International Business News

The number of new firms declined 9.8% in France in April after rising 8.3% in March, according to data released Wednesday by INSEE. A total of 46,042 enterprises have emerged in April.

Start-ups fell by 9.8% in April compared with the previous month if one takes into account the self-entrepreneurs, announced Wednesday the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE).

Excluding self-entrepreneurs, the balance of new firms declined 3.5%, adjusted for seasonal variations and the number of working days, INSEE said in a statement. A total of 46,042 enterprises have emerged in April, among which, when adjusted, 20,035 companies "classic". The self-contractors are responsible for more than a creation of two businesses (26,007 seasonally adjusted).  

INSEE said do not know enough about the seasonal pattern of self-entrepreneurs, the regime created relatively recently (January 2009), to correct the number depending on the season. The cumulative number of creations in the months of February, March and April 2012 is up slightly over the same period last year (0.8%).

The sectors contributing most to this increase were information and communication and construction. The number of start in the 12 months ended in late April is down from the previous 12 months (-4.0%).

The net private capital flight from Russia has already reached $ 43 billion in April. At this rate the figure of 80.5 billion recorded in 2011 could be beaten. Vladimir Putin.

The election of Vladimir Putin in March may have ended the political uncertainties but not the flight of private capital observed for two years in Russia. "Capital flight continued in April, to $ 8 billion, according to our preliminary estimates," said Monday the Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency. And the Russian official expects a continuation of mouvenment in May.

"Capital flight is much stronger than expected," added Mr. Klepach. In April, the Russian Central Bank (BCR) had indicated that net private capital flight from Russia had reached nearly $ 35.1 billion in first quarter 2012. In 2011, she had more than doubled compared to last year, to $ 80.5 billion, against $ 34.4 billion in 2010.

To explain this phenomenon, the leaders of the Russian Central Bank has repeatedly complained of the poor investment climate in Russia. The acceleration of this phenomenon is also due to the global financial crisis, making loans harder to obtain, put a stop to capital inflow in Russia, according to rating agency Standard and Poor's. The agency had also discussed the "political uncertainties" that weighed before the presidential election of March 4, won by the country's strongman, Vladimir Putin.

The British telecoms operator BT said on Thursday a 12% increase in its annual dividend, its cost savings and solid demand in broadband that led to its beneficial ; fice and its cash flow despite an overall decline in sales.

BT, which has relied in recent years of spending cuts and efficiencies to power its cash, has also pledged that his dividend increased by 10 to 15% per year over the next three years.

"In what remains a difficult environment, we recorded another year of earnings growth and free cash flow," said CEO Ian Livingston. 

BT, which competes with Virgin Media and TalkTalk, shows a steady improvement in its performance since the profit warnings issued in 2008 and 2009, and because of the strict control its costs.

The full year, earnings from main businesses grew 3% to 6.1 billion pounds despite a 4% drop in sales , to 19 billion pounds (23.65 billion euros).

The cash flow appears considerably higher than projected at 2.5 billion pounds.

BT results were supported by an agreement in March to fill the deficit of 4.1 billion pounds pension fund's staff decided more quickly than before. The announcement was relieved investors by opening the door to a potential increase in dividends.

Toyota Motor, the leading Japanese automotive, said he expected to experience a substantial increase of its annual operating profit to more than 1,000 billion yen (9.7 billion euros), unprecedented since the outbreak of the financial crisis.

From January to March, Toyota has increased its quarterly profit more than fivefold to 238 billion yen, while analysts expected 223 billion yen.

This increase is partly explained by a gradual return of the group's production to previous levels to natural disasters that have disrupted last year.

Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal offset has meanwhile risen to 121 billion yen against 25.4 billion last year. 

At a press conference, CFO Satoshi Ozawa has stressed "the extraordinary contribution of cost reduction efforts."

Akio Toyoda, grand-son of the founder of the group, has embarked on a strategy to reduce costs in all segments, Japanese production lines to those of Mississippi, through the design and engineering involved in the creation of new vehicles and equipment.

IMPROVING MARGINS

The aim is to boost margins Toyota and ride the wave of recovery in sales. The group said it expects to improve its margin to 4.5%, against 1.9% last year, allowing it to move closer to its goal of 5% that he wants to wait until 2015.

