In Paris the CAC 40 finished down 0.13% (3.99 points) to 3,008.00 points. The Paris index lost 3.89% on the week and 4.8% since the beginning of the year.

The UK FTSE dropped 1.33% and 0.60% the German Dax, while the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index ended down by 1.18% to 969.81 points, at lowest since December.

Going against the trend, some banks have rebounded, including Santander (2.97%) and BNP Paribas (2.94%), supported by the rumor of a reintroduction of the ban on sales to die covered on banking stocks.

Fitch downgraded the ratings on Thursday night in Greece, citing the growing risk of leaving the country monetary union, while Moody's has downgraded 16 Spanish banks, citing the ability reduced by the Spanish state to help them. 

On Wall Street, the entrance of Facebook on the Nasdaq has temporarily obscured the uncertainties created by the political situation in Greece. But the market turned downward, and the action of the first global social network, which debuted at 42.05 dollars, quickly erased its gains to return around its IPO price of $ 38.

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 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.

Gazprom and its allies in this project, which include the French Total and Norway's Statoil, plan to give up on the Shtokman gas transit to Europe through pipelines in favor of production liquefied natural gas (LNG), the sources explained.

They stated that no decision on this point had been adopted so far, but several sources have said that the consortium had canceled all tenders already started to build. 

A redesign of the project could result in a delay in the production field, currently scheduled for 2016.

"For now, the technical configuration of the project not suitable for any of the shareholders, so they are not willing to take a final investment decision," said a source in the consortium.

Signing a new agreement could intervene at a meeting of investors in St. Petersburg in June, she added.

"After that one year might be necessary before a final investment decision. They need time to launch new tenders and find new suppliers. "

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 public deficit, which includes state, local and social security funds, totaled 103.1 billion euros last year, according to preliminary results of the national accounts published by INSEE Friday.

The public debt amounted to 85.8% of GDP at end 2011, to 1.7173 trillion euros, up 122.1 billion in one year, and this leads to a more e ; up 84.9% as expected.

The deficit was the end of 2010 to 7.1% or 137.0 billion. 

Armed with this result, "we expect to accelerate our progress in reducing the public deficit to 4.4% of GDP, and keep the 3% in 2013," said the budget minister, Valérie Pécresse, in interview published Friday in Le Monde.

At 5.2% end of 2011, "it's 10 billion better than the objective of which France had undertaken", welcomed the Prime Minister, Translation ois Fillon.

"France has done much better thanks to the efforts of the French," said President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Socialist Francois Hollande, favorite in the polls for the presidential election, pledged to cut the deficit to 4.5% end 2012 and 3.0%, the limit the European Stability Pact, the end of 2013. 

BOOST FOR 2012

The lower deficit in 2011 will ease the task of the next president, provided that economic growth does not collapse, the effort is less important.

But the trend was poor in January and a sharp economic slowdown is expected for all of 2012, likely to derail the accounts if it were larger.

Last year, the tax burden increased by 1.3 points to 43.8% of GDP, due to higher taxes (+ 7.8%).

Spending continued to decelerate, with growth of 2.1%, a rate lower than GDP growth in value, after 2.3% in 2010 . Public spending accounted for 55.9% of GDP in late 2011 after 56.6% in late 2010.

Revenues have increased it by 5.9% after 3.3% in 2010, and accounted for 50.7% of GDP from 49.5% in late 2010.

Interest paid by France to its income increased 9.5% due to increased debt and the impact of the acceleration of inflation on compensation of indexed bonds.

Operating expenses slowed, wages rising by 1.6%, after 2.1% in 2010, and intermediate consumption decreases by 1.5%.

Social benefits have remained the same dynamic in 2010, up 3.1% after 3.2%. Public investment increased by 1.6%, after falling 8.0% in 2010.

On the revenue side, taxes on income and wealth grew by 10%: the increase in tax revenues from both the corporate income tax (8.7 billion ) than the general social contribution (5.2 billion) and income tax (3.6 billion), note INSEE. Taxes on products and production are up 5.8%.

Social contributions have accelerated (+4.1% after +2.0%), in connection with the resumption of payroll and annualized general relief contributions social.

DEBT NOT ALWAYS CONTROL

The State contribution to the debt ratio increased from 90.3 billion euros last year, a somewhat larger variation than its financing needs.

The difference results from an increase in cash (5.9 billion) and loans to troubled countries in the Euro zone (10.4 billion). Conversely, the State shall be reimbursed a portion of loans to the automotive sector (4.0 billion), note INSEE.

The debt of central government bodies amounted to 10.4 billion at end 2011, down 3.7 billion, due to the deleveraging of the Company's equity participation of the State (-3.5 billion).

The contribution of local government debt reached 166.3 billion against 161.1 billion in late 2010.

