International Business News

The U.S. company Spirit Airlines confirmed Wednesday an order for 75 A320 aircraft manufacturer Airbus, valued at seven billion dollars (5.3 billion) at list prices. The MoU, which was announced in mid-November at the Dubai air show, includes 45 A320neo, the enhanced single-aisle Airbus, a subsidiary of europe ; in EADS. The company has not announced the engine selected, the aircraft manufacturer said in a statement. 45 A320neo have been recorded in the order book in December 2011. The success of the A320neo, more fuel efficient, has allowed Airbus to sell almost twice as many planes as its U.S. rival Boeing in 2011, although it acknowledges that it will be difficult to keep the advantage in 2012, with the response of 737MAX, improved version of the aisle of his American rival.

Burberry reported Tuesday a 26% increase, as expected, its adjusted earnings in the first half of fiscal 2011-2012, thanks to sustained consumption of tourists around the world, and confirmed its annual forecast.

"We remain mindful of the uncertainties and ready to respond to them," said in a statement, however, the British manufacturer of waterproof leather goods founded 155 years ago.

It posted a profit before tax and exceptional items of 162 million pounds (190 million euros) over the six months to September 30, 2011, against an average estimate of analysts polled by Reuters of 159 million.

Last month, the group announced quarterly sales exceeded expectations, saying not yet have found the slowdown in demand despite uncertainty about the evolution of global growth.

Burberry has confirmed its ambition to increase its network of outlets around 15% in the second half, including the opening of eight to ten stores in places like China and Latin America, and that a new "flagship" in Paris.

The values ​​of luxury far seem to defy the crisis, but the uncertainties in this highly cyclical, the question remains whether the growth in Asia will escape the crisis.

Ubisoft has reduced its loss of more than half in the first half, picking a few benefits of the shift to online games and confirms return to operating profitability in the green in 2011-2012.

Highly anticipated by financial analysts on its increasing strength in online games and its focus on higher quality games, the French publisher said it had generated 30 million euros in revenue through "online" in the first half , an increase of 85% for a segment usually very profitable group which was until recently absent.

"We are on track (…

The major European chemistry warned Thursday the announcement of their results as demand slowed in the construction sector, compounding their problems related to rising commodity prices.

BASF, the world leader in chemistry in terms of sales, announced Thursday a quarterly profit above expectations, but warned that its growth was slowing, clients sell their stocks.

"BASF's customers are more cautious, reduce inventory and postpone some of their orders in hopes of a possible drop in prices," explains the German group said in a statement.

The chemical sector is highly dependent on investments in highly cyclical sectors such as automotive or construction, which makes it more vulnerable to economic downturns.

In addition, the high cost of operation of its huge factories plunged the benefits as soon as the demand and the rate of capacity utilization decreases.

The slight decline in oil prices since last May, however, somewhat reduced the rising costs of certain petrochemical feedstocks.

"Europe seems to be the worst of markets.We were very pessimistic about the prospects for growth, assuming we can even talk about growth, "said Jan Hein de Vroe, an analyst at ING.

"They keep all their earnings forecasts, but they were at the base not very restrictive," he added.

OBJECTIVES LOWERED

The Belgian Solvay, which in September bought its French rival Rhodia, said the demand for vinyl and specialty chemicals had slowed, while maintaining its forecast of net profit up on its activities in plastics and products chemicals.

Rhodia also confirmed its own perspectives.The French group posted a recurring EBITDA (REBITDA) of 273 million euros against 235 million a year earlier. Its turnover was 1.67 billion euros against 1.36 billion a year earlier.

German Bayer has meanwhile indicated that its MaterialScience arm, which produces the clear plastic used for panoramic roofs coupe convertible SLK Mercedes (Daimler), this year would have an adjusted operating profit of 1.3 billion euros.

Bayer previously provided a similar result to that of last year (1.36 billion euros).The group justified the downward revision by higher prices of raw materials and energy.