It is however far from the 7.1% margin posted by Nissan or Honda's 6.5%. It is even less than half to more than 10% of South Korea's Hyundai.

In fiscal 2012/2013 in progress, the group expected to increase its operating profit to 1.000 billion yen, while analysts expect 990 billion. Toyota also predicted a net profit increase to 760 billion yen against 284 billion for the year 2011-2012.

These comparisons are favored by the difficulties encountered last year during which Japan was hit by an earthquake and a tsunami before Thailand, where lies much of its production line, is in turn affected by floods.

Despite the strength of the yen, the main obstacle to its exports, Toyota is committed to build at least 3 million vehicles this year in its factories in Japan, nearly triple production of its local competitors, Honda and Nissan. 

Toyota has also said that its sales in emerging markets were in line with its projects, particularly in China, where sales from January to April will allow him to imagine a million sold annually vee ; vehicles.

Toyota announced in April a new program to reduce development costs by more than 20%, with an emphasis on sharing components.

Action Toyota ended unchanged Wednesday, before the publication of its accounts. She won more than a third since the low hit in late November by the Exchange.

The Commission has categorically denied the information relayed by the daily El Pais, that it was preparing an investment plan of 200 billion euros to boost growth. The European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The renewed growth in Europe is still debated. The European Commission denied on Monday preparing a kind of Marshall Plan for growth in the EU which would mobilize 200 billion, arguing that the figures quoted by the daily El Pais had no foundation. "The figures are not based on any reality," said Pia Ahrenkilde, spokeswoman for the European Commission, during a press conference in Brussels.  

The Spanish daily El Pais Sunday spoke a kind of "Marshall Plan" at the European level that would be able to mobilize 200 billion of public and private investment for infrastructure projects, renewable energy and technology tip. To believe the newspaper, this initiative includes several tracks already discussed for several months by the Europeans: large European loans (the "project bonds"), an increased role of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the intervention of European mechanism for financial stability, a budget managed by the European Commission and secured on the Union budget.

Deutsche Bank announced Thursday a decline in taxable profit in the first quarter, to 1.9 billion euros, due to exceptional charges and trading activity subdued.

A year earlier, taxable income was three billion. The Reuters poll gave it to 2.4 billion euros for the period under review.

The taxable profits of the corporate and securities division, usually the main generator of profits of the bank, declined to 1.7 billion euros against 2.3 billion a year earlier.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended down 1.7% Monday as investors attempt to hedge against new fears about the crisis in the euro area, after the publication of data that emphasize the dependence growing Spanish banks vis-à-vis the European Central Bank (ECB).

The Nikkei lost 167.35 points to 9,470.64, dropping below the psychological threshold of 9,500. The Topix broader, sold 1.4% to 803.83 points.

The owner of Viking Ocean Cruises canceled its order for two ships passed in December shipyards in St. Nazaire, said Thursday the direction of STX France.

Both boats "high end", representing a total of 4 million hours of work needed to be delivered in spring 2014 and spring 2015.

"This decision is bad news, first for all (of) employees, as it will take several months to try to fill that hole load immediate, especially for its offices studies, whose workload will be directly and immediately affected, "writes the shipbuilding company in a statement. 

Subsidiary of Viking River Cruises, Inc. specializes in river cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises has decided to "continue discussions for the construction project with one of our competitors," said STX, which notes elsewhere "that to date no other site does was given command of ships".

The unions of the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire, the cancellation of the order is due to failure of the financial operation.

"Compared to other European countries, France is missing today in a state bank be able to mount such files," responded Marc Menager, delegate CFDT union of the company, which speaks of a "miserable failure". 

"The state must take the emergency measures imposed by the state to save sites", said for his part-Prinborgne Nathalie Durand, secretary of the Workers' Force, claiming and controlling an aircraft carrier and a fourth helicopter carrier for the French Navy.

Partial unemployment measures had already been announced a week ago by management to face the hollow charge provided on the second half of 2012. They were to receive consulting firms, especially weapons and fabrication shops.

STX France is a branch of shipbuilding group STX South Korean, in which the French state owns a 33.34%.

The company is currently completing the construction of a ship commanded by a Libyan state company, but bought last month by the Italian-Swiss owner MSC after freeze international assets of the Gaddafi regime.

