Daily International Headlines

Is there a grocer Carrefour to save? Faced with increasing difficulties of the second global retailer and the fall of its shares, its main shareholders, Colony Capital and Groupe Arnault, have resolved to part with its CEO Lars Olofsson. Recruited there just three years after Nestlé spent his entire career with the leading supplier of Carrefour, it has accumulated too many failures and disappointments to stay calmly in place. To replace it, the main shareholders, who refused Thursday to comment on our information, seek medical advice Francophile supermarkets.

No firm is appointed headhunters, and the board of Carrefour has left Lars Olofsson to the end of the year to prove itself.With a slogan to ensure that the group takes its objectives, several times revised downward, to carry on a 2011 operating profit down 20% from last year … For administrators, it is out of the question to make a new Carrefour profit warning and even less to allow the CEO to change again its executive committee. Furthermore, it is planned to start of the year stock of stores converted to the concept Planet, presented by Lars Olofsson as the solution for "re-enchant" the Carrefour hypermarkets. The decision will be made whether to continue the deployment of Planet.

Courted for months

In fact, without prejudice to all these results, the process of identifying the ideal candidate is already done. The best profile in the opinion of all experts (and only for the worst) is that of Georges Plassat.

Indecision on the Paris Bourse. After opening sharply higher the CAC 40 has erased most of its gains and slipped into the red. By mid-afternoon he sails around the equilibrium (-0.15% to 2816.50 points). The technical rebound was short-lived deal with a series of bad news from the euro area. . As the day they are still unable to overcome their fears about the outcome of the crisis.

The 10-year rate bonds of Italy is back above 7% in the afternoon, a rate close to its record, while Paris, Rome and Berlin have pledged not to touch the independence of the European Central Bank (ECB) in a mini-summit in Strasbourg guaranteed approval cash loans.

By late morning, Fitch lowered the rating by one notch from Portugal, to "BB +" from "BBB-". The agency has imposed its new rating a negative outlook.

U.S. banks are "facing a high risk 'of deterioration in their credit rating in case of worsening of the debt crisis in the euro area, Fitch launched last night. Markets, the reaction was immediate: Morgan Stanley tumbled nearly 8%, Goldman Sachs 4.2% 4.1% Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America 3.7%, and Wells Fargo 1.4% against a decline of 1.58% for the benchmark, the Dow Jones.

The influential rating agency estimates that "unless the crisis in the euro area is resolved in time and in a sustainable manner, the credit outlook of the banking sector should be degraded." And Fitch added that if the institution's exposures to the U.S. European debts are manageable, "an amplification of contagion is a real problem."

Mounting amateur, his almost inaudible and characters presented as employees very unconvincing … The video posted by Cora stores on Youtube and Facebook completely misses its mission was to restore the group's image, tarnished by the affair of the cashier accused of theft for taking a receipt abandoned which included a coupon.

This video was supposed to show the brand in a new light. Many people just like to describe in an exaggerated way their "happiness" to work for the group, some 32 years. "Cora is my life," says one of them. "In a year I would go to retire and I would say thank you Cora," said another. Some speak about the controversy surrounding the case of receipt, "it saddens me a bit because it does not reflect what I saw on a daily basis no faxing 1 hour payday loans."

The implied question by the cashier of the case are also there: "I was very surprised that an employee fired for that is done, because Cora must go there to get fired. After I think we may not be aware of everything, there was a particular version, "said a young man shot in front of a coffee machine.

Perverse

On Youtube, Cora says, "This video was shot by the employees themselves" Saturday, October 29 following the controversy over the store Mondelange. " But users do not. Worse, they are unleashed on the Facebook page of the sign: "How dare you take the Internet for idiots?", "What propaganda two cents!", "Your approach is crude, stupid and really pathetic," " against your attack is an incredible mediocrity.

After resisting the morning, the Paris index has increased its losses Tuesday mid-day, finishing down 1.43% to 3174.29 points. Parisian investors have expressed a wait-and very excited at the eve of an EU summit in crisis considered major. Sign of a strong wait-and trading volumes did not exceed 2.6 billion euros. Some profit taking after two sessions of strong gains also came influencing the trend. Less marked decline elsewhere in Europe, where the German Dax has limited its losses to 0.14% at 6045 points and the FTSE in London 0.41% to 5525.54 points.

