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With sales were down 16% to 1.32 billion euros, an EBIT of 139.2 million (-9.6%) and a net profit of 95.9 million euros ( -3.2%), the first quarter of Technip is declining, but these figures are higher than analysts' expectations.

Despite competition "intense in all regions," Thierry Pilenko, CEO of the company has entered the CAC40 almost a year ago, noted "signs of recovery."

The evidence, the backlog has reached the end of March 2010, 8.13 billion euros, compared to 8.02 billion euros at end December 2009 and 6.93 billion euros at end-March 2009."Estimates of the group, envrion 47% of the backlog should take the next nine months of 2010."

In addition, the giant engineering and construction sector of the black gold is pleased to have recorded a total of 1.34 billion euros in new orders in the first quarter of 2010, against 1.15 billion euros a year ago.

Annual target unchanged

Thus, the direction of the oil services specialist confirmed Thursday morning his goals for the current year.Annual revenues are expected in a band between 5.9 and 6.1 billion euros (between -5.5% and -9.5% in one year) and operating margin is still seen stable.

Remember however that annual sales had been revised downward in February, while Technip had published annual results in freefall – net income fell 62% year on year – and the speech concerning the outlook remains worrying .

A contract "major" in Brazil

Yesterday, Wednesday, Technip said it had won a contract by Petrobras for the flexible pipe system driver Tupi field. He refers to the agreement a "major", with "key challenges" at the technical level.This field is situated at 2,200 meters depth of water in reservoirs pr?salif?res Santos Basin, about 300 km off the Brazilian coast.

The transaction amount was not specified. But with this new contract, Technip strengthens its leading position in Brazil, especially in the promising market tanks pr?salif?res.

In Stock

In just two sessions, the Technip shares have lost nearly 8%. Wednesday night, they quoted at under 60 euros to 58.27 euros exactly.

On Thursday morning, the shares resumed colors: they rise from 1.22% to 59.08 euros by 9:30. This is the second best performance of the benchmark index of the Paris market.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was Friday questioned the investment bank Goldman Sachs in a fraud case, is interested in other institutions that might have misled their investors about the nature of certain loans, according The Wall Street Journal. Several banks have had the same path as Goldman Sachs, creating financial products that allow for strategic customers such as hedge funds bet on the collapse of property prices at the same time where others were betting on further increases.The Deutsche Bank, UBS, Merrill Lynch or today came under the leadership of Bank of America, and could also interest Constable of U.S. financial markets, according to information from the Wall Street Journal.

For its part, the New York Times estimated that the case Goldman Sachs also shows the great return of the SEC at the front of the stage, while the institution had remained in the shadows in recent years.

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A "golden boy" among many other French

The U.S. stock market opened on a note undecided on Friday, after aligning Thursday for a sixth straight session of gains, led by the industry.

The Dow Jones opens up 0.19% at 11,145 points after six consecutive sessions of progression and a new peak not reached in a year and a half.

The Nasdaq resumed its souflle: it fell by 0.41% in early trade to 2506 points, but preserves the 2,500 points. And the S & P 500 lost 0.3%, ?1.208 points. The milestone of 1200 points is preserved. Yesterday, the Nasdaq finished at the highest level since June 5, 2008, the S & P 500 since September 26 of that year.

Consolidation is expected.The motion correction has been faster because of Dox Jones, who went into the red, a few minutes after the gong: he lost to 15H35, 0.12%, to 11,132 points.

New homes expected

On the foreign exchange market, the euro continued its decline against the dollar, penalized by renewed concerns about the ability of Greece to cope with its budget crisis and when Athens began to initiate procedures to activate the Plan aid from Europe and the IMF. In the morning, the European currency was worth 1.3527 dollars against 1.3574 dollars the previous day.

Today on Wall Street, investors will monitor the numbers of starts of new housing in March and the index of consumer sentiment in the United States.

A new series of major publication is also expected on the side of U.S. companies.Bank of America (-1%) and Mattel will unveil figures of their first quarter, while General Electric will issue its second quarter of those displaced.