Bayer, however, confirmed its outlook and published a comprehensive annual quarterly results better than expected thanks to strong growth in emerging markets.

Last week, Dutch AkzoNobel, the world leader in paints, had abandoned its 2011 profit target, involving the slowdown in economic growth and rising costs, including titanium dioxide (TiO2), a pigment white.

Tuesday, the American DuPont, which produces titanium dioxide, announced quarterly earnings higher than expected.

The placement of the French No. 1 would be the victim of a crisis of confidence? Withdrawals from contracts of life insurance were up 1.8 billion euros in deposits last month. Life insurance, savings, piggy.

Withdrawals from contracts of life insurance on deposits were higher in September, a phenomenon already observed in late 2008, according to figures released Monday by the French Association of insurance.

The net outflow of insurance contracts reached 1.8 billion euros in September, confirming the dire straits facing the preferred placement of French. In September, 9.7 billion have been placed on these contracts. In nine months, the collection of contributions amounting to 98 billion euros, down 11% over the same period in 2010, the association said in a statement.

In detail, 83.4 billion were paid on the supports euros and 14.6 billion euros in the media unit of account (capital not guaranteed). "An outflow of EUR 1.8 billion does not affect the attraction of investors to the guaranteed investment whose remuneration is attractive," said the President of the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) Bernard Spitz, in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper published Monday.

He said the phenomenon of redemption affects only a little more than half of the 11.5 billion euros of withdrawals, which also reflect the aging population, with retirees who are drawing more and more in their life insurance.

A Booklet has not particularly benefited from the alienation found in September for life insurance, recording an average level (1.13 billion euros).

The Bank of France reiterated Monday its forecast of growth of 0.1% of the French economy in the third quarter, based on the results of its latest monthly business survey.

She had halved its forecast last month.

The business climate indicator in industry has remained stable in September at 97 while the service sector shrank from one point to 96.

In September, "industrial activity has remained stable, the contraction in the automotive and manufacturing equipment was offset by the increase observed in the food industry and some sectors of production of consumer goods" , says the Bank of France.

She added that the forecasts of business leaders expect a stable business. "

The utilization of production capacity improved slightly, to 79.3% against 78.8% in August. However, it remains below its historical average of 82.

In services, says the Bank of France, sales rebounded in September, "particularly in transportation, computer services and to a lesser extent temporary employment." The outlook for the coming months, however, foreshadow a slowdown in activity.

MIPCOM, the world's audiovisual content market, ends Thursday. Again, the TV series cartonnent with chains. And for good reason, they can provide maximum profitability. Kiefer Sutherland, actor beacon of potential hit series Touch at MIPCOM 2011

NCIS, experts, or other Mentalist not familiar with the crisis. "The industry of TV series is thriving and continues to grow well. It reaps hundreds of millions of euros of turnover" provides Didier Liardet, author of twenty books on the history and evolution of the series. The international market for audiovisual and digital content Mipcom ends Thursday. Again, it confirms the success of soap operas. The key points of success.

Series account for the hearing

The series are the mainstay of the French audience, before the movies, reality TV, or even football.In 2010, nearly 70 of the 100 largest audiences were TV shows. Each episode of CSI or Mentalist includes about 8 to 10 million viewers. "Just one or two films, or some sporting events, reach this audience on a full year. While each episode of a hit, every week," Didier decrypts Liardet. The side of reality, the audience is also the rendezvous, but the level is still a notch below that of the series. Larger posters as Love is in the meadow or Koh-Lanta meet from 6 to 7 million viewers.

French soaps are not left out either. Episodes of Josephine Julie Lescaut guardian angel and still attract 6 to 7 million viewers."The problem is that the French series are struggling to grow as time slots are trustees for the U.S." finds Didier Liardet.

Worldwide, the success of the series is no less either. The U.S. always exported cartonnent (65.3 million viewers in over 100 countries for CSI). But the programs are not left out either. In Turkey, the local series As Time Goes By is a hit with 12 million viewers on average and exported "very good" according to Médiamétrie, while in China the most-watched series brings together 108 million people!