The shipyards of Saint-Nazaire have also started building a small luxury liner on behalf of the German cruise line Hapag Lloyd Cruises and two helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.

Activity in the services industry and the euro zone shrank in March for the second consecutive month, according to the PMI company Markit. A decline in private activity that reflects the current recession in Euroland. Headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt.

The private activity has continued to contract in March in the euro area, reflecting a return to recession in the first quarter, according to a second estimate of Wednesday's PMI purchasing managers. The composite index, which summarizes the activity in the manufacturing and service sectors, rose to 49.1 points in March against 49.3 in February. This is the second consecutive month in which the activity is contracting. This figure is higher than the first estimate of the index (48.7). Above 50 points, the PMI indicates that the activity increased, while if it is below this threshold, it contracts.

"This monthly decline in activity means that the entire first quarter of 2012, economic activity declined result synonymous with a new technical recession in the euro area", said in a statement the company that publishes Markit the PMI. Apart from growth in January, the economic downturn has been ongoing since last September, continues Markit. However, large disparities remain national: Italy and Spain are firmly entrenched in a recession in March. In Germany, growth slows and displays its lowest level in three months and in France, business retreats for the first time in four months. Only Ireland is holding its own game (PMI at 52.4 points in March to a high of 11 months).  

The eurozone has taken a first step towards recession in late 2011, recording for the first time in over two years a decline in activity. It should logically register a further decline in its activity in the first quarter. The growth figures for this period will be published mid-May by the European office of statistics, Eurostat. A recession is technically two consecutive quarters of decline in activity.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) would like to see banks of the Old Continent to restructure in order to raise funds directly in the markets without relying on cash-rate cut by the Bank Central Europe (ECB) and the regulator intends to propose measures to this effect at the end of its meetings Tuesday and Wednesday.

The debt crisis weighed heavily on the financing capacity of European banks, leaving them little choice but to resort massively in recent months to two injections of liquidity to three years ECB. Spanish and Italian banks will be among those who most borrowed during these operations.

"The ABE discusses possible policy measures that could accompany this process of deleveraging and restructuring to ensure it takes place in an orderly and measured, allowing banks to maintain a regular supply of credit to the real economy, "said Chairman of the EBA, Andrea Enria, in a dossier presented to finance ministers of the European Uni ; enemies last week.

European regulators want banks such as replacing their short-term financing through funding of longer maturities, to avoid having to call too often investors. 

Such a development would also help banks prepare for the scrutiny of their business models in a new series of stress tests ("stress tests") pre ; for next year.

The EBA also seek this week to ensure that banks with 31, according to its criteria, a total need of fresh capital of 115 billion euros take the necessary steps to fill the gap by the June 30

Andrea Enria estimated last week that the recapitalization plan was "on track" but that some banks were based on "overly optimistic assumptions" about how they plan to raise capital. 

SPANISH AND ITALIAN BANKS: CAUTION, FRAGILE

In the opinion of analysts, the Italian bank Monte dei Paschi, particularly should struggle to achieve by June 30, the goal of a capital ratio "hard" 9%.

The managing director of the bank, Fabrizio Viola, said last week that Montepaschi fill nearly a third of its capital requirements – which amount to € 3.3 billion – by converting hybrid securities into shares. Italian media reported Sunday also that the bank plans to cut heavily into its portfolio of sovereign debt and close 150 branches.

Some Italian banks like to see the EBA to backtrack on its requirements for emergency funds to the crisis, citing the easing of tensions on sovereign debt markets since the two operations rations refinancing three years of the ECB.

The Governor of the Bank of Italy, Ignazio Visco, told Saturday that ABE could relax its requirements for capital. But he said it was a medium-term and that the EBA should not take any decision on this matter at its next meeting.

Spanish banks are also in sight, many are afflicted by the bursting of the housing bubble and the deterioration of the economy.

In case some institutions could achieve their own funds by the June deadline, Andrea Enria proposed that the new emergency fund in the euro area, the mechanism Europé in stability (MES) can directly inject funds to troubled banks after its introduction in July.

At this stage, the MES is designed only to assist States. 

The EBA board will also consider progress made by banks in limiting bonuses was decided in January 2011.

The EBA report is expected after Easter.