The draft law imposing a tax on financial transactions will concern only companies headquartered in France and whose market capitalization exceeds one billion euros, according to BFM radio-TV business, which publishes the text Monday.  

The project, to be presented Wednesday by the Cabinet, applies to "acquisition" of securities "issued by a company whose headquarters is located in France and whose market capitalization exceeds one billion euros in the first January of the taxation year ", according to this document.

It is therefore a levy of 0.1% on the exchange of shares and credit default swaps (CDS) called "naked", these financial derivatives intended to act as insurance to bondholders but are accused of promoting speculation on sovereign debt.

One hundred companies concerned

Currently, more than one hundred companies listed on the Paris Stock Exchange exceeds the market valuation. The high-frequency trading, suspected of serving speculation and based on discussions conducted a nanosecond, by computer, will also be affected by this law.  

But order cancellations or order changes will, however, lower taxes beyond a certain threshold. "Since the rate of cancellation or change orders within the scope of this tax exceeds a threshold, on a trading day, the tax amounts to 0.01% of the amount of orders canceled or changed beyond this threshold, "the statement said.

The document states that "the threshold is set by decree" but "can not be less than two-thirds of orders addressed and can be modulated depending on the size of balance sheet of the operators concerned." This tax would generate a billion euros a year will be applied from 1 August, stated the head of state Nicolas Sarkozy announcing its establishment.

The transaction is valued at 1.3 billion euros including debt Orange Austria amounting to around 1.1 billion euros.

France Telecom, owner of 35% of the operator, said it expects to receive "about 70 million" for the sale of its interest. The balance of the proceeds from the sale back to the investment fund Mid Europa Partners, owner of 65% stake in Orange Austria.

The owner of Hutchison Whampoa, the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, to expand its presence in Europe. It is already present on the Austrian market through the brand "3".

After the acquisition of Orange Austria, Hutchison claims the number three spot in the Austrian mobile phone with 2.8 million subscribers and 22% market share.

The combined turnover of the two sociétésa exceeded 700 million euros in 2011 (nearly 500 million for Orange Austria).

In a second step, Hutchison will divest certain assets of Orange Austria (including the mobile operator Yesss!) To Telekom Austria for EUR 390 million, announced it.

The agreement, subject to approval of regulatory authorities telecom and competition, should be effective in mid-2012. 

THE ASIAN ASSETS IN EUROPE

Asian societies, with substantial funding, have increased the asset purchases in Europe in recent times while the euro area is mired in debt crisis.

Chinese Shandong Heavy Industry has acquired last month 75% of Italian yacht maker Ferretti Group. And the Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp has acquired 8.7% of the holding company of British Thames Water.

The group of Li Ka-shing, looking for infrastructure investments in Europe, has already acquired the UK Northumbrian Water for 2.41 billion pounds last year. He also acquired $ 5.8 billion book distribution network of UK electricity from French EDF in 2010.

Li, nicknamed "Superman" by Hong Kong media for his business acumen, began his career in artificial flowers. It employs 26,000 people in 55 countries.

Hutchison also has activities in the 3G mobile in the UK, Italy and Australia. In the UK, it is in competition with, the number one mobile phone, Everything Everywhere, a subsidiary of Orange and T-Mobile.

FRANCE TELECOM CONTINUES REVIEW OF ASSETS

For France Telecom, Orange Austria exit is the second operation in the curly part of its review of assets, which aims to disengage the group of mature markets low growth while giving rise to additional returns to shareholders.

The operator has already defeated its subsidiary Orange Switzerland, sold at the end of December to fund Apax Partners for 1.6 billion euros.

In a statement, the group was pleased to have reached a new milestone in its "strategy to optimize the asset portfolio." 

Analysts at Raymond James estimate that the incumbent is likely to announce a program of share repurchases by an amount of up to 800 million euros, half of the proceeds of both sales .

"This would not enough to pay half of the minority interests of Mobistar while the other half could be addressed by potential tax synergies", added the analysts in reference reference to the Belgian operator France Telecom which is the majority shareholder.

At 12:30, the action of the French group was down 0.22% to 11.4750 euros while the CAC 40 rose 0.41%.

