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.

The news is almost unnoticed but it is huge. This is another step in Beijing's policy to internationalize the Chinese currency. The Chinese government seeks to ensure that the renminbi becomes progressively currency regulations of global trade flows. He also wants it to become a reserve currency, equal to the dollar and the euro.

"If we find that (effective) our work is undermined by a lack of efforts of national governments, then we must ask us to question the effect (of interventions)," said he in an interview published Sunday by the newspaper La Stampa.We discuss all the time. "

This is partly because the yields of Spanish and Italian sovereign bonds in early August had reached a level considered difficult to sustain over the long term for these countries to more than 6%, the ECB had resumed its buyback program obligations.

Since the last three months, it bought for about 100 billion shares, of which over half were Italian government bonds.

Friday, the yield on Italian 10-year loans reached a new high since the creation of the euro area, 6.43% due to the distrust inspired investors in the country, where a vote of confidence in the House planned Tuesday could bring down the coalition government led by Silvio Berlusconi.

What is a happy retirement? For a large majority of French people (seven out of ten) is to be financially secure before health, reveals a study by HSBC on the future of pensions published Wednesday. The survey found that 42% of French people associate retirement with financial difficulties, against 38% in the UK and 35% in the United States. 70% think that their standard of living in retirement will be worse than their parents, against only 37% of Americans and 22% of Britons. "Overall, in all developed countries, where growth is low, assets are worried about their retirement, said Jean-Pierre Wiedmer, Chairman of HSBC Insurance.But the extreme pessimism of the French! "

How to explain it? "There is a structural reason, argues Jean-Pierre Wiedmer: French are world champions of pessimism, according to a BVA poll published earlier this year. And one reason more cyclical: the public debate on pension reform in 2010 has alerted the French that the future of the PAYG was not insured. In fact, the ratio between active and inactive will worsen in the coming years. Today, France has 2.1 active Inactive for 60 years and over. In 2060, the ratio will be 1.5 or 1.4 for an idle asset, according to INSEE. This is because the number of seniors in the labor market does not increase enough to offset the increase in life.

Especially as senior on the labor market does not mean senior employment.The crisis and the deterioration of the labor market have indeed violently hit the elderly: the number of registered employment center for over 50 grew by 60% since 2007. The employment rate of older workers in France (41%) is thus one of the lowest in Europe. And the French questioned by HSBC do not envisage improvement: only 8% believe that the pension reform of 2010, which pushes two years the legal age of retirement, will solve the problem of unemployment of more than 55.

Increase the contrast level of pensions

That's why 57% of the French think that the amount of pensions paid by the system of national solidarity (general system of pension insurance and supplementary pensions Agirc-Arrco) will decrease in coming years.Yet in 2030, pensions paid by the general will average above 2% to 2.5% they would have been without the pension reform of 2010, according to a study of NACHA. Indeed, the decline in the age of retirement will allow some policyholders to increase their pension rights, with more qualifying period and new wages, generally high end of their career and therefore probably included in Top 25 annual salaries used to calculate the pension.

The average percentage, however, masks significant heterogeneity according to the profile of the insured. If nearly 35% of the insured should receive a higher pension than 6% on average, 18% have a pension lower by about 5%. In fact, an insured who left at age 63 with 3 years premium before the reform would leave always at the same age but with only one year of premium.In addition, almost half of the insured would see their pension amount unchanged with the reform. These are mainly inactive.

Finally, the most interesting in this study HSBC is the paradox between fear and actions. As they anticipate the majority of financial difficulties in retirement and they are concerned about a decline of public pensions, only 30% have set up a financial plan to make additional income in retirement, against 50 % in the rest of the world. And when we ask the French what they will do if the level of public pensions decline, 43% say they are willing to work longer and 27% to take additional paid work.

Chancellor Angela Merkel ended the discussion at a joint press conference with Nicolas Sarkozy, saying that the finance ministers of the euro area were working on two models to strengthen the capacity of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF).

"The two do not include the European Central Bank because the treaties do not allow it," she said.

Nicolas Sarkozy for his part said that France "is as much" the independence of the ECB as Germany and he returned not to the Heads of State and Government instruct the guarantor of stability of the euro.

France is still defended publicly on the eve of the weekend to grant a banking license in EFSF, which would have the advantage of giving unlimited access to liquidity from the ECB.

It could rely on the support of 14 of the 17 countries in the euro area, Italy, Spain and Belgium being advanced against a Germany that had only the Netherlands and Finland to its sides.

While the looming G20 summit in Cannes in early November, the United States, the major emerging countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also grew in the wings for the firewall erected by Europeans to be the strongest possible and involve the institution in Frankfurt.

"The problem is not Greece, but installing an effective firewall to prevent contagion to the rest of the euro area," summarized a source close to the G20, which emphasizes the risks posed by European dithering on the global recovery.

