hiring senior employees.
"Delaying the age of retirement must be accompanied by measures to prolong the careers of seniors," the minister reiterated. According to figures released Thursday by the employment center, the seniors have been recovered on May 1 sharp increase in their number of registered unemployed (ranging between 1.3% and 1.4% by categories).That was several months that such progress had been achieved.
The discussion of the severity and recovery
For Christine Lagarde, these figures are "bad". And all the more reinforces the government's reform policy. A policy which it defines as "a subtle exercise" between the need to support recovery and the imposition of austerity measures. "On one hand, it is engaging the major investments planned under the Big Loan. On the other side, be careful not to spend any how, "says Minister of Economy.
A debate that should rightly be exported this weekend in Toronto at the G20 summit. Recovery plans for growth and fiscal restraint? The choice to divide Europe and the United States, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.Relativizing discord among summit participants, Christine Lagarde nevertheless called for a "more collective work.
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Five days after the beginning of the G20, which will be held in Toronto, France and Germany called on Monday to unity. In a joint letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, calling on the G20 to "remain united to face the new challenges." A call that came after Russia was added, this Monday, the list of opponents to the introduction of a tax on banks.According to Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian sherpa, other countries as "Canada, Australia, China and India" share the fears of Russia.
Penalties "proportionate and coordinated"
As they had said after their meeting early last week in Berlin, France and Germany believe that much remains to be done to ensure financial stability, "while the economic recovery could be threatened by new financial strains "
Among the many issues discussed, the issue of sanctions against countries "uncooperative" in the exchange of tax information or suspicion of money laundering.In this area, France and Germany want the G20 to go further this time by defining sanctions "proportionate and coordinated" against those countries and asked the OECD, which was published in early 2009 a list of countries targeted, the update in time for the summit in November 2011 in France.
They also want the Financial Stability Board (FSB) broadcasts before the end of 2010 a list of financial "who refuse to cooperate and comply with international standards for prudential" bad credit payday advance.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel address two other issues of topical hottest, new prudential regulations for banks and regulation of financial derivatives markets over the counter.
Prudential "selected and calibrated"
For the former, they believe they should be "selected, calibrated and implemented so as not to jeopardize the economic recovery." They wish they were not introduced before the end of 2012, "by leaving adequate transition periods and appropriate protective clauses.
Derivatives was, they called for an acceleration of "the implementation of strong measures" to improve transparency, notably through mandatory reporting of all transactions in central databases, trading on regulated markets and use of clearinghouses.
They also want an answer "coordinated" with the specific challenges posed by the markets of CDS (credit default swaps), derivatives used to hedge against risks of default of a borrower whose responsibility has been questioned by politicians in the debt crisis in Greece.
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Tuesday, opens in Los Angeles at E3, the world exhibition of video games. After a difficult year 2009, particularly for console games, the market could see a modest growth in 2010, under strongman Activision Blizzard, the first publisher in the world, a subsidiary of Vivendi. From the top of 4.28 billion in sales last year, the group seems untouchable: it attracts 11.5 million subscribers in its network game World of Warcraft. However, the sector remains fragile: "The market fell by 20% in Great Britain," warns Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft. The "decline is about 10% in France for PC gaming," said Philippe Sauze, the head of the subsidiary of Electronic Arts, its chief Olympique Lyonnais. But its economic weight is high.The global market for game software grew over 50% in three years, reaching $ 46.5 billion in 2009, against 30.3 in 2006, says Strategy Analytics.
Le Figaro. – What are your predictions for the sector in 2010?
Bobby Kotick – Companies have disappointing results when they are faced with a lack of creativity and innovation. Last year was a fantastic exercise for Activision Blizzard. Our outlook remains positive for 2010, thanks to our range of products. Our position is different from that of our competitors because more than 50% of our profits come not from the consoles. Overall, I think the video game market should grow slightly this year. But we need that Sony and Microsoft will further reduce the price of their consoles, especially in Europe.It seems clear that the higher the price of consoles is low, more games are selling well and the market grows.
The video game lobby E3 is placed under the sign of new interfaces. Will this upset the way he play?
The new interfaces are important, especially in Natal Microsoft Project and Move System from Sony. These technologies help to renew the interest of players and attract new audiences. Similarly, Nintendo 3DS is innovative and it indicates that everyone seeks to differentiate its products from other consoles. But the key element is the price quick pay day loan.We still have much work to be done to further simplify the use of games and ensure that equipment is simple to use.