The title of Hutchison has in turn made up 3.8% to 76.20 Hong Kong dollars to the announcement of the transaction in a generally stable market.

In his televised speech Sunday night, Nicolas Sarkozy praised the German model of a good dozen times. The Head of State made an apology for Germany to justify its economic reforms – tax shield yesterday, the TFR reform, reinforcement of learning, social VAT, employment agreements competitiveness today and rule of budget or tomorrow. "Germany comes so often in political discourse that can be asked whether the president will not be a referendum on the German economic model," writes on his blog the deputy editor of Le Figaro Pierre Rousselin. Before voting, the French need to know what's behind the brilliant success of their neighbors across the Rhine.

Germany for the second straight year was the locomotive of the European economy in 2011, with growth of 3% after 3.7% in 2010. In comparison, France has recorded growth of 1.5% in 2010 and should reach painfully 1.7% in 2011. This strong growth has allowed Berlin to reduce its public deficit to 26.7 billion euros, or 1% of GDP. The deficit lights is five times higher. The other great success of Germany, is the dramatic decline in unemployment. The number of unemployed in Germany last year reached 2.976 million on average, the lowest level since the reunification of the country, and 263,000 fewer unemployed than in 2010. The unemployment rate in the country has crude dropped him in 2011 by 0.6 percentage points to 7.1% on average. In France, the opposite: the number of jobseekers rose by 152,000 last year and the unemployment rate is approaching 10%. At our defense, the French population is growing while that of Germany decreases.

The keys to success are known: a specialization in products where global demand remains strong (automotive, chemicals, capital goods, mechanical engineering), a significant number of medium-sized companies (between 250 and 5000 employees) called "Mittelstand" across the Rhine, a tradition and know-how in new markets, a training system in favor of including in business, the massive use of short-and a good social dialogue on wages and employment. "The secret of the German model, the industry, firm size, the co-decision and competitiveness," notes Jean-Claude Betbèze, chief economist at Credit Lyonnais, which does not hide his admiration for Economic Policy the country. Left to accept the painful counterparties.

Excessive wage compression German

For this coin has several setbacks. To restore its competitiveness, which had deteriorated sharply in the years following 1990 reunification, Germany has practiced under the leadership of the former Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a moderate wage policy in the early 2000. Policy that has increased sharply in 2003 and 2005 when launched an unprecedented series of reforms to the labor market more flexible. Known as the "Hartz" reforms including creating the mini-jobs, jobs that pay can not exceed 400 euros per month, which can be exercised in parallel on welfare or in more than one job "traditional".

Their goal is to encourage theoretical maximum of the unemployed to return to the world of work. Benefit to employers: "mini-jobs" are almost completely exempt from payroll taxes. Employers have tended to replace the mini-jobs to full-time classical contracts taxed, resulting in a sharp increase in part-time and an additional downward pressure on wages. Result: While Germany has expanded its exports increased between 2000 and 2010, but wages have declined in nominal terms (they have risen less than inflation). The median net monthly salary has lost 7.4% in 10 years across the Rhine, while the average annual wage increased by 10.8% in France.

"The compression of wages granted, if it were necessary because of the low productivity of the former East Germany, has gone much too far, deplores Ferdinand Fichtner, an economist at the research institute DIW (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung) in Berlin. This has affected the purchasing power of households and the share of consumption in GDP has contracted. Exports jumped and much faster than imports and Germany is now too dependent on foreign trade, "said he. We saw in 2009 at the height of the global economic crisis: German GDP fell 5.1% against a decline of 2.7% in France. And this year, while the euro area – which represents 40% of German exports – is on the brink of recession, the country's GDP expected to grow by only 0.3% according to the IMF.

A growing impoverishment of the population

The other side of the coin is a very strong impoverishment of employees. During the last decade, Germany has created 2 million jobs part time (and some full-time), while France has created 2 million full-time (and very few part-time). The proportion of part-time increased by one third across the Rhine in this period, while it remained stable in France. Germany is the fourth and part-time employees, including 19% (7 million) of mini-jobbers. Yet nearly 90% of these small jobs were classified low or very low wages (less than 9.76 euros gross per hour to the west and less than 7.03 euros per hour to the is). 20% of German employees are paid an hourly minimum wage below the French and 40% have a net monthly salary of less than 1000 euros.