Google view

Google announced Thursday after the close of U.S. markets have performed over the first three months of the year a net profit of 1.96 billion dollars, 6.06 dollars per share, against $ 1.42 billion (U.S. $ 4.49 per share) over the same period last year. In the first three months of the year its sales climbed 23%. The titles, however, slip 4.7% to 567.39 dollars.

In addition, the Financial Times, real estate investment fund Whitehall Street International managed by U.S. bank Goldman Sachs has lost almost all its value, or 1.8 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros) .On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal revealed that another major U.S. bank Morgan Stanley had lost 5.4 billion dollars (3.95 billion euros) in investment properties, including the headquarters of the European Central Bank Germany.

Always on the side of values, yesterday, UPS, considered a good barometer of economic activity in the United States, announced a sharp rise in profits.

Greece has lived too long beyond its means on falsified data, intentional or negligent. While the previous government announced a deficit of 6% of GDP, George Papandreou, just took office in October 2009, revealed a deficit of 12.9% and public debt to 115% of GDP, while the limit Brussels is fixed by 3%. The euro fell from the clouds. Widespread tax evasion – the shadow economy exceeds 20% of GDP – bloated government spending, burden of staff: emergency measures needed. Athens offers a drastic austerity plan: reducing government spending and health spending, freezing salaries and bonuses of officials, raising the age of retirement payday loan lenders !!!???!! !???!!!. Greece promises to bring back this way its public deficit to 8.7% of GDP at end 2010, but not convincing.Riddled with debt, it will borrow 53 billion euros this year if she wants to get out. If Europe does not help, bankruptcy is a nightmare scenario that nobody wants because it could snowball. But Greece also must avoid at all costs the social explosion that growls at her.

2) Why so much reluctance in Germany?

The German Chancellor has requested that a country can be excluded from the euro area "last resort" in case of repeated infringements Maastricht rules. Photo credits: AFN

The company stationery Sequana released on Wednesday its 2009 results. Its sales are down 17.43% to 4.088 billion euros, "in a particular market deteriorated in 2009," the statement said. Despite this significant decline in activity, the group managed to improve its performance and profitability. Its operating income was up slightly to 137 million euros, which represents a rate of operating margin of 3.4% thanks to lower raw material costs.

The group returned to profit, which reached 20 million euros against a loss in 2008 of 428 million cash advance to savings account .The Board of Directors of Sequana propose to the AGM on May 19 to pay a dividend of 0.35 euro per share.

Outlook 2010

This year, Sequana plans to reduce costs and achieve superior operational performance to that of 2009. Also one of his goals is it to pursue its debt reduction that has already fallen in 2009 to 140 million euros to 651 million.

Ambiance morose on equity markets. Investors doubt visibly increasing the sustainability of global economic recovery and remain concerned about the drift of public deficits. In Paris the CAC 40 fell 0.37% to 3928.95 points. The activity is particularly low, with about 3 billion traded on the great values of the Paris stock exchange. For specialists Global Equities weakness of this volume reflects the renewed investor caution since the crisis erupted Greek.

Other stock markets retreated in unison in London, the FTSE lost 0.41% and in Frankfurt the Dax dropped 0.14%. As for the European indices, the Euro Stoxx 50 has dropped by 0.50%. Ambiance also mixed with the NYSE that, having opened in the red was just the balance.

The ill wind is once again came to the United States, where the publication of several indicators has revived questions about the pace of economic recovery. The labor market appears to be stabilizing if it remains at extremely low levels. Investors are also skeptical about the latest statistics from China. Industrial production rises, but at the same time inflation is accelerating and that credit is increasingly scarce. For Christian Parisot, an analyst at Aurel if "fears of overheating were revived, the dynamism of China's growth is positive for the global economy."

In Paris, the securities industry, including specialist materials such as Eramet (-2.56%) or Arcelor Mittal (-1.65%) were in pain."We now prefer to stay away from those sectors most exposed to emerging countries" explain strategists Aurel BGC. According to them, these titles have been among the main drivers of rising markets last year are now offering a limited but potential increased risk. The values considered defensive shot, however, hold their own, like Carrefour (1.47%), GDF Suez (0.82%) or Arkema (-2.28%).