What do you expect the Big Three, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony?
Nintendo will not herald major advances for the Wii. But 3DS, with its screen in relief, is a very attractive product. The Xbox 360 is expected to benefit from innovations in online services Live. Finally, Sony has done a very good job with the PS3 is a console game player and a Blu-ray. I think all three console manufacturers are in better shape than last year. In addition, new ways to play show through the iPhone, iPad and televisions. But as the installed base remains weak, we invest prudently.
Facebook has given birth to publishers of small games, such as Zynga.What are your ambitions in social networking?
Facebook represents enormous opportunities for the future, not immediate. Again, we do not want to be first, but the best. We have the flexibility to develop our own games for new platforms, as we did for the iPhone.
What is your assessment for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2?
We have already sold over 20 million games. We have extensive plans for Call of Duty for five years. It has become a group activity. We have created four divisions, one for Call of Duty, one for network games like World of Warcraft (WoW), one third for musical games and a fourth for our licenses. The organization of the group is in line with the market.
What are your major projects?
Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty and Battle.net are very important.It's the same for Cataclysm, the upcoming expansion of WoW, and new versions of Guitar Hero, DJ Hero. Finally, we develop an online service for Call of Duty. I think we have the best range of games in our history.
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For its centennial, the fund invests Strategic Investment (ISP), launched there just eighteen months, has chosen to support CGG Veritas. This intervention takes place through the acquisition of the group's shares listed in Paris and New York, up from just over 170 million euros, or 6% of capital. The fund, which became the largest shareholder of the company, ask an administrator to the council table. "This is a significant commitment of ISPs, says Gilles Michel, Director General of public funds. One of our three missions is to strengthen the capital of companies listed on major technological potential. Upon entering the capital of CGG Veritas, we conduct our sixth investment of this type. "
This, incidentally, the third stake in an oil company, after Vallourec and Technip.With a market capitalization of 2.7 billion euros, CGG Veritas is smaller than the other two groups supported by the funds, but the company employed 7,500 strong positions in its areas of specialty. It is a world leader in providing services in imaging for identifying hydrocarbon reserves, both onshore and offshore, it is also the world leader in seismic equipment.
"We are proud to be regarded as a business with great potential by the ISP, and it does not mark a turning point for the company, but it will allow us to further develop the technology to improve the image of the basement" , commented the President of CGG Veritas, Robert Brunck.
Long-term shareholder
The entry of ISPs also aims to secure a capital highly fragmented.IFP (French Petroleum Institute), long the largest shareholder, holds only 4.2%. And the company has 700 funds in its capital.
With the strategic fund, about 10% of the capital are now in the hands of public shareholders and long term. "The presence of ISPs in the capital makes CGG Veritas attractive for other long term investors," said Gilles Michel. For him, securing the capital enables these dynamic companies to focus on growth rather than spending time managing financial issues.
Problem even more crucial that CGG Veritas is an average actor in a sector parapetrolic won by a movement of concentration. Schlumberger has made two acquisitions in quick succession.The industry giant has launched at the end of winter a bid of 11 billion dollars on Smith International, before you spend a few weeks later, one billion euros to afford the French Geoservices. Many observers consider that competitors, including Halliburton, would replicate …
In an interview with Les Echos, Vincent Bollore admits he knew nothing about insurance. For, he joined the board of administrators that Saturday Generali, the third insurer in Europe. A weak point that his mentor Antoine Bernheim, president of the Italian group forced to resign because of his age (85 years), noted in an interview with Le Figaro there a fortnight.
But the owner of the eponymous group Bollor? defends himself by pointing out that he "knew nothing about the origin of transport, while the company he runs a business includes" Transport and Logistics, which accounts for more than 60% of turnover."I do not see anything that would prevent me to learn" the business of insurance, he said.
In any case, his ignorance on the subject does not stop to think that Generali "did not need money ', thus precluding any need to raise capital, as recommended Antoine Bernheim, the" friend of Bollor? family for over fifty years. "
Cesare Geronzi in continuity
Cesare Geronzi, head of Mediobanca, which is the major shareholder Generali which Bollore holds 5% stake, was unanimously chosen to be the new President, if all goes as planned at the meeting General Meeting of April 24. Bollore seeks will be the president.
Antoine Bernheim has tried to respond, so that no one offered him honorary president without at the board of directors. The latter believes that his age was a pretext for his ouster.He does not hesitate to criticize those who will head the group he led between 1995 and 1999 and since 2002, "Mr. Geronzi is not an insurer and he always said he did not want this post ", he said a few days ago.
