News – Business & Economi

The European Commission on Friday gave the green light to unconditional takeover of Edison by EDF Italian electricity.

"In a decision dated May 10, 2012, the European Commission has approved without conditions the acquisition of sole control by EDF Edison under the European regulations on the control of concentrations, "said the EU executive said in a statement.

"This decision raises the condition precedent to the completion of this transaction related to obtaining permission from the relevant competition authorities," added the Commission. 

Upon publication of its turnover, Thursday, EDF said it has completed the first quarter of the takeover of Edison, for which the French electricity has increased to 0.89 its offer per share to minority shareholders. This new proposal represented for him a net additional cost of 25 million euros.

At nearly $ 120 million, a version of "Scream" by Edvard Munch became a work of art the most expensive ever sold at auction. Sale by the businessman Norwegian Petter Olsen, identity is unknown to the buyer. The sale of the Munch allowed Sotheby's to beat its previous record for an evening auction of impressionist and modern art.

A version of "Scream", the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, was sold Wednesday night for 119.92 million dollars in New York, becoming a work of art the most expensive ever sold at auction. The sale in the crowd of Sotheby's lasted only 12 minutes, sometimes climbing the auction of more than 10 million in one minute. In an electric atmosphere, seven buyers were hotly contested this work lighthouse, which was estimated at 80 million.  

The pastel made in 1895 and representing a man shouting, hands on ears, bloody sky background in Oslo, was the only one of four versions of "The Scream" still owned by an individual. The sale ended to loud applause, while the auctioneer Tobias Meyer announced a "world record". No detail was given on the buyer, in the center of much discussion after the sale, but the seller, businessman Norwegian Petter Olsen, said he was "very happy" to have become man such a record, at a brief press conference.

Between 1893 and 1910, Munch, expressionist painter (1863-1944) had made four versions of this table over the years become a symbol of universal anxiety. Wednesday night that sold during the sale of impressionist and modern art at Sotheby's for 70 years belonged to the family Olsen, Petter Olsen holding his father Thomas, neighbor, friend and protector of Munch. She had the particularity to include, in red letters inscribed on the frame of light wood, the poem that inspired this work among the best known in the world.

The other three versions of the table belong to the Munch Museum in Oslo (2) and the National Gallery in Oslo (1). Welcoming a "historic evening", Simon Shaw, head of Impressionist and modern art at Sotheby's, emphasized the universality of "Scream", the "key to the modern consciousness". The painting, which was the subject of countless books, films and studies, and has been declining over the years on mugs, calendars, t-shirts and other objects of daily life, is "one of the few images that transcend the art and history to reach the international conscience, "he stressed before the sale.

Only eight works had previously exceeded $ 80 million at an auction, and none had reached 100 million under the hammer, which was the case for Munch. The world record was previously held by Picasso, "Nu au Plateau sculptor", sold $ 106.4 million (with fees) in May 2010 at Christie's in New York. In his diary, January 22, 1892, Munch had explained his inspiration for "The Scream": "I was walking on a path with two friends. The sun was setting. Suddenly the sky turned blood red. I stopped, exhausted, I'm leaning on a fence, there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and city. My friends have continued, and I just stood there, trembling with fear. I sensed an infinite scream passing through the universe "

. Wednesday evening, Petter Olsen gave his own interpretation of a work" remain a major force in (his) life "." The Scream shows the scary moment for me where man realizes his impact on nature and irreversible changes that he initiated, making this planet more inhabitable, " he said, paying tribute to the vision "prescient" by Munch. With the revenues from the sale, he planned to build a new museum dedicated to the artist in Norway

.. The sale of the Munch ……. allowed Sotheby's to beat its previous record for an evening auction of impressionist and modern art, which was 286.2 million dollars, and dated from 1990. Wednesday night, the sales of 65 of the 76 proposed lots totaled 330.56 million dollars.

Consumer spending by French households fell 2.9% in March after a similar rise in February. Throughout the first quarter, they increased by 0.2%. Consumer spending by French households fell 2.9% in March 2012 due to lower energy costs.

French consumer spending fell sharply in March, largely due to lower energy bills, losing 2.9% compared to February, said Friday the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies ( INSEE). Consumption expenditure of households had jumped 2.9% in February as a result of the cold wave. Throughout the first quarter, they increased by 0.2%, after rising 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2011, INSEE said in a statement.  

"The decline in spending in March was largely due to lower energy costs and, to a lesser extent, that of food expenditures," said the institute. Thus, food consumption was down 2.3% after two consecutive months of increases. As for energy, INSEE found a "return to normal + + after the cold snap in February."