The contribution of social security funds to the debt increased 30.4 billion to $ 205.4 billion. The change in debt, larger than the deficit resulted mainly from the increase in cash of social security funds (12 billion), said INSEE.

The market was expecting a loss twice as heavy, according to Thomson Reuters consensus I / B / E / S was -2.13 billion.

The third Italian bank, which is restructuring and has also undertaken to reduce the size of its balance sheet, recorded in its accounts for 4.51 billion euros of writedowns in total.

The capital ratio "hard" was 8.5% at end-2011 excluding 1.9 billion euros of bonds guaranteed by the state written in 2009 to strengthen its capital.

At 10:45 GMT, the share was down 8.2% to 0.3314 Euro, by far the worst performance of the European banking sector index (-1.37%). 

The competitors UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo also recorded huge writedowns on their fiscal 2011.

But analysts say Montepaschi particularly vulnerable because it has to find 3.3 billion euros of capital by June to comply with new European regulatory requirements.

Greece has avoided bankruptcy by obtaining an agreement Friday to its private creditors to participate in the biggest operation of debt reduction in history and a green light from its partners in the euro area to help pay her 130 billion euros.

This announcement sparked a wave of enthusiastic reactions within the euro area, stuck for over two years in the debt crisis.

Its new president, recently renewed, Herman Van Rompuy, said that "turning the crisis is reached." "We are heading for calmer seas," he said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held that "the page of the financial crisis is beginning to turn" while German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has wanted more cautious. "We are not out of the woods, but we made a big important step," he told reporters.

Direct consequence: the International Monetary Fund announced it will participate in the new financing plan promised to Greece. After consulting the Member States of its board Friday, IMF Executive Director, Christine Lagarde, said the proposed amount was 28 billion euros to be paid over four years, more than 23 billion envisaged up 'here.

After nine months of tough negotiations, Athens Friday finally got the guarantee to erase at least 100 billion euros of debt to private.

The operation – the largest of its kind ever made – should help significantly reduce the national debt which is sinking into a deep recession, GDP fell by 7.5% yoy in the fourth quarter , according to official figures released Friday also.

In 2020, according to official projections, the Greek sovereign debt should represent more than 120.5% of GDP against over 160% today, a rate considered tolerable by the creditors, although it remains very high. 

Finally, Greece has secured the participation of creditors representing 95.7% of debt held by the private sector, which amounts to 206 billion euros of a total of over 350 billion.

To achieve such a result, the government had to resort to trigger clauses requiring recalcitrant creditors to go along with the offer.

This decision led Fitch to lower the rating of Greece and to place the country in "partial default" after the announcement of the results of the debt swap. Note the country should be raised once the deal is completed.

It also prompted the ISDA, the professional organization of insurance against credit risk (CDS, credit default swaps), to determine unanimously that it was a "credit event "and that investors could be repaid insured.

These assurances can be triggered when a borrower terminates the contract which governs the loan. ISDA has estimated that the use of "collective action clauses" designed to force the recalcitrant creditors, was that debt restructuring was not "voluntary".

Specifically, the exchange of securities to be held Monday for the obligations under Greek law. Security holders are not subject to Greek law have more time, until March 23, 0800 GMT, to make over 7 billion in bonds that are still missing the call.

In presenting the annual results of the group, Louis Welsh confirmed that Peter Hintze, coordinator of aeronautics and space within the German government, had written to Thomas Enders EADS domiciled claim the contrary more activities in Germany.

"This letter is certainly not appropriate and certainly not in accordance with the governance of a listed company," said Louis Welsh.

"With Thomas Enders and the executive committee, we all work without a flag on the table. EADS had also gone through a severe storm in 2006, this time due to the delay of the A380 program.

EADS, the results of 2011 have exceeded expectations, plans for a 2012 EBIT before nonrecurring items above 2.5 billion euros after have already increased last year to 1.8 billion.

"Everything is now ready for EADS took off towards increasing profitability," the group said in a statement, adding that the performance of the EBIT published depend in the future advancement of its complex programs.

EADS shares was sold for 10.78% to 29.74 euros after advertising, finishing well ahead of increases in the CAC 40. 

COMPLEXITY OF PROGRAM

A350

Reflecting a newfound confidence, EADS is also made publicly, a rare thing, the European Commission concerning the management of emissions of greenhouse gases. The group, in retaliation, China could threaten to cancel aircraft orders, with the risk of the industry in a trade war.

The first European aerospace and defense, which also emphasized macroeconomic uncertainty, highlighted the complexity of the program's long-haul A350 expected in the first half of 2014 , noting that the timetable "tightens".

The program was originally a provision of € 200 million, announced in November, but whose impact has been erased by the judgment of the A340.

Airbus is on the other hand increase the production of its A330 to 11 aircraft per month from the second quarter of 2014 to meet demand. 