Immersed for weeks in a deep pessimism, investors had played the crisis Friday and Monday. However, the ability of European leaders to respond definitively to the debt crisis is still struggling to convince.A phenomenon that confirm the disagreements between countries in the euro area on the measures to adopt, and just wiping out the gains Monday. If the preparatory meeting of finance ministers of 27 (Ecofin) has been canceled, the leaders of the euro area, however, continue to negotiate before the meeting tomorrow Wednesday of Heads of State and Government (first of 27 and 17 of the the euro area).

At the heart of the discussions: the recapitalization of banks, the amount of the discount of the Greek debt, and strengthening the European bailout fund (EFSF). According to one diplomatic source, the representatives of the banks would like to limit the discount to 40% volunteered to stabilize the Greek debt, against 50 to 60% required by the euro area.Moreover, concerns about the Italian situation is escalated, while Silvio Berlusconi may have trouble getting the promised reforms the last weekend to reduce the debt of his country. The Prime Minister pledged to push trans to 67 years of age retirement.

Diving morale of U.S. households

In this context, mixed economic data revealed the Atlantic have increased pessimism. Stabilization of U.S. house prices in August, according to the Case Shiller index, and the unexpected plunge in the morale of U.S. households in October, have reinforced doubts about the health of the world's largest economy.

By sector, banks are logically the most attacked, BNP Paribas, lost 3.75% to 30.80, Societe Generale fell back to 3.80%, to 19 euros. Axa was down 1.76% to 10.90 euros.François Fillon, French Prime Minister confirmed that the banks of the Hexagon should recapitalize to the tune of "ten billion euros."

In contrast, cyclical stocks including oil services, were well oriented, supported by oil prices that reached a high for about three months. Maurel & Prom has awarded 2.86% to 14.90 euros and CGG Veritas was up 1.21% to 16.73 euros.

Also against the current, and two days before unveiling its sales for the third quarter, the title of Plastic Omnium has continued to rise (3.35%, to 20.76 euros) having already jumped more than 10% two sessions. Finally, on the eve of the announcement of its quarterly revenue, PPR has taken the lead in the CAC 40 with a gain of 3.84% to 111 euros.

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"CRISIS SPECIAL: fear of debt

Creditor banks in Greece will have to accept losses "substantial" in the new bailout of the country, warned Saturday that the European Ministers of Finance. Last night, the central bankers of the euro zone had "agreed to say that we had to have a substantial increase in the contribution of banks" in the form of a depreciation of their claims, said the leader of European finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker.

• Discount of up to 60% of the Greek debt

According to diplomatic sources, the ministers agreed to effectively negotiate with the banks at a discount of "at least 50%" against a target of 21% decided on July 21 with the banking sector. They thus de facto endorsed the conclusions of an expert report which was presented by the troika of donor funds in Greece (EU, ECB and IMF).The paper believes that a discount of 50 or 60% hope to stabilize Greece without having to increase in the amount of gigantic international loans that have already been promised.

A "discount" is the term used in relation to the financial depreciation of the value of loans taken by creditors in this case private banks and investment funds that hold government debt. A discount of 50% borne by the private sector, the second program of financial support pledged July 21 to Greece, however, should be slightly revised upwards with government loans (Europe and IMF) to 114 billion euros, against 109 billion euros.To maintain the envelope of 109 billion euros unchanged, it would bring the discount to 60%, according to calculations by experts.

• Recapitalization of banks to the tune of 108 billion euros

The question is whether the banks that have so far dragged its feet to give the pot, will accept a negotiated settlement does not pass through a default of Greece. In return for the effort required on the Greek claims, there are plans to recapitalize banks in Europe. Following a meeting of EU finance ministers, this Saturday, in preparation for the summit Sunday, no agreement had been finalized on this point, due to the persistence of disputes.

"We have made some progress on the banks" and "we have laid the groundwork for an agreement" which will still be subject to "discussions between heads of state" and called for European governments to meet in summit Sunday said Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg. Countries of the European Union are considering a recapitalization of its banks to the tune of 107 or 108 billion euros to help them cope with the crisis, has also said a source familiar with the matter.