Spending on durable goods rose in March (+1.5% after -0.9% in February). Throughout the quarter, they were down 3.3% after rising 2.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Despite a recovery in March (+2.3% after -0.5% in February), spending on cars down the entire first quarter (-5.6% after +4.4%). Similarly, those in home equipment increased slightly in March (+0.2% after -0.6% in February) but receding in the quarter (-0.9% after +1.3%).

European shares closed Wednesday up sharply, the results found solid companies' published eclipsing concerns about the debt crisis in the eurozone.

The CAC 40 index, which had ended with a gain of 2.29% Tuesday, ended up 2.02% to 3233.46 points.

The Frankfurt Stock Exchange rose 1.73%, that of Madrid by 1.7% while the London market (0.16%) suffered from the recession back to the UK economy .

In this context, cyclicals and financials were particularly popular, pan-European Stoxx index of bank earning 1.86% in the provisional closure and the auto 3 , 05%, fastest growing sector in Europe.

In the U.S., the paychecks of the largest companies grew only by 1.4 during the past year against 11% in 2010, according to a study published by the Wall Street Journal. According to the firm Hay Group, the remuneration of the boss of Apple, Tim Cook, is estimated at $ 378 million in 2011.

The remuneration of top managers in the U.S. rose 1.4% in 2011 against an increase of 11% in 2010, according to partial results of a study released Monday by the Wall Street Journal. "Despite a sizeable increase in earnings and business income, earnings of 65 bosses in office for at least two years rose by only 1.4%" in 2011, says the U.S. daily.

The Wall Street Journal explains the stagnation in the bond of increasingly close relationship between compensation and employers' business performance, because of the "monitoring" of shareholders and the "pressure" the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC ). The SEC, the U.S. federal agency to regulate financial markets, calls for "more details" on how companies pay their executives, which complicates the payment of bonuses by adjusting in-year objectives, explains daily.

The partial study, conducted by management consulting firm Hay Group, based at the moment of 75 U.S. companies, whose net income grew 17% in 2011. The full study, which involves 300 companies, will be published "later this spring," announces the Wall Street Journal. According to preliminary results, the median earnings of bosses is 9.4 million in 2011, against $ 9.3 million according to comprehensive study of 2010.

The remuneration of the boss of Apple, Tim Cook, is estimated at $ 378 million in 2011. That of the boss of media group Viacom, Philippe Dauman, who dominated the rankings in 2010 with a salary estimated at $ 84.3 million, is 42 million in 2011.

The title Exonhit significantly lower Thursday at the Paris Bourse after the publication of 2011 results considered very encouraging for the future of the biotechnology company, according to stakeholders.

For the past year, Exonhit reduced its loss to 7.1 million euros, against a loss of 7.7 million in 2010, and indicated that on 31 December 2011, his strated ; Flow was $ 12.9 million, giving it about 24 months of cash.

She also announced today have repaid all its long-term debt.

Turnover dropped to 5 million euros last year, against 8.4 million a year earlier. 

The company claims to have achieved savings in 2011 of two million euros in a full year after abandoning a planned acquisition and cut expenses on clinical Aclarus DX, the blood test of Alzheimer's disease.

Present equally in the market for drugs for neurodegenerative diseases and the diagnosis, Exonhit gives no numerical targets for 2012 merely say "more than ever" confident in achieving its prospects.

"The year 2012 will Exonhit to that of expanding our portfolio of diagnostic products, its own or in collaboration, while maintaining a solid financial structure," said the pre Chairman of the Executive Loïc Maurel, said in the statement of results. 

At 11:10, the action Exonhit lost 9.36% to 1.84 euros in large volumes, showing a market capitalization of 62.78 million euros. At this price level, the title was up 73.6% since the beginning of the year, after a loss of 48.29% last year.

At Bryan Garnier, Sebastien Malafosse the analyst points out that the market "expects a start-up Exonhit as it invests in its future development rather than focus on reducing of its cost structure ".

The views of the steps taken in 2011, he continues, "the road is still long for Exonhit and maturity of 24 months of cash could happen quickly."

With other analysts, however, it notes that the action has Exonhit, like those of other biotechs, gained much ground in recent sessions, so the decline of this morning can also be explained by profit taking.

Nisshin Steel will acquire Nippon Metal Industry as part of a stock deal valued at $ 180 million (136 million euros) to create the number two Japanese stainless steel The Japanese steel industry consolidating domestic market face a sullen and intense foreign competition.

Nippon Steel Corp.. -A number of Japanese steel-and Sumitomo Metal Industries also plan to merge in October.

Nisshin and Nippon Metal, who in November announced their wish to merge this year, said in a statement that they had reached an agreement to combine, October 1, their activities under a holding company to be called Nisshin Steel Holdings Co.

Prior to this announcement, shares Nisshin Steel have closed unchanged at 145 yen.

