News – Business & Economi

The decline in unemployment for the second consecutive quarter to hope that France moved into a sustained decrease, said Thursday Economy Minister Christine Lagarde.

The unemployment rate as defined in International Labour Office has declined to 9.3% and 9.7% in France with overseas in the second quarter against 9.5% and 9.9% in the first, announced Thursday INSEE.

"This is good news, especially now that a new repeating itself," said Christine Lagarde told Reuters.

"When is two consecutive quarters, there is reason to believe that not only stabilized but unemployment is perhaps past the right side of stabilization.People come, hopefully in permanently reducing unemployment. "

In a previous interview after the announcement of a decline in the number of jobseekers in Class A in July, 25 August Christine Lagarde had referred to "stabilize" trend that is becoming.

Asked to say at what level of growth in France was able to create lasting jobs, the economy minister said: "It is almost certain it was only 2% of net job creation sustainable, but look at the current period, to 1.4% pace of growth was the net creation of jobs.

"The French economy has created about 60.000 new jobs since the beginning of 2010 when it evolves at a rate of 1.4 to 1.5% growth, so somewhere between 1.5% and 2%, the French economy created jobs .

"What is important is that we can maintain this trend of declining unemployment and net creation of jobs," she added.

The government forecasts economic growth of 1.4% this year and 2.0% in 2011.

Nissan Motor announced Wednesday that he still thought to exceed its goal of worldwide sales this year despite fears about the U.S. economic recovery, but he also warned against the effects of the current strength of the yen on its results.

"The stronger yen has a big impact on us.We will adopt measures to minimize cons-impact, "he told Reuters Insider assistant general manager, Toshiyuki Shiga, outside the auto show in Moscow.

He said that the cons-measures envisaged included an increase in imports of automotive components.

"We still do not change our earnings prospects but there are headwinds: the raw material costs rise, the yen appreciates (…) We have taken into account in our budget to a parity of 90 yen per dollar He is now at 83 yen, "he added.

While investors are hoping for a response from the Japanese authorities to contain the strong yen, Nomura Securities estimates that a rise of the yen against the dollar would result in a decrease of 0.9% of current earnings of major Japanese industrial groups fiscal year 2010-2011, which ends in March.

Nissan, the third Japanese automobile manufacturer, hopes to increase its market share globally this year with a growth of about 8% of its sales to 3.8 million vehicles, thanks to new versions of its small city Micra / March in his "crossover" Juke and other new models.

"Based on current trends, we can exceed our goal of global sales (3.8 million vehicles) if the market remains stable but the U.S. recovery is not expected to change very positively," said Toshiyuki Shiga.

Moreover, the CEO of Nissan in Russia, Francois Goupil de Bouille said it expects to double sales of the manufacturer on the Russian market to 100,000 vehicles this year, while all the Russian car market could reach two million units, after falling in 2009.

In late July, the Japanese group, in which Renault owns 43%, maintained its forecast of annual results due to uncertainties surrounding the outlook for global demand, despite the publication of its best quarterly operating profit for over two years.

Hewlett-Packard on Monday launched an offer of 1.6 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) to acquire the data storage company 3PAR, competing with the offer of its rival Dell issued last week and potentially opening the way for other candidates for redemption.

HP offers a 24 dollars per share, an amount 33% higher than that proposed by Dell at $ 18 per share in cash, or $ 1.15 billion in total.

The proposed transaction represented by Dell when it announces a 87% premium over the closing price of 3PAR.

HP recently rocked by the resignation of its CEO Mark Hurd in early August, said that the board had approved the transaction.The closure of the transaction is expected before the end of the year, the company said.

STRATEGIC ACQUISITION

This acquisition would allow the IT group to extend its range of storage products for the 'cloud' (computer via the Internet) and support its service activities, like other industry heavyweights like IBM, they which tend to generate higher gross margins than sales of computers.

"3PAR enables us to expand our business in the storage and diversify our products," said Dave Donatelli, head of the business networks, servers and storage group, during a conference call.