"For this, we must size and speed (…) Only the ECB has the size and speed of action needed," the source said.

FAST ACTION

Another source said that if the French Minister of Economy, Baroin, suggested Friday night flexibility on this issue was first to open the door to possible trade-offs between different aspects of the response to crisis in which STRIPS Europeans.

Because if the Germans are opposed to the transformation of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) in the bank and to leaving the ECB to become lender of last resort in Europe, the French refused to endorse them on the discount of 60% Berlin demanded that the Greek bonds.

Remains unknown: the position of the European Central Bank after Jean-Claude Trichet has left office, October 31.

The French are hostile to the evolution of double EFSF and the institution of Frankfurt but his successor, the Italian Mario Draghi, the current governor of the Bank of Italy and considered more pragmatic, there is not necessarily opposed.

"It is likely that Italy is on the side of France against the toughest positions defended by Germany and the Netherlands", do you confirm the Italian Treasury.

The arrival of the "pragmatic" Jörg Asmussen to the Board of the ECB to replace the "hawk" Jürgen Stark as the representative of Germany as well as a possible French digitally replacing Jean-Claude Trichet could also influence the position of guardian of the euro.

In the past, the ECB had similarly plot of "red lines", as its absolute refusal to buy government bonds markets or to consider a discount of Greek debt to be forced to abandon with worsening of the crisis.

Meanwhile, two solutions remain on the table to maximize the firepower of the EFSF: Germany and the ECB's call for a partial insurance mechanism sovereign debt of countries in the euro area.

The alternative would be to create a special vehicle powered by such banks as well as foreign sovereign wealth funds and resources which the Fund would be available to intervene in the secondary market.

Concerns are growing stronger with the approach of the EU summit to be held this Sunday. Around 10 am, Paris lost 1.6%, London 1.3%, Frankfurt 1.5%. At the same time Milan fell by 1.8% and 1.3% in Madrid. The Nikkei of the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished Thursday's session lower by 1%, investors fear that the summit of the European Union this weekend does not solve the crisis in the eurozone.

These concerns were reinforced by the Wednesday night meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.The two leaders met for nearly two hours in Frankfurt around the future of the euro area. Nothing filtered out of the interview but the discussions have included the lending capacity of EFSF, the relief fund in the euro area, which must be set up to help countries in trouble. According to the German press, Berlin would be in favor of strengthening the EFSF to 1.000 billion euros, but more like Paris. In addition, Nicolas Sarkozy wants to transform this new instrument in the bank, which refused Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank (ECB).

Rumors about the amount of its capacity should continue to circulate in the markets, which should make the stock markets volatile."As we approach the summit, nervousness increases and investors away from equity markets," said the note IG Market Analysis, adding that the latest results of companies from the United States are often disappointing and not conducive for optimism.

The rating agency Moody's Investors Service gave the first Monday penknife to the sacrosanct "AAA" rating of France, announcing that it gave three months to determine whether his perspective "stable" was still justified in view of the deteriorating economic situation."Over the next three months, Moody's will monitor and evaluate the stable outlook (the note of the country) in the light of progress made by the government to implement" the measures announced to reduce the budget deficit, said the agency rating in a statement.

France has currently the highest rating possible from Moody's (a "Aaa"), as from its main rival Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings. This high rating allows it to borrow on the markets in very favorable terms to finance its budget deficits. If the prospect of this note should be revised to "negative", this would imply that Moody's would likely reduce the medium-term (usually for a term of three to twelve months).And France would become the new big country, after the United States to lose the precious talisman financially.

The agency is careful to note that this review is part of its annual study on the accounts of France and that it is not – at this stage – a decision on the note country. But it is the first of three major rating agencies and to cast a shadow on the "Aaa" French. Last week, Moody's had yet to confirm the strength of the French note, after the announcement of the restructuring of the bank Dexia.

Keeping the promise of deficit reduction

In addition to the ability of the French government to meet its budget commitments, Moody's says it will consider in its deliberations "new negative developments in the economy or financial markets."In its statement, Moody's notes that the financial strength of the French government, although still very high, "has weakened, as is the case for other countries in the euro area, as the economic and financial crisis in the world has led to a deterioration in its debt ratios, which are now among the lowest rated countries Aaa + + ".

For Moody's, so it is "crucial" for France to maintain "investor confidence in its ability and willingness to deal with unforeseen challenges."Or "France could face a number of challenges in the coming months – such as the need for additional support to other European countries or its own banking system, which could increase so significant commitments that must support the country's budget, "said Moody's.