Nisshin and Nippon Metal Industry said they planned cost savings and other synergies that increase by 13 billion yen (119 million) over five years their beneficial ; current fice.

PPR said Thursday a sharp increase in its annual results, driven by the brilliant performances of its luxury brands, and was confident for 2012.

"The results of PPR are excellent and we are confident for 2012," said chief financial officer, Jean-François Palus, during a conference call.

The group that owns Gucci, Puma, Fnac and Redcats, saw sales increase by 11.1% last year to 12.23 billion euros, a figure slightly higher Interior to the Reuters poll of 12.13 billion. At constant exchange rates, sales growth stood at 9.3%.

The increase in turnover has been hampered by the poor performance against the Fnac, whose sales fell 3.6%, while those in the luxury division jumped 22.2 % and that of Puma significantly accelerated (10.5%).

On luxury, the CFO said that January sales were as good or better than those of the fourth quarter, which signed an organic growth of 18.6%, significantly exceeded expectations of analysts polled by Reuters (17%).

The annual operating profit rose 17% to 1.60 billion euros, slightly above consensus ($ 1.55 billion). 

For 2012, the group said anticipating growth "supported" by its turnover and a further increase in its results.

PPR accounts no longer include figures of Redcats, a subsidiary of distance selling, nor those of FNAC in Italy, these assets are to be sold and which, under accounting standards be deconsolidated from the perimeter.

Net income, up 26.4% in spring 1.05 billion euros and the proposed dividend is unchanged at 3.50 euros.

The pump price rose further, setting a new record. A slight decrease is expected, however, thanks to milder weather.

The price of gasoline in service stations continue to soar and reach new highs that could revive the debate on the control of labels at the pump with the approach of presidential elections.

According to data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, the price of a liter of unleaded 95 euro rose to 1.5787 at the end of last week. That of unleaded 98 (whose sales are much lower in SP95) rose to 1.6184 euro. Both well beyond their previous records set only a week earlier (1.5640 euros / liter and 1.6022 euros / liter). Gas oil meanwhile rose to 1.4180 euro per liter Friday against 1.3960 the previous week. But it remains below its high of the year (1.4240 euro on Jan. 13), and its record in spring 2008 (1.4541 euro). These sales prices are national averages calculated by the Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC) from data provided by service stations.

Since late 2011, gasoline prices prance record after record in France, powered by a dual effect of geopolitical tensions (Iran, Nigeria …) that keep crude oil prices at very high levels, and the weakening of the euro against the dollar, which boosts the cost of black gold once its converted value in the single currency.

The outbreak has already made waves in its presidential campaign. The Socialist candidate Francois Hollande proposed last month a "temporary blocking of gasoline prices," accompanied by restoration of the TIPP floating. The majority swept the idea of ​​such measures, described as "solution of the past".

Hope to decrease with rise in temperature

Interviewed on RTL on the soaring prices at the pump just before the announcement of the last record, the CEO of Total Christophe de Margerie said Tuesday that the best way to lower gasoline was to invest in finding new deposits. "The more oil, the more prices will be kept low," he said, criticizing the way the idea of ​​a price freeze. "For any product, it's not a good thing to lock in prices" and "this is automatically the state budget will suffer," he said. Total's boss noted that his group controlled a little less than 20% of French stations, and over half of them set their own rates.

He also estimated that prices could fall thanks to the current warm spell. "In the short term it may fall, when it's warmer, prices drop, today one of the reasons among others of higher pump prices, it's climate, weather extremes we known in recent times, "said Mr. de Margerie. "If the euro also firmed, it will drop, but overall as in all businesses, (the solution, note) is to get more raw materials," he said.

Diesel sales represent about 80% of French consumption of motor fuels, the unleaded 95 just under 15% and 98 unleaded around 5%.

Legrand said Thursday that 2012 promised to be a lost year in terms of organic growth but would continue its acquisition policy to ensure its development.

The group's operating margin, which reached 20.2% in 2011, also expected to suffer during the year and down 19%.

"In 2012, faced with uncertain macroeconomic expectations, Legrand holds a target organic growth of its turnover close to zero," the group said in a statement.

In 2011 Legrand has posted organic growth rose 6.4%, slightly more than 5% contained in its annual targets.

If noted the current difficult environment in 2012, the infrastructure specialist electrical and digital nevertheless reaffirmed its medium-term objectives. 

Out major economic slowdown and taking into account acquisitions, Legrand targets an average annual growth of 10% of its turnover and adjusted operating margin averaged 20%.

In 2011, net income of Legrand rose 14.4% to 478.6 million and adjusted operating profit of 7.5% to 856.7 million (+7.5 %).

Legrand has also said he would propose a dividend in 2011 of 0.93 euro per share, up 6%.