The reproduction is better than output. In this season of activity budgets in 2009, from automobiles to zoos, most areas in the commune down. The numbers of births do not appear as brightest. INSEE has identified 821 000 last year, only 7 400 fewer than in 2008. This decline is described as "negligible" by demographers, not even "the line thickness. Especially that 2008 was a leap year, which was added mechanically 2 000 births, INSEE said.

The economic crisis it have no impact on family plans? "For the moment we receive no effect, confirming France Prioux, a researcher at the INED (National Institute of Demographic Studies). This is not the case in South Korea, which announced a fall of 4.4% of births in 2009."More and more people were delayed or canceled their wedding plans during the recession," he told AFP Kim Dong-hoy, head of population studies. The Land of the Morning Calm, with Singapore and Taiwan, who is experiencing the lowest fertility rates in the world (1.15 children per woman of childbearing age).

In the U.S., it is allowed since last summer that the crisis will lead, as is customary, by a decline in births. Only data for 2008 are known, and they show a decline of almost 2% over 2007 (4 247 000, a record 50 years), according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Across the Atlantic, economic cycles and demographic change strictly in parallel, as evidenced by the four previous recessions (1974, 1981, 1991 and 2001).

This determinism is understandable in societies where birth control is more the rule than the exception.The Ireland still offers a cons-almost perfect example. The country traditionally more pronatalist in Europe – 16.9 newborns per thousand inhabitants per year, against 13 in France and 8.3 in Germany – has suffered the most severe recession in the euro area. Despite a fall of 7.5% of GDP last year's births increased 1%, according to estimates by the Directorate of Health. Explanation of the Central Statistics Office: the baby-boom years of 1980, which followed the entry deDublin in the European Union, have become parents.

The problems of income and unemployment are not always the enemy of babies. Some even see an incentive. Gary Becker, Nobel Laureate 1992 and theoretician of the family economy, showed a woman who loses her job will be available to raise a child.And the "opportunity cost", as economists say – the income to which he must renounce – will be less than if she had voluntarily quit her job. Also in times of crisis, family values are rising and fertility recovered.

Demographers are nevertheless cautious about the resilience of the French birth rate. As the U.S. federal government last year amounted to 291 $ 570 "price" to raise a child to adulthood, our system of family assistance and public benefits makes probably the "investment" less risky for couples. History shows that despite all our demographic has always responded to crises. "The Great Depression of the 1930s had rarefied births, as the oil shock of 1973.The fertility rate (per woman) fell to its lowest level in post-war (1.66) during the economic recession of 1993, "says Ariane Pailh? in the social portrait of France (2009 edition ). Why would it do differently this time?

Let's bracket the explanation, very controversial, which gives dynamism to the French foreign families. False, according to Insee, "The share of children born to foreign parents, which amounted to 6.9% in 2008 has changed little from 1998 (6.6%). The reality is more mundane, as explained Gilles Pison, demographer at INED: "Since the baby boom of the postwar period, there is a fairly high stability of the predisposition of couples to have kids. What has changed is they have more later.Initially, it helped reduce the annual number of births, then do go through a process of catching up. "Thus the fertility rate is 1.66 children pressed in 1993 to nearly 2 today.

Economic Crisis Will it change the "desire for children? Another focal point on youth unemployment. "It could he delay the time when we" settled "and you have children? It is unfortunate that the records of Vital Statistics do not indicate the rank of new-born of each family. For on the number of first births that the crisis could have the greatest consequences, "warns France Prioux. It is unlikely that France soon lose its leadership position population of the European Union.It hosts over 800 000 babies a year when Germany's powerful product in less than 700 000, despite reproductive capacity but much more numerous untapped.

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"DOCUMENT – The demographic results 2009 (insee.fr)

Click on image to enlarge.

A territorial policy of social housing, that is to say building in priority areas in deficit, such is the ambition on Wednesday by Secretary of State for Housing. Two days after the publication of an alarming report of the Fondation Abb? Pierre on poor housing, Benoist Appearing presented the draft state for 2010, namely to contribute up to 4.7 billion euros to finance 140,000 housing, half in Ile-de-France, Rh?ne-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur, the zones "tense". The program is ambitious, even by the balance of 2009 when 120,000 housing units were built "three times more than in 2000, the ministry said.