Of huge advertising revenues for the channels

Advertising revenue is the main TV series.A study by Forbes magazine, a Half Men, 24 and V reported each in ad revenue in 2009, approximately $ 3 million (over 2 million) for a half-hour broadcast, to their American chain. Knowing that a chain buys a successful episode between 100,000 and 200,000 euros profitability is there. According to the website dedicated Yata, experts have reported more than 1, 2 billion in gross revenues from 2005 to 2011 of TF1. And M6 would hit 530 million by NCIS. And "the industry has increased advertising revenues. He is doing very well" ensures Laurine Garaude, director of the division Reedmidem television, a company that organizes MIPCOM.

TV, DVD and derivatives: the winning formula for producers

And the studios producer profitability is no less either. The making of an episode costs about 1.5 to 4 million.And the series are then sold to the chains around the world. The expertsse are well sold in over 100 countries. And also the money that has strings, TV shows industry is fueled by the tremendous impact of DVD sales and products. "The derivatives market a hit series, including the United States. Caps, figurines, t-shirts, guides … Each series has its range. It works less well, however, in France. The prices are often three times higher "Didier notes Liardet. Proceeds from sales of DVDs and Blu-Ray of the "off-fiction film" retreat, however, by 3.4% year on year, but remain at 262 million euros in 2010, according to GfK.

Internet: friend or foe?

If illegal downloads are losing money to the sector, is also an internet business tool size.Several chains have already posted a video-on-demand to watch a series online for a price of about € 1.99 for an episode of Dr. House, for example. TF1 is able to join Facebook for HD episodes of series 24 hours after its U.S. broadcast on the channel at the same rate, but currency Facebook.

In addition, various games and online applications are jumping the reputation of the series. Prior to the release of Dexter, viewers can, for example, through a Facebook application, get in the shoes of the hero. And the recipe has taken: the game already involves 10 million fan! "Some series, such as the American Jericho was even stopped on the TV, then revived because they have had great success on the internet," recalls Didier Liardet.

"The growth of the Internet, social networks, new technologies, the arrival of the iPad, tablets, PDAs or digital channels … This is not a threat. It will just cause change in the sector of audiovisual content. It is the major challenge of Mipcom 2011, "Laurine Garaude advance. "The screens are fragmented and consumption patterns change. The viewer not only wants to be master of what he looks, but when and where he looks" she says. Heads-we moving towards an era where the series will be broadcast on the Internet directly, without necessarily going through the TV? Laurine Garaude ensures that the event is more than credible: "Some meetings are in the show evoke the possibility. Pilots have already been launched on the internet before TV."

Future star series

One of the major trends to emerge at the Mipcom 2011 has been the alliance between the film and TV.To attract funding and viewers, the series are more and more appeal to movie stars. The four most anticipated productions of the season in the United States are no exception to the rule.

Touch, which tells the story of a father who discovers that his autistic son is endowed with supernatural powers will soon broadcast on Fox, will be played with Kieffer Sutherland. The star of the series 24 has recently made a name for the cinema with Melancholia, Lars Von Trier, presented in May at Cannes. Smash, Steven Spielberg, is a music series in which we follow the plight of players to mount a musical about Marilyn Monroe on Broadway. It will air in February on NBC, before arriving at the TF1 fall. American actress Ashley Judd will play in an old Missing CIA spy who will try to find her son disappeared 18 years in Rome.The series will air on ABC in the United States. And M6 is already on track to acquire it. In Hell on Wheels, where the hero is a former soldier in the Civil War who seeks revenge for other soldiers who killed his family, it will also play the actress Dominique McElligott.

European shares cut their gains late Friday morning on profit taking after a violent rally triggered by the announcement of a concerted action of the banks to provide liquidity in dollars from European banks.

