The Spanish Treasury had to agree to pay a return of around 5% and invest in bonds and three to four years, including an average yield of 5.106% for a security maturing in April 2016 against 3.374% in the last similar operation in March.

"This unfavorable trend seems well established. Ultimately, this increase in performance may lead to a form of intervention outside, "said Richard McGuire, an analyst at Rabobank rate

. Wednesday

, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that the government may soon find it difficult to fund at acceptable levels …… On

… the secondary market, the yield on ten-year Spanish bonds is around 6.3%, far off the level of 7% who die gered the aid given to Greece, Ireland and Portugal. 

Madrid, however, can take advantage of a rare good news reached the end of the day: the agreement reached with Catalonia, a region that weighs up to 20% of gross domestic product ( GDP) Spanish, a reduction in public spending.

In addition to the current difficulties of the banks, debt regions is considered another major risk factor for Spain, some already see as the next victims of the crisis debt in the euro area.

Last week, the European Commission considered that this debt would be one of the regions of the reasons that would prevent Spain to meet its budget deficit target set for 2012, which is 5.3% of GDP. 

FALLING ACTION Bankia

Earlier in the day, the Spanish government had to disprove the existence of a movement of panic withdrawals from money deposited in the bank in difficulty Bankia, nationalized the week last, the title lost up to 30% following information along these lines.

"It is not true that there is now an exit monitoring Bankia chests," said Fernando Jimenez Latorre, Secretary of Economy, during a press conference. 

For its part, in a notice sent to the Spanish stock exchange authorities, Bankia emphasizes that movements of deposits recorded during the first half of May were seasonal, adding no substantial change in the balance of deposits was not expected in the coming days.

The title Bankia finally ended down 14.08% to 1.422 euro after falling to 1.171 euro in session. The index grouping the European banking stocks yielded 2.36% on its side.

Last week, Spain took control of Bankia, the fourth largest bank, hoping to reassure the markets and stabilize a weak financial sector made by the housing crisis.

In the wake of the nationalization, Madrid has imposed on its banks to increase their reserves to protect themselves from mounting losses on their toxic loans in real estate, while pledging to make a limited assistance to troubled institutions through loans at high rates. 

These measures, however, did not help to dispel investors' doubts about the ability of the Spanish government finally repair the financial system of the country, questions that have aggravated the back of concerns about ; the debt crisis of the euro area, heightened by the political stalemate in Greece.

According to El Mundo, Bankia clients withdrew a few days over one billion euros from their accounts. José Ignacio Goirigolzarri informed the Board of Directors met on Wednesday the funds are withdrawn, the newspaper said.

RECESSION THAT WILL EXTEND

The first quarter of 2012 resulted in a further economic contraction of 0.3%, which, after a decline of similar magnitude to the previous quarter, is officially back in Spain recession, which is technically defined as two consecutive quarters of falling GDP.

"The recession is advancing at a gradual pace, but if we take into account the latest surveys on activity, it seems that the economic contraction will continue into quarters come, "said Tullia Bucco, an economist at UniCredit. 

The Spanish manufacturing sector contracted at its fastest pace in almost three years in April, while the service industry fell for the tenth month of row, according to the purchasing managers' index.

The export sector, the only one that has progressed over the last two quarters, slowed from January to March, the main economic partners of Spain is also experiencing the recession or slowdown.

Although Spain was able to master its accounts, the country is at the forefront if ever Greece, currently in a political impasse, should leave the euro. 

"It's not totally Greece leaving the euro, which is the main issue is the domino effect," said John Bearman, Investment Officer at Thomas Miller Investment.

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%).

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.

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.

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.

In Paris the CAC 40 lost 1.14% to close at 3430.15 points, just below its 50-day moving average and its lowest in March 23.

The London Stock Exchange yielded 1.03% and 1.13% in Frankfurt. The benchmark index of the Madrid Stock Exchange dropped 1.96%.

Of the European indices, the Eurostoxx 50 was down 1.13% to 2,496.68 points – in its 50-day moving average – and Eurofirst 300 lost 1.02% to 1,072.48 points – just above his own.

"The markets were down with the bank, especially Spanish because of sluggish economic outlook in Spain, and durable goods orders subdued in the U.S.," said Alexandre Le Drogoff, manager special ; cialist of technical analysis in Talence Management.