"The deterioration of debt ratios and the ability to see new potential liabilities are putting pressure on the prospect of stable rating Aaa + + of the country," said the agency. For Moody's, the French government now less room for maneuver in 2008 (…) "during the crisis of" subprime "." The continued commitment to implement economic reform measures and budgetary and visible progress in the goals "for reducing debt" will be important for maintaining the stable outlook "of the note of the country, the agency warns.

The order of revocation of three licenses for shale gas from Total and the U.S. Schuepbach in the south of France was published in the Official Gazette Thursday, confirming the government's announcement on 3 October. The three exclusive licenses for oil exploration so-called "Montelimar" (Total) "haves" and "Villeneuve de Berg" (Schuepach), which had been granted in March 2010, are repealed, according to the decree of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry.

These three licenses cover an area of ​​9,672 km square in seven departments in the south of France, Ardeche, Drome, Vaucluse, Gard, Hérault, Aveyron and Lozère, where they raised a strong mobilization of opponents. The government announced on October 3 the repeal of the three licenses, which he said are the only ones among the 64 research permits oil and gas in France to cover only those shale gas. These repeals are consequential to the enactment of legislation in July banning the controversial technique of hydraulic fracturing used to extract the shale gas, making France the first country to prohibit.

Total expressed its "surprise" at the announcement of the loss of his license, explicitly pointing out that he had engaged in a report to the Department to comply with the law and not to use fracturing.The group, which was waiting for an explanation, has not yet decided whether to make an appeal. In a letter dated Wednesday to head the European shale gas in total, of which AFP has had a copy, the Department of Energy Department estimates that the French oil giant did not "sufficiently explained" the alternative technologies which he intended to use.

"I see you does not adequately explain the alternative technologies that you plan to use as part of an exploration of the potential of shale gas area, thus the government, contrary to the will of the legislature unable to appreciate the reality of your commitment not to use the technique of hydraulic fracturing, "wrote the director. Questioned by AFP, Total declined to comment immediately.In an opinion dated October 10th that the AFP has consulted the General Council of Industry, Energy and Technology (CGIET) estimates that the total license can not be repealed unless it is established that his report was "insufficient in view of the accuracy requirements of the legislature" on the techniques used.

The Texas Schuepbach, in his report, he had said he intended to continue to use hydraulic fracturing, in Bercy, which had automatically excluded. The remaining 61 exploration licenses have been validated them. After the U.S. has waived Toreador Oil shale east of Paris, only eight are for non-conventional hydrocarbons (coal gas), but their owners have all given up fracturing.

The Nikkei lost 0.4%, or 34.78 points to 8738.90 points and the Topix, larger yielded 1.56 point (0.21%) to 753.44 points.

Certain values, including Honda Motor (-2.22%), suffered greater losses, affected by the damage to their plants by flooding in Thailand.

Although investors have bought futures contracts, as well as neglected sectors recently, investors are not convinced that European leaders will address the concerns about the financial system through the measures promised by the end of the month.

"The question of how Europe will recapitalize banks remains," said Tetsuro Ii, CEO of Commons Asset Management.

The results below expectations Alcoa, attributed to slower growth, weighed on the trend.

"Those who wanted to be reassured by the U.S. results are for expenses," said Kenichi Hirano, a director at Tachibana Securities.

Although more focused on retail banking and has already cut the wing in the investment bank, Credit Agricole is still suffering from its ambitious expansion before the crisis, including its acquisition of the Greek bank Emporiki.

It is far from being immunized against the explosive cocktail of rising financing costs in dollars and fears about sovereign debt in the euro area.

Analysts contacted by Reuters, Credit Agricole should take steps similar to those of her peers.

"I fail to see how they (Credit Agricole) could do without it, they are likely to move," he told Reuters a source familiar with the group's strategy.

Several analysts based in Paris and with recent access to the management of the bank said in research notes that they expected the sale of toxic assets as well as an optimization plan loans in dollars.

Possible sign of a withdrawal in the bank, Crédit Agricole announced Tuesday that it now runs his consulting business mergers and acquisitions in the Middle East of Paris.

Crédit Agricole, mostly held by regional banks, saw its share price melted nearly half since the beginning of the year (-47.58%), a performance slightly less bad than Socgen ( -51.60%) but well behind that of BNP (-38.07%).

NO EXCEPTION FOR A PRIORI CREDIT AGRICOLE

Societe Generale announced September 12 a series of measures to strengthen its capital base and was followed two days later by the BNP has decided to reduce the size of its balance sheet of about 10% by end 2012 .

"French banks are likely to turn away from the long-term funding in dollars of aircraft or property," said Citigroup analyst Kinner Lakhani.

"I do not see why Crédit Agricole would be an exception," said he.

"There will certainly be something in there that taste," said another analyst based in London.

"They (the bank) need permission from the regional banks is a creature that moves slowly but they need to do something quickly," it adds.

A spokeswoman for Credit Agricole declined to comment on this information.