For his part, Vincent Bollore – the boss of Havas – tells Echos that he thinks the new president "will continue" the development of Generali, which has "crossed the crisis period with the best results, congratulating the Antoine Bernheim passage for his record "excellent".
Bollore will become a shareholder of Generali
Entering at Generali, which is the third European insurer, Bollore intends to prove his "confidence" and "interest" for the group, including the purchase of shares Generali.This would appease the existing shareholders of the group that challenged that Vincent Bollore does not himself.
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The students' favorite businesses large schools do not change much from one year to another. For the fifth consecutive year, LVMH and L'Or?al share in this order the two top spots Universum of the most attractive employers *. Canal +, also acclaimed for many years, retains its fourth place in 2010 behind … Google. The arrival of the famous search engine in the top three ranking is however one notable development of the charts.
Since joining two years ago, Google continues to gain momentum, reflecting the interest of students for high tech companies at the expense of the automotive sector.Michelin loses in effect eight places from last year, six-seater BMW, PSA four … The result of Google also rewards, according to Julie Giraud Avril, chief marketing officer, Universum, "The financial strength of a company that is everywhere that communicates a lot, and led a marketing strategy that works. "In point qu'Universum anticipates the arrival of the U.S. leading the rankings in 2011.
"Students expect a return on investment"
Another surprise of the charts, revealing the impact of the crisis on student preferences, the surge in banks. BNP Paribas is ranked in 9th position, 11th in HSBC, Societe Generale and Goldman Sachs in 21st and 22nd … "In times of crisis, banks have moved away from students for the consulting firms and audit," explained Julie Giraud Wednesday -April on BFM.Stigmatized in 2008 and 2009, banks would have at this time lost their aura of future graduates of top schools.
But once the economy improved, the students seem to plebisciting new banks as ideal employer, mainly due to the financial security they offer to their employees. "Students in high schools have often led to costly studies. They expect their work a return on investment "analysis Julie Giraud-April.
* Of 20,693 students surveyed between November 2009 and February 2010.
"It's not good at the right time, and for good reason." Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler, welcomed its strategic agreement with Renault-Nissan, during a press conference held Wednesday in Brussels, attended by Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the French group. "The benefits of this alliance are immediate and lasting. Renault and Nissan, synergies with Daimler net present value of at least 2 billion euros in terms of cost reduction and sales opportunities over the next five years, "said Carlos Ghosn. Synergies will be equal between Renault and Nissan.His German counterpart expects earnings "of the same magnitude as that listed for both Renault and Nissan," 2 billion euros.
The two leaders, who returned in detail on the industrial structure already known of this cooperation, reiterated the importance of this type of alliance in a competitive environment tense. "This partnership will enable us to expand our product portfolio, reduce costs and increase capacity," noted Dieter Zetsche. "We must take advantage of such cooperation to create added value for customers and a sustainable future. This is the key in the car market today, "said Carlos Ghosn.
No increase in participation
Both groups confirmed a mutual stake of up to 3.1%. Renault and Nissan will respectively 1.55% stake in Daimler. The latter take 3.1% in both groups.According to the leaders, this exchange of shares is purely "symbolic" and reflects "a fundamental reflection on cooperation. Alongside the conference, the Ministry of Economy renewed its "satisfaction" for this partnership by announcing its intention to take 0.55% stake in Renault Nissan, to maintain its participation at 15.01%, which gives the status of shareholder.
For now, any increase in participation between the two protagonists is excluded. "We needed a number that has a symbolic value, hence the 3%. We do not have much cash to inject into this type of structure. We therefore have no idea of extending the cross-shareholdings. Our goal is first to identify concrete results, "said Carlos Ghosn.No merger is also in the agenda.
Extend Cooperation
The two CEOs have confirmed that this partnership was a starting point. The two companies intend to "explore opportunities ahead" by expanding their strategic cooperation in the years to come. An exchange of modules and components between the Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz is expected, as well as an expansion of regional cooperation in the U.S. and in emerging countries, "which play an important role with great potential." China is particularly in the viewfinder of the two groups."It must be everywhere," said Carlos Ghosn.
In the long term, Daimler as Renault-Nissan expect a positive impact on employment, thanks to "better use of industrial capacity in France and Germany.
In this video, shot by Renault, Carlos Ghosn talks about the overall benefits of signing such a partnership:
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