He believes that the next support is at 3396 points for the CAC 40 or the "gap" opened on March 8, then from 3350 to 3360 points, its lowest points in February and March. 

As for values, Total (-1.4%) again weighed on the CAC 40, as before, following the gas leak on one of its deposits in the North Sea.

Bank stocks were cyclical and the most affected by the current sales, including Spanish banks Banco Popular, which lost 3.31% and Bankia which lost 3.61%.

Oil prices fell back, Brent losing 1.3% to 123.92 dollars a barrel, after rising more than expected U.S. inventories last week.

This series of ads comes as more directors of Veolia, which Proglio, currently head of EDF, has, according to sources familiar with the matter, considered asking for the resignation of the current CEO Antoine Frérot at a council held in late February.

Reputedly close to Proglio, the Chief Executive Denis Gasquet, Veolia leaves the group with immediate effect. Also Director of Operations, he was responsible for overseeing the implementation of cost reductions.

Olivier Orsini, who held the position of Executive Vice President and Secretary General, and Jean-Pierre Frémont, the executive vice president of public authorities and business, also leaving the Executive Committee of Veolia, and at the same time abandoning their duties within the group.

These changes were decided by Antoine Frérot to "accelerate the implementation of the strategic plan approved by the board," said Veolia in a statement.

Sylvain Boucher also joined the executive committee of which he was previously secretary. 

ACCELERATING THE STRATEGIC PLAN

The executive committee now includes, besides the CEO, seven against nine previously. Jérôme Gallot, Jean-Michel Herrewyn, Franck Lacroix, Jean-Marie Lambert, Jerome Le Conte and Pierre-Francois Riolacci to retain their seats.

In stock at 16h58, the title wins 5.07% to 12.755 euros, signing the largest increase in the CAC 40 index, which rose by 0.4% at the same time.

"The acceleration of the strategic plan and tighter around Mr. Frérot teams were well received," said a trader based in Paris.

Another market operator, also based in Paris, points out that these departures had been widely expected by the market, believing that the benefits likely to die as ; knotting of short positions as well as upward revisions of recommendations. 

"The action moves as people cheer the departure of Denis Gasquet: it was at the head of the Environmental Services division during his disastrous performance, and more recently he has overseen restructuring, "he adds.

The strategic plan of Veolia plans to refocus the group on water, waste and energy services and reduce costs of 420 million euros by in 2015.

Veolia also planned to produce five billion euros in sales in 2012-2013 and reduce net debt to below 12 billion at end 2013.

Nick Hayek, however, continues to focus on growth of 5% to 10% for the watch industry in 2012, believing that Swatch should continue to outpace the market.

"In January and February, we again had a Swatch Group at double-digit growth, but I'll be careful not to extrapolate the first two months for the entire year," Has he said at a news conference in Geneva. 

Nick Hayek, however, expects that sales growth remains strong in all regions and all segments despite a high comparison base.

Swiss watch exports reached a record in 2011 with the Asian consumer craze for watches, exceeding for the first time the bar of 19 billion francs.

The professionals, however, predict a slowdown this year, a new double-digit increase is difficult to achieve at a time when the watch face significant bottlenecks throttle at the production apparatus. 

In a recent interview with the weekly Der Sonntag, Nick Hayek, however, indicated that Swatch Group expected a figure of 8 billion francs in 2012, after posting sales of more than seven billion a year last.

The CEO of Swatch Group, however, acknowledged Thursday that the pace of sales growth in the segments of the highest range had been decelerating.

"In China, it is true that there is a slowdown on the very high end," he said, stressing however that the application had progressed so rapidly year past that the group would not have been able to track the level of production. 

"The demand is (now) than in the region of 15% to 20% and we still can not meet this demand still high," he added .

According to statistics from the Federation watch, Swiss watch exports rose 33.2% in Hong Kong and 32.2% in China in January, after surging more than 70% some months.

Nick Hayek, however, expects that the slowdown in the luxury watches is largely offset by higher volumes in other price ranges, considering that the Chinese consumer enthusiasm for Swiss watches continues unabated.