But according to European diplomats, "there is no agreement on the recapitalization, it gets stuck a little payday advances." According to one of these diplomatic sources, "Spain insists on having a comprehensive, not only on the recapitalization of banks but also on strengthening the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF)." On the other hand, "the ministers are trying to agree on the minimum capital."The European Banking Authority (EBA) has proposed that banks reach a level of capital of 9% by mid-2012. A diplomat acknowledged that some countries in the viewfinder of the markets, like Italy, Spain or Portugal, feared that the recapitalization will further undermine public finances.

• The Fund will not support a bank

Moreover, the French proposal to grant a banking license to the Fund support the euro area (EFSF) so he can refinance with the European Central Bank "is no longer on the table," said Minister Dutch Finance Jan Kees de Jager. Only two options are being discussed to increase the firepower of the device, he told reporters Saturday.These two tracks on the agenda now that the mechanism acts as a partial insurance of the public debt of countries in difficulty or higher participation of the IMF to the device, according to a German government source. But there is "significant differences between countries" on the issue, said Jan Kees de Jager.

How to leverage the capacity of the EFSF was the main sticking point between Berlin and Paris at the approach of the EU summit. France, worried about its budget deficit and are "triple AAA" prefer tap into the existing European funds, starting with the ECB. Germany, also sensitive to the separation of powers as inflation risks, refuses anything resembling a crisis by printing money in Europe.France was not only to advocate the involvement of the ECB, arguing that this system worked very well in the United States or Great Britain. She was supported by Spain, Italy or Belgium.

The European Relief Fund currently has a lending capacity of 440 billion euros, part of which is already committed for Ireland and Portugal. This envelope is considered insufficient to prevent contagion of the debt crisis in countries as large as Italy and Spain, increasingly in the firing line of credit rating agencies.European countries negotiate so hard for weeks on the best way, via a "leverage" to multiply by up to five response capacity of the Fund's financial debt of fragile countries.

(With agencies)

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"GRAPHICS – The crisis of the euro, or the history of contagion

"SPECIAL – Banks in turmoil

"Paris and Berlin are seeking a solution for banks

Phone calls at the highest level, video conferencing, round trips of crisis, the climb to the top of the euro appears more frantic Sunday every hour that passes. Nicolas Sarkozy made last night on an emergency trip from Frankfurt to tighten rope with Angela Merkel. But in the final meters, it is the Italy of Silvio Berlusconi could give a cold sweat in the common currency.

Ten days after his trip to Berlin, Nicolas Sarkozy visited on Wednesday in the financial capital of Germany for a further meeting with Angela Merkel. Officially, he came to pay tribute to Jean-Claude Trichet, who drew his bow at the head of the ECB. But in practice, to lock an agreement soon with the Chancellor. After a two-hour meeting nothing has filtered. The two leaders were released separately without comment. They looked tense.They rushed into their cars, to use the plane to Paris and Berlin.

The key issue – the appropriate role or not the European Central Bank in the financing of sovereign debt in support of the EFSF, the bailout funds in the euro area – remains still pending. France is clearly, even amending the Treaties. Germany has always been against the name of financial orthodoxy and independence considered sacrosanct by the ECB.

The question plagues the Paris-Berlin for months. At one hundred hours of a summit that everyone wants to believe decisive, it is especially doubt the strength of the Franco-German base on which the 17 partners of the euro and the 27 EU countries have establish a bulwark Sunday against the crisis and contagion."Monday morning he will have the markets, the United States, China and the IMF are convinced that Europe has a plan, a European official placed loose in the heart of the discussion. If there is no agreement, each European country will be reduced to playing individual survival. "

A "Mr Euro"

As a result, dramatically raised the bar for Sunday. Until recent days, Europeans thought solve problems in sequence: first Greece, then the recapitalization of banks with the strengthening of EFSF and economic governance coupled with greater budgetary discipline and finally the start of construction new treaties to push European integration. In an emergency, they say in Brussels, the Heads of State and Government will instead have to treat the whole as a whole.

Essential parts are already in place.Athens will release in the coming days with an 8 billion euro. She will spend the deadlines in November and avoid bankruptcy catastrophic for the euro. Unless dramatic, France and Germany also agreed on the recapitalization of banks. Governance side, it seems certain that the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy become "Mr. Euro ". The terms of the collective fiscal discipline and above the level of checks carried out by teams in each capital Brussels are still under debate. The case directly related to the revision of treaties, also raises serious questions of national sovereignty.