When the debt crisis threatens defense budgets in Europe, Louis Welsh was also concerned about the progress of discussions with governments on the future of programs e equipment. "It is essential that these discussions, particularly in Germany, lead immediately to a favorable outcome for both parties," he said.

For 2012, EADS expects increased above 6% of its turnover, after rising 7% to 49.13 billion euros last year, sales of Airbus and Eurocopter more than offset the slight decline recorded in the cluster space division Astrium and Defence and Security Cassidian.

EADS, which was up 87% of its annual net profit to 1.033 billion euros, proposed dividend per share doubled to 0.45 euro for 2011, against 0.22 euros for 2010 . 

Analysts polled by Inquiry Financial Europe on average expected for 2011 a turnover of 48.14 billion, a net profit of 687 million and an EBIT issued 1,312,000, which stood at 1,696 million, up 38%.

Airbus had said in mid-January anticipate 600-650 aircraft gross orders in 2012, after a record 1,608 in 2011, and 570 deliveries – with about 30 super-jumbo A380 – against 534 in 2011 .

With an increase of 58% of its orders, EADS posted late 2011 a record backlog of 541 billion euros.

EADS could also indirectly benefit this year of export contracts for the Rafale from Dassault Aviation, which holds 46% stake. 

India announced in late January opening of exclusive negotiations for the purchase of 126 fighter jets, a contract valued at some 11 billion euros, while the prospect of an order for 60 units from the United Arab Emirates has recently resurfaced, with a possible interest in turn of neighbors Qatar and Kuwait.

Francois Hollande promised, if he wins the presidential election in May, to close the oldest nuclear power plant the French fleet which, besides its 34 years of service, is also trè ; s criticized because of its location in a seismic zone.

But the Socialist candidate did not say when, and this schedule will be critical to network operators as to the market as they will need several months to adjust. 

Bernard Cazeneuve, in charge of energy with the candidate Francois Hollande, declined to comment on the consequences of closing Fessenheim.

If, in case of victory, Francois Hollande kept his promise in the wake of its accession to the Elysee, the French offer of electricity could shrink and prices s' fly to favor consumption peaks during which France is already operating at full production capacity, according to traders.

In France, each degree Celsius less on the thermometer causes an increase of 2,300 megawatts (MW) of electricity consumption, equivalent to twice the consumption of a city Marseille as a third of French homes are heated with electric heaters. 

During the cold snap in February, the French electricity demand hit a record 101,700 MW, 105 MW more than the country's production. Prices have skyrocketed and electricity transmission network (RTE), the network manager, was forced to ask consumers to reduce the maximum use of their devices é ; electric.

A decline in nuclear output could increase the deficit during the next peak consumption.

EDF, which manages 58 French reactors, and RTE did not wish to comment on the impact of a shutdown of Fessenheim on offer.

"We see every year a new record demand, so close Fessenheim certainly mean higher prices and risks for the supply of winter," said a trader based in electricity london. 

Traders and analysts said that France, the leading exporter of electricity in Europe, will not take the risk to close Fessenheim until you have installed production capacity sufficient to offset this loss.

"Fessenheim close perhaps in 2017, and the impact on prices will then depend on the ability of France had to quickly build wind farms, gas-fired unit and ; s biomass to compensate for the lost electricity, "said the trader in London.

At Flamanville (Manche), in 2007 EDF began construction of a new EPR nuclear reactor of 1650 MW. Delayed by 4 years, its commissioning is scheduled for 2016.

"If the EPR is again delayed, this could complicate things," said another trader.

SECURE SUPPLY

GERMAN

Also, if Fessenheim closed in 2012, Germany would face supply problems.

"If we close Fessenheim, there will be a real problem to secure supplies at local level on the southwest of Germany," said Fabien Roques, head of research at the company IHS CERA council.

"Fessenheim really brings (to Germany) production at a specific location on the network for managing peak demand during cold snaps," he added.

The plant, located between Mulhouse and Freiburg, has a capacity of 1,800 megawatts. 

After the disaster of Fukushima, Japan in March 2011, Germany decided to close eight of its 17 nuclear reactors, four of which were located in the south-west , a heavily populated area that is home to large cities such as Stuttgart and Heidelberg.

This region is now importing more electricity from the north – which produces massive electricity from wind – but also from France, Belgium and Luxembourg, according to analysts.

A spokesman for EnBW Transportnetze, the electricity transmission network in south-west Germany, confirmed to Reuters that a closure of Fessenheim would impact on its network . Should be used more frequently to production sites and non-nuclear alternative to maintain balance in the region, she said.

Main black spot, a plant closure could jeopardize Alsatian drawing rights granted to the German supplier E.ON, 800 MW from the central French Fessenheim and Cattenom, also near the German border .

These rights could be redirected to other stations, said a spokesman for the German utility, adding that the exchange agreement may be renegotiated between the two countries.