Around 16:30 GMT, 3PAR jumped from 42.68% while the share of HP yielded 1.93%.

The boards of Dell and 3PAR had approved the terms of the agreement.

"We have proposed a superior offer, we are confident in our case and our proposal."

Due to the premium offered by Dell, industry analysts were surprised by the offer of HP, even if they had raised the possibility of a competing offer.

Shannon Cross, analyst at Cross Research, an additional supply could still be issued, which could start the beginning of a strong competition for this acquisition is rare in the technology sector.

"I do not think they (HP) undertake an acquisition only to weaken Dell is a strategic asset," she says.

3PAR and Dell were not immediately available for comment on the announcement of HP.

Syngenta has lowered its targets on Thursday and now anticipates a decline in earnings this year due to a late start planting, the result of a severe winter, and the burden of taxation.

Around 8:15 GMT, the action accused the coup losing 5.21% to 229.40 Swiss francs, while the index grouping the European chemical values yielded 0.76%.

The planting season started late in the northern hemisphere, but demand has accelerated in the second quarter, especially in emerging markets, told Reuters CEO Mike Mack.

As a result, the Swiss agribusiness group, world leader in its field, now anticipates a strong second half, with good signs for the upcoming planting season in the Southern Hemisphere he added.

"We anticipate an operating profit of about that of last year but, instead, a decrease in net profit," he said.

A continuing evolution in Latin America and Asia should make it possible to Syngenta, which also produces genetically modified seeds, to offset a 13% drop in operating profit in the first half to finish the year with operating profit unchanged said Mike Mack.

Finance costs and tax rates should weigh heavier on the net profits, also said the CEO.

Net income declined 11% to 1.25 billion dollars in the first half, while the Reuters poll gave it to 1.38 billion.

Revenues increased 1% to 6.74 billion dollars, is there a little higher than the consensus (6.69 billion).

THE EMERGING TO THE DEVELOPED

Emerging markets such as Latin America and Asia-Pacific are increasingly important for the group."That was the year Syngenta could see its sales in emerging markets than those in developed markets," added Mike Mack.

Shares of agribusiness groups have declined this year due to stiff competition from cheaper Asian products and uncertainty about the regulations of GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

The slide has picked up speed after that Monsanto has sharply reduced its full-year in May and reported a 45% drop in quarterly net income in June.

German Bayer, which has a subsidiary agrochemicals, will release its second quarter results on July 28 and his compatriot BASF, also present on this segment, July 29.

The European Commission released this month a proposal under which the Member States of the European Union could soon have the ability to prohibit the cultivation of GM crops on their land without justification.

The action Syngenta trades at a PER 2011 around 12.5, below that of the U.S. Monsanto but over other European companies in the sector.

She lost about a fifth of its value since the peak reached in March this year.

Rising unemployment in France in February was weaker than in January, according to Economy Minister Christine Lagarde.

"In February it increased less than in January," she said on RMC and BFM TV a few hours of the publication of statistics.

"Unemployment will rise very slightly.I note a stabilization. "

In January, the number of jobseekers in category A had increased by 19,500 to 2,664,600, a monthly increase of 0.7%, while it remained stable in December.

By adding job seekers engaged in a Pool (Class B and C) was higher than 15,900 persons or 0.4%.

Figures for February will be published at 18:00 by the Ministry of Economy and employment center.

The number of jobseekers registered in category A increased 418,000 over the whole of 2009, an increase of 18.7% over the year.

Employment center expects a net reduction this year but the figure would further increase of 94,000, according to its forecast released Tuesday.

The number of unemployed in category A, ie actively seeking employment and engaging in any activity, then decrease of 38,000 in 2011.

The unemployment rate in the direction of the International Labor was 9.6% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 in metropolitan France and the center Employment sees 9.8% at end 2010, before a decline to 9.6% in 2011.

INSEE will announce Thursday its own forecasts for the unemployment rate.