But against the backdrop of persistent differences between France and Germany regarding the bailout fund and the role of the ECB, it remains to organize the famous "against fire" in the euro area, ie to prevent the spread of the fire."It's reassuring to calm the Greek home. But that does not answer the real question posed by the market: what happens if other countries are in turn earned by the flames? ", Said the European official.

After degradation of Spain by Moody's and uncertainty on France by Standard & Poor's is Italy, the third power of the euro might come to haunt the summit. "Nobody talks about it openly, but everyone has the scenario of an Italian debacle in mind," said one senior source. After public criticism that its inertia creates the Italian employers, Silvio Berlusconi could be claimed Sunday accountable by their peers, they say in Brussels.

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Danone has published a quarterly revenue in line with expectations. At first, in the absence of good surprise, the valuation of Danone can call. The title pays more than 14 times earnings expected for 2012, while the CAC 40 builds about 8.2 times the estimated profit for 2012. "This is justified from the point where Danone is growing higher than the overall economy. The group offers products with high added value for the elderly and babies. It is well positioned in emerging markets, "says one fund manager.

We must also put into perspective the value of Danone with that of Nestlé. The Swiss giant capitalizes 15.6 times the expected result next year. The market welcomed by the superb performance in all segments, including the brilliant success of Nespresso, the subsidiary that specializes in luxury coffee.

Danone is perceived by the market as a growth and not as a "value", not valued due to lack of development prospects no fax pay day loans. The situation of Danone in terms of profitability is satisfactory. Operating margin exceeded 14% after the first half. Better still, it exceeds 20% in Asia.

Possible sale of the water industry

Still, Danone must win the market with new projects. In recent years, Danone has refocused on the markets of healthy nutrition and health. The group is poised to sell its water sector, reports Bloomberg. It is in talks with the Japanese Suntory. The water industry is about 17% of sales of Danone. Growth and profitability are slightly lower than the other branches of the group.Meanwhile, Danone could strengthen its nutrition industry with an acquisition.

In any case, it will not be possible to create value with a takeover bid. When Danone had been rumors of takeover by Pepsi, leaders such as politicians had split from a multitude of arguments, economic patriotism.

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"Good quarter for Danone

The men will have no excuse. Useless to try to escape the drudgery of shopping by invoking the broadcast of a football match on television. In partnership with Sky TV operator, the giant British retailer Sainsbury's has started testing a new generation truck that allows customers to shop without fear of missing their favorite television programs.

The trick? These trucks are equipped with a support which can be integrated into a digital tablet iPad and speakers. A self-charging solar battery to allow the tablet to never fall behind. The user – must however bring their own iPad – can then install the Sky Go, which allows it to follow the programs offered by the Sky group's channels, in particular the five sports channels Sky Sports.Support for the tablet is attached to the front of the truck at the site usually reserved for child seats. And to avoid accidents of trucks, everything has been thought. They are equipped with a sensor that emits an audible warning when a client caught up in their screen gets too close to another truck.

"A practical and innovative gadget»

The creator of the Sky Go cart, Ian Burgess of the company Setwo Designs, said in a statement it had successfully met the "challenge" to "create a gadget that is both practical and innovative."This experiment, conducted in a single store Sainsbury's in West London, she is likely to be widespread throughout the UK? When asked about his intentions Lefigaro.fr, the distributor has been very discreet about the success of this test to its customers, as well as its intentions to deploy or not this concept to all its 934 outlets.

In France, the testing of Sainsbury's creates a limited interest in the supermarkets. Auchan, which has developed an application for the iPhone, then declined on the iPad, does not count for much install the tablet on his truck in the store. "We have no specific project for the iPad to date, but our research and development teams are closely monitoring these developments," says the distributor is instant credit reports.As for the Casino, he questioned the economic model of such an offer, which requires a significant investment to equip the truck. "This concept is interesting if it allows for example to integrate advertising," said Stéphane Bout, director of information systems group.

There is also the question of interest to consumers. The use of new technologies is not a guarantee of success. "An offer based applications for mobile phones or tablets should provide information and personalized services," says Stéphane Bout. "The goal is to meet customer expectations." To see, therefore, if the "gadget" proposed by Sainsbury's Rave.