4 billion tax form

But if the Social Union for Housing which manages public housing can not approve a policy that it "calls for two years, is on the question of financing the rub.The state budget provides for the payment of 624 million euros to public housing agencies as aid to the stone. The rest of the state aid-more than 4 billion-will take the form of tax incentives (VAT, property tax, preferential interest rates). "The $ 624 million is less than 660 million euros achieved in 2009, and far from the 800 million budgeted in 2008," laments Pierre Quercy, general delegate of the Social Union for Housing which manages public housing bad credit payday loans . "We're going to build a priority in areas of shortage, and therefore more expensive, but with less money," says the delegate general who believes a more realistic assessment of the number of homes built to last 100,000.

At the Department, any accusation of declining level of aid is denied."The effort of the State is not limited to 624 million euros of aid to the stone, take into account the full support of 4.7 billion euros, which will build 140,000 homes social, said the firm Benoist Appeared. Construction or purchase. As announced Tuesday the secretary of state, public housing agencies will be able to acquire any vacant units to turn them into housing. Another idea supported by the Social Union for Housing, but according to Pierre Quercy will face the same problems of funding. "We estimate that 350 million euros of state aid would be needed to buy 10,000 housing units in the tense areas," said the delegate general. What largely begin the budget.

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A small defect of throttle and it's a catastrophe for PSA. The group just defeated the recall of nearly 100,000 cars. "PSA will preventively a recall on these vehicles, the versions that could have the same defect pedal," said a spokesman for the firm. This concern of Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 produced between February 2005 and August 2009 in the Kolin plant in the Czech Republic, that is to say "10% of the park from C1 and 107 stock, less than 100,000 cars" in Europe, added the spokesman.

Around 220,000 Peugeot and Citro?n released each year of the plant, operational since February 2005 but "only a portion of production is concerned because according to the versions, gasoline or diesel, this is not the same type of elements" that is used, he said.Both urban French car manufacturer are assembled on the assembly lines of Toyota, which produces Kolin his little Aygo. This model is one of eight that the Japanese manufacturer decided to recall in Europe for a lack of accelerator pedal.

But virtually all components of the three models are the same, which explains why PSA is also forced to recall cars. In this context, the French manufacturer will "study in the coming days and weeks with the procedures for Toyota this season" reminder, "added the spokesman.

"The limits of the Toyota"

On paper, PSA and Toyota are equal partners in their joint venture TPCA (Toyota Peugeot Citro?n Automobile) which manages the site of Kolin.But in reality, it is indeed a Toyota, the Japanese are in charge of designing and manufacturing vehicles free business cards .

For CGT Peugeot Sochaux (Doubs), the recall of vehicles demonstrates "the limits of the Toyota, denouncing a kind of production with" the minimum time to study and design of facilities, personnel and wages " and "no talk of outsourcing to the death."

The crisis facing Toyota is the task of oil and other manufacturers. Before PSA, the U.S. Ford has suspended production as a precaution for some commercial vehicles in China using the same faulty accelerator pedal as Toyota. This measure concerns, however, less than 2,000 vehicles. Besides the joint venture with PSA, Toyota owns with another Japanese, Subaru.Their factory is located in Indiana, the United States.

Toyota is forced to recall millions of cars around the world for lack of accelerator pedal detected in the United States, Canada, China and Europe. Nothing the United States, 2.3 million vehicles have been recalled over 270,000 points of Canada and 75,000 in China.

In Europe, the number of affected vehicles could reach 1.8 million. Eight models are concerned: AYGO, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla Verso, Avensis and RAV4. The number of cars each country concerned should be seen "running next week," said the spokesman for Toyota.

The Japanese giant's chairman, Akio Toyoda, apologized Saturday for this one problem.World leading manufacturer since 2008, Toyota had already experienced a technical problem that forced him to recall cars in the United States due to a defect in the carpet can also block the accelerator