This measure, which boosts financials, does not solve the central problem of the euro area, the crisis of sovereign debt, stress professionals who say they do not expect a resolution of the Greek question at the end of the meeting of finance ministers of the Eurogroup in Wroclaw, Poland.

Around 12:05, the CAC 40 index, which jumped 3.27% on Thursday, rose 0.2% to 3,051 points, banks still leading the movement.

"Some profit taking.And we do not expect a solution to the debt crisis in the euro immediately, "said one vendor." The market is divided between those who believe in the rescue of Greece and those who think it will not be able to meet the requirements for better management of public finances, "he adds.

For Patrice Pérois, sales trader at Kepler Capital Markets, "the beginning of concerted actions of various central banks announced yesterday is very positive.If this is confirmed, all the conditions are ripe for a rally of the banks. "

But, he added that "the day will be highly technical with the expiration of futures and options on stock indices," he adds.

Some banks take the rating, including Societe Generale which accounts for 1.85%.Natixis, which is outside the CAC 40 index after the close of this evening to be replaced by Safran (-1.9%), gaining 0.12%.

London gained 0.8%, 0.9% and Frankfurt Milan 0.7% and European indices, STOXX 50 0.63%.

The performance of the German government bond (Bund) is relaxed to 10 years of 1 basis point to 1.93% while the euro weakened against the greenback and traded around the 1.3795 dollar against 1.3866 on Thursday.

Hermes (-7.5%) shows the largest decrease of the SBF 120 after the justice system has validated the family shareholders to sanctuaries a majority stake in the group face to the appetites of LVMH.

Guyenne et Gascogne reported Wednesday a loss in the first half, the franchisee of Carrefour have been penalized by its subsidiary Sogara whose accounts were affected by several non-recurring items.

In a statement, the group, which operates hypermarkets and supermarkets in the south-west of France and Spain, said he hoped the goal of an annual output "significantly" positive after a first half he considers disappointing.

"During the second half, the three entities Guyenne et Gascogne (the parent company Guyenne et Gascogne, Sogara and Centros Comerciales Carrefour, Ed) will step up their efforts to reduce distribution costs," the company said.

In the first six months of the year, the group posted a net loss of 1.335 million euros against a net profit of 6.382 million euros a year earlier.

Sogara, the loss amounted to 7.898 million biannual euros, against a profit of 8.026 million euros, was penalized by the difficulties of the consumer electronics sector, which has added a voluntary sacrifice margin due to a policy aggressive promotional explains Guyenne et Gascogne.

"The net result was affected by accelerated depreciation made important part of the transformation of Planet Carrefour stores, as well as a penalty tax on VAT litigation," added the company said that the first half of 2010 was received a substantial capital gain on disposal.

At the Paris Stock Exchange before the announcement of interim results, the action Guyenne et Gascogne ended up 3.35% to 9.76% on the gain since the beginning of the year and more than 590 million market capitalization of the group.

BP reported Tuesday a profit below expectations in the second quarter of weak results over the months to come, while promising a long-term growth likely to calm the impatience of its shareholders.

BP's net income falls to replacement cost to $ 5.31 billion (3.66 billion euros) in the second quarter, compared with a loss of 16.97 billion dollars a year earlier due to the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Excluding items, the result stood at 5.61 billion dollars against 6.02 billion average expected by analysts polled by Reuters.

BP appears to receive less than its competitors to higher crude oil prices, up 50% over the previous year.

At midday, BP lost 2.4% while the Stoxx European sector fell by 0.4%.

Investors lament the poor performance on the stock exchange for nine months although some signs that the final bill of the oil spill will probably be lighter than expected.

The oil company said that maintenance work in the North Sea and Angola as well as the result of the accident in the Gulf of Mexico drew down its quarterly results and will continue to weigh on its performance in the second half.

Its oil and gas production fell 11% in the quarter following the sale of deposits required to foot the bill for the oil spill.

The Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley said agreements to secure new reserves this year would support the group's performance in 2012 and 2013.

"We will see the true value of our business better reflected in the price of our action," he told shareholders.