The unemployed – 2.9 million people – are not better off. The last law passed by Schroeder, "Hartz IV", has in fact merged the long-term unemployment benefits and social assistance. Thus, since 2005, after a year of unemployment, the unemployed no longer receive an allowance of 850 euros, including housing assistance. 70% of German unemployed and live below the poverty line. More generally, Germany has 12 million poor (less than 940 euros a month, or 15% of the population against 13.5% in France. At the other end of the scale, hold 2 825 000 Germans, 6 million euros of assets, or 1% of the population who share a quarter of the country's wealth. "The policy of wage deflation conducted in Germany has led to an increase in income inequality at a speed never seen before, even during the shock of reunification after," denounced the International Labour Organization in a report published on 24 in January.

The ILO will even say that Germany is responsible for the crisis in the eurozone. "Improving the competitiveness of German exporters are increasingly identified as the structural cause of the recent difficulties in the euro area," said the UN agency based in Geneva. "In Europe, it created the conditions for a prolonged economic slump, because other countries are increasingly a policy of wage deflation even harder as a solution to their lack of competitiveness," said she . This view is shared in part, Ferdinand Fichtner. "Germany is of course not solely responsible for the debt crisis countries in the euro area, said the German economy. But it is true that the absence of inflation in Germany, due to the contraction of wages, has led the European Central Bank to conduct monetary policy too expansionary [low interest rates, note] for Greece, Spain, Portugal or Ireland. In these countries, access to easy credit Cheap and fed an artificial increase in wages and housing bubbles. "

The German model has, in the end, the virtues of which France would be right to draw, particularly in respect of industrial specialization, the ability of firms to be exported and enter new markets or the quality of dialogue social development. But every copy would be to bring down our social model, model once touted by Nicolas Sarkozy for his ability to have cushioned the shock of the global economic crisis.

The first European bank also warned that it could leave the United Kingdom, where its headquarters for more than twenty years, due to new rules on capital that could cost him dearly.

Over the period from July to September, HSBC made a profit taxable underlying decline from 36% to $ 3 billion (2.18 billion euros).

The bank has already cut 5,000 positions from the first quarter of the 30,000 cuts announced by 2013.

HSBC said its provisions for credit risks, and charges were up $ 700 million at quarter end compared to their levels of last year at this time, partly because of the moratorium on foreclosures in the the United States.

"The outlook for the global economy are very difficult, as problems in developed markets beginning to affect the growth rate worldwide," said HSBC.

"Dear Silvio, a new opportunity to escape with Ryanair." It is this formula that the low-cost airline has launched an advertising campaign on its website to promote its flights to 9.99 euros from Rome.

The announcement comes as pressure intensifies on European banks to increase their own funds.

In a document addressed to the regulators, the largest bank in the euro area states want to increase its capital by about $ 1.5 billion in Santander Consumer States.

The transaction values ​​Santander Consumer United States to four billion dollars, according to estimates by the bank.

Last month, its chief executive Alfredo Saenz was, however, said the bank did not plan to raise equity.

The consortium Sponsor Auto Finance Holdings Series subscribe to the capital increase up to a billion dollars and Dundon DFS up to $ 150 million.

Santander will retain a majority share of 65% in Santander Consumer United States after the operation, Sponsor Series Auto Finance Holdings will own 25% and 10% DFS Dundon.

The consumer credit in the United States is one of the most profitable activities of Santander, analysts said, and generated a net profit of $ 455 million in 2010.

Around 8:45 GMT, taking 2.73%, outperforming the IBEX simultaneously up 1.13%. The Stoxx Europe 600 bank and earned 2.02%.

Saab, which has hardly produced a car for six months, is in receivership.A loan of EUR 70 million guaranteed by the Chinese Zhejiang Youngman Automobile Lotus is still not activated.

According to Dagens Nyheter, Youngman would withdraw and abandon its commitment to put money into Saab over the long term.

"But Geely is interested in everything, in terms of production and development," one told the newspaper.

Geely, which acquired another Swedish Volvo cars in 2010, approached the administrator of Saab, is there still told the newspaper.