"The consumption of brands like Longines, Tissot and Swatch, and even higher in Omega segments have increased dramatically. There may be a shift to the segments of entry to mid range, "he said

. Swatch Group, the first Swiss watch manufacturer, is present in all price ranges through a portfolio of brands ranging from Swatch watches multicolored plastic whose prices start at 50 francs, up to premium brands such Breguet, which can be sold beyond a million francs

. At 16:00 GMT, had erased its gains and yielded 0.5% to 408 francs, while the European index values ​​are discretionary appreciation of 1%

.

Between 100 and 200 steelworkers have invested to 8:00 Monday in quiet premises of the factory management ArcelorMittal Florange (Moselle), said a journalist from AFP. Responding to the call of an Inter CFDT-CGT-FO-CFE/CGC, workers, mostly helmets, entered the "big offices" of the factory, shouting "Mittal, we want to work ". Arrived on the upper floors deserted by senior management and executives, they quickly made their flags and their richly colored jumpers in the great hall of the steering committee of the institution.  

"Today, Florange is ours, Florange is yours," he told a trade unionist to the cheers of his comrades. "As of right now, management is technically unemployed. We will remain in these offices as the blast furnaces of the plant will not restart," added the head of the CFDT, Edward Martin. "Today, we are masters on board," he said before a forest of microphones and cameras. "That candidates (President of the Republic, ed) who claim to love plants undertake to ensure the survival of the site," he said, promising "at least one action a week until May 6" date of the second round of the presidential election.

"The state has saved the Lejaby. Must intervene for us," said the official FO, Walter Broccoli. "If Mittal wants more Florange, let him go … But there is no way to dismantle the plant. We will not let him do it, "continued, looking very determined, trade unionist. Around 10:00, the protesters were comfortably installed in the administrative site where Moselle boiled coffee makers and where they concocted sandwiches. On sunny square, union officials chained interviews to television channels, one of which, NHK, had sent a team from Japan. By late morning, tents began to be erected on the lawns of the plant to "formalize" the occupation, said John Mangin, head of the CGT. "This will be the village of resistance where workers can come and talk, talk about their fight and defend their work tools," he added.  

This occupation is the first step of "nightmare" promised by unions to the government after management of ArcelorMitall announced last week that the two blast furnaces would restart the site does not in the second quarter. For unions, this decision would announce the "programmed death site" which employs some 5,000 people, including 3,000 permanent contracts. ArcelorMittal, which has recently decided the final closure of blast furnaces in Liege (Belgium) and Madrid, on the contrary that Lorraine ensures it is only a temporary standby necessary due to insufficient demand.

In the current context of uncertainty, Rexel said he was confident of its ability to continue to generate organic growth in 2012 of its sales outside "copper effect" than the weighted average growth e of the GNP of the countries where the Group operates. 

"In this context, Rexel is also expected in 2012: to maintain a margin EBITA (earnings before tax, interest and depreciation) to a level at least equal to 5.7% achieved in 2011, generating a free cash flow before interest and taxes of around 600 million euros ", the group announced in a statement.

The EBITA margin rose 70 basis points last year, a figure better than expected since November, Rexel had repeated expect for 2011 an increase of at least 50 basis points of its EBITA margin in constant and adjusted. 

"In 2011, Rexel achieved very good performance: organic growth was strong, profitability reached a record high and we strengthened our presence in markets emerging while continuing deleveraging of the company, "said in a statement Jean-Charles Pauze, CEO of Rexel.

At the end of 2011, net debt of the company was reduced from 195.1 million euros and amounted to 2.078 billion euros, reducing its debt ratio on EBITDA (earnings before tax, interest, depreciation and amortization) of 3.19 to 2.4. 

The turnover of Rexel emerged up 6.3% to 12.717 billion euros, driven by strong growth of 7.4% of its business in North America while in Europe activity of the company rose 4.5%.

In an interview with Reuters, Jean-Charles Pauze, which will be replaced as head of the group by Rudy Provoost, had said in early January that Rexel was on track to double its sales business in emerging markets between 2010 and 2013, particularly through external growth.

The title, which lost 0.46% Thursday to 15.25 euros, has gained 15.5% since the beginning of the year, enabling the group to exceed four billion euro market capitalization.