The truck "smart" hard to take off

If the test is not processed in the UK, it could well be in China.The phone operator SK Telecom announced the launch this summer of a test in a supermarket chain Shanghai Lotus. In this store, the carts are equipped with a touch pad with which customers can synchronize their mobile phones. This time, it is not for customers to watch TV while walking on the shelves, but to receive "advice for shopping, information about products and promotions on the moment," said SK Telecom in a statement.

The adventure of the cart "intelligent" began long before the arrival of the iPad. As noted by the Telegraph, there are already in the United States carts that warn the customer when there removing the "junk food", these products considered harmful to health. In 2008, TNS Sofres conducting a study on the "Future Store".The survey found that less than 35% of consumers surveyed in France said they were interested in the concept of intelligent truck, against 70% in China, 60% in Spain and nearly 50% in the United States. The iPad, which Apple sold 9.25 million copies worldwide in the second quarter of 2011, may well make this concept more attractive.

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"Hypermarkets: queues discourage

"The hypermarket disenchanted

Retirement: an age variable geometry

"We will not retire at age 60 as we passed in 1982," Manuel Valls Assen. "Nobody says that," irritated Martine Aubry. Yet behind the totem of 60 years Wednesday by waving the primary contenders, hiding the reality quite different. François Hollande only accepts the retirement at that age for those who already have all their quarters. And he sees this as an intermediate stage before a vast overhaul of the system. Manuel Valls as Jean-Michel Baylet also advocate to review everything but are more specific about their goal: a point system, "as in Sweden," says first, "a la carte," added the second.

This would eliminate the problem of legal age, everyone is free to stop work when he wants, even if just a small pension.Ségolène Royal promises, in turn, "the return to retirement at age 60, without any discount for those who have their useful contribution." Martine Aubry appear on the same line … which is precisely to return to 60 years as 1982, a slight difference: the contribution period required for a full pension will be more than 37.5 years. "When life expectancy increases, we must extend the contribution period," admits François Hollande. Well, this time, a point that is the consensus among the suitors, and who endorse the principle set by the Fillon reform of 2003.Holland and Valls even explicitly mention the term adopted in July by the government (41.5 years for 1955 and subsequent generations) in the jeers of the left.

Occupation: differences in hiring to firing

Martine Aubry does not believe in "contracts of generation" François Hollande (if exemption from the hiring of a youth while maintaining a senior in the workforce). In addition to cost 8 billion a year, it anticipates a "windfall" of companies. Ségolène Royal stigmatizes a new "social niche". As for the jobs of the future of Martine Aubry and Arnaud Montebourg, Manuel Valls speaks of an "ineffective measure" that will not allow young people to enter high quality business cards.While Segolene Royal wants to "put into law a ban on layoffs stock" and those "motivated by profitability alone," Martine Aubry wants to allow unions to "seize the court to appoint an interim administrator." François Hollande, he suggests increasing "financial sanctions" to fight against unfair dismissal.

Education: recruit or not?

The proposed François Hollande to create 60,000 jobs in Education in the five years, approved by Arnaud Montebourg, gives rise to a lively exchange with Martine Aubry. "It costs how much?" Quote the mayor of Lille. "2.5 billion euros," says the member for Corrèze. "I wanted to make sure that François Hollande, after proposing not to repeal the budget of Education, now wanted to increase by 2.5 billion euros," continues Aubry.

This in turn will "upgrade the salaries of teachers," "hire psychologists and doctors." Ségolène Royal has a different, for its part, the cost of hiring intended by Holland: "7 billion over five years since 500 million, they must pay every year and they are cumulative. " The president of Poitou-Charentes said that unions "are aware of the financial and budgetary difficulties of the country, and do not require a commitment as strong as this." It calls for "multi-annual programming as needed."

Medical deserts: the incentive constraint

Two camps are emerging. On the one hand, those who want to force young doctors to practice, at least for a few years in deficit areas: Montebourg, Aubry.On the other, those who believe that it will not work and prefer to stick to incentives: Valls, Baylet, Holland – even if it is ready to ban the facilities in the densest areas in doctors. Royal does not choose between two options, but imagine the "clinics with salaried physicians" in the suburbs or countryside.

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"Attracting future medical practitioners to the deserts