But Lawrence Ang, executive director of Geely Automobile Holdings, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Geely, denied the information.

"As far as I know, we do not have that kind of project," he said, stressing that Geely was very busy after its acquisition of Volvo cars.

A Saab spokesman declined to comment.

Ian Fletcher, automotive analyst at IHS, sees no interest in such an alliance.

"Volvo and Saab, in fact, fighting for the same space for years. I think in the end, Volvo would be happy with the release of Saab."

He recalled that Geely does not need additional production capacity in Sweden and he can do without technology from Saab.

"I see simply no reason they could intervene," said the analyst.

Saab has gone from crisis to crisis this year.It closed in April, unable to pay its suppliers to whom he owes more than 150 million euros. In August, it was no longer able to pay salaries.

Saab was bought by Spyker, now Swedish Automotive, General Motors in early 2010, as he was leaving another period of bankruptcy.

The sale of the Spyker sports cars in the Swedish Automobile Vladimir Antonov Russian investor has also failed. These cars must now be sold to a private equity investment.

The number of job applicants in category A (those who carry on any business during the month) in France rose by 36,100 (+1.3%) last month to $ 2,756,500.

This is the highest figure recorded for that category since February 2000, according to ministry statistics.

In one year, the number of unemployed in category increased by 2.8%.

By adding the persons engaged in small (B and C), the increase in the number of job seekers is reduced to 0.6%, or 24.300 more people in one month, reaching 4,128,000. On an annual basis, growth for these three categories is 4.3%.

Labour Minister, Xavier Bertrand, said earlier in the day to expect the numbers "bad as were those of the previous two months."

These measures are a response to calls from the European Central Bank (ECB) to Rome accelerating its balanced budget targets set so far in 2014.

Faced with panic on the markets and the specter of contagion from the debt crisis, EU leaders have no choice but to try to reassure investors increasingly worried about the future of the euro area. After a session Black Thursday, stock markets retreated sharply Friday morning in Europe and Asia. Sign that the contagion threat, the premiums payable in the markets of Spain, Italy and France met in the morning to record levels since the inception of the euro area.In the middle of August and only two weeks after a summit meant to stem the crisis, several political leaders are mobilizing to try again to extinguish the fire.

The program for this day: 24:20 to a statement in Brussels by European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn, who interrupted his vacation at the extent of the crisis. Objective: "assure" and "call for calm" while the economic fundamentals have not changed, said a spokesman for the Commission and clarify what the Commission President José Manuel Barroso. The head of the EU executive had acknowledged Thursday that the debt crisis concerns not only the most fragile countries in the euro area and had a mixed record on the top of the euro area. Statements that had put oil on the fire.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday morning, Olli Rehn also said that a report on the feasibility of the "Eurobonds" would be awarded in the fall. This solution would allow countries to the euro area to share some of their loans, with an average interest rate which countries can protect the most fragile. Carried by the pro-European, this hypothesis is now strongly rejected by several countries, including Germany. But think about it proves that the euro area is studying several ways to strengthen governance and to develop tools to combat the crisis in the long term.

Another highlight expected: a conference call to be held between French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, who has pushed his vacation this summer to monitor the developments . No details have filtered through this interview.The French president held talks Wednesday and Thursday with the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Jean-Claude Trichet, whose ads have obviously not calmed the markets Thursday. Quite the contrary. In announcing further buybacks of sovereign debt, Mr. Trichet responded to market demand, but his speech reminded investors of the fragility of the economy and the extent of the crisis.

In addition, purchases made on Thursday would have paid the debt of Portugal and Ireland, two countries covered by a rescue plan, according to several market sources. But the problems are now in Spain and Italy, which, between them, weigh 30% of GDP in the euro area. "The question now is whether debt buybacks device is sufficient to lower rates in the bond market.As long as this mission will be done with little enthusiasm, it will certainly be too little, "said ING economist Carsten Brzeski. One member of the Board of Governors of the European Central Bank (ECB), the Belgian Luc Coene, has not ruled out a share buyback by the Italian or Spanish Institute in Frankfurt. Provided, however, that these countries make the necessary efforts in advance. Friday, rumors of possible evoked market debt buybacks and Italian Spanish by the ECB.