Nissan and Dongfeng trucks come out of their joint venture

Nissan Motor and Dongfeng Motor Group will split the truck business of their Chinese joint venture for the transfer to the parent of Dongfeng public, paving the way for local production of Renault and Infiniti cars and a possible rapprochement between Dongfeng and Volvo trucks, reported Monday the website sina.com.

The activity of Nissan cars in the joint venture will remain intact, as its agreement with Dongfeng Automobile in small utilities, sina.com said, citing unidentified sources.

The hypothesis of an alliance between Dongfeng and Volvo Trucks is regularly mentioned for years but neither industry has recently reported on the subject. 

To get the green light from Nissan, Dongfeng could allow the Japanese manufacturer to produce its premium brand Infiniti and Renault models as part of their joint venture.

No spokesman for Dongfeng could not be immediately available for comment. A representative of Nissan said the group did not have information about an agreement.

As part of such an agreement, Dongfeng Motor will resume activity heavyweights as of July 1, said article of sina.com. He gives no details on the timing of an agreement Dongfeng-Volvo, nor on that of the production Infiniti and Renault.

Volvo has broken several years ago an alliance with China National Heavy-Duty Truck due to weak sales thereof.

The sharp rise in long rates going to continue?

The ideal image of markets, all asset classes, risky and non risky, even walking a step towards improvement, began to scramble this week sharp rise in U.S. long rates and, to a lesser extent, German.

Rising oil prices, a U.S. economy that accumulates the signs of recovery, the massive debt of states and an abundant supply of sovereign paper were enough to propel the rate of U.S. Treasuries 10 years at 2.32% Friday against 2.04% earlier this week, the Bund and the 10-year benchmark euro zone, to 2.06% against 1.77% on Monday – or about 30 basis points more in four days. 

This movement will he continue? Professionals agree that it may take several weeks but long rates end up ultimately a lower level.

"Central banks accommodative, an abundance of cash in banks (through the generosity of central banks) and investors' portfolios, the memory of missed occasions (2009 and 2011), were all factors that contributed to the unusual resistance of Treasuries, "said Vincent Chaigneau, head of rates strategy at Societe Generale.

"But the acceleration of the rally in equities and the analysis slightly less bearish on the economy the Fed cause the correction," he wrote in his weekly note . 

However, it remains cautious about the extent of economic recovery.

"In Europe, LTRO (refinancing long-term European Central Bank, ed) brought a breath of fresh air but they have increased inbreeding between banks and sovereigns and certainly have not solved the fiscal problems and competitiveness (the heart of the crisis in the euro area, ed), "he says.

"It is too early to become fundamentally bearish on bonds but right now this is not the time to buy," he said. 

GREAT HANDLING MONEY

Benjamin Melman, director of the division Absolute performance at Edmond de Rothschild investment managers (EdRIM), remains cautious in the short term because of signs of recovery but rejects the hypothesis of a prolonged tension on long rates.

At a press briefing, he said today, the big problem was to reduce state debt without huge strangle the economy.

"In this context it remains a single parameter: the interest rate," he said. "Monetary policy will play a major role in organizing the sustainability of public debts".

"We need this great currency manipulation," he said citing the actions of massive injection of liquidity into the banking systems decided by the Federal Reserve The ECB, the Bank of England and Bank of Japan.

He explained that through these various unconventional measures, the ECB and the Fed are working primarily to keep rates low.

"We do not see the Fed hold the rise in long rates," he adds, noting that the policy of the Reserve has managed to obtain nominal long rates below the nominal growth.

Benjamin Melman sees a repositioning of the 10-year Treasuries when their rate will reach 2.5%. 

In the eurozone, according to him, deleveraging is far from complete, with banks, unlike the U.S., just started the process.

"Despite the success of LTRO, there is a risk of a credit crunch. There is a tightening of credit policy of banks that need to lighten their balance sheets, particularly in France," he said ;.

Pending a clear vision of the direction of future long rates in the market for private debt (credit coporate) has flourished for three months.

According to a survey by Thomson Reuters, the amount of corporate debt issued in euros since the beginning of the year is up 68% over the same pe ; period in 2011 and the coupons have fallen to record low since the entry into force of the euro in 1999. The average coupon stood at this point to 4.53%, a record low.

Many operations were performed at a rate of 3% or less against an average rate of 3.2% for sovereign issuers.

Consumer confidence unchanged in February

The index of consumer confidence in France is almost stable in February compared with the previous month, announced Friday INSEE.

The composite indicator is 82 against 81 in January.

In February, consumer confidence about their personal financial situation went down 2 points, INSEE said.

That their future personal finances rose 2 points, while remaining below its long-term average. Households are also more numerous than in January to consider it advisable to make major purchases (5 points).

Rome does not want to organize the Olympic Games 2020

Due to the economic crisis, the Italian capital has decided not to host the Olympics in 2020. Mario Monti, President of the Council, estimated that a candidate is not "responsible".

Rome will not host the Olympics in 2020. Council President Mario Monti said on Tuesday the withdrawal of the candidature of the Italian capital for the organization of the summer Olympics in 2020 stating that it would not be "responsible". Tokyo, Madrid, Istanbul, Doha, Baku remain in contention. The host city will be unveiled Sept. 7, 2013 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Mario Monti announced the renunciation of Rome on the eve of the deadline for submitting applications, explaining it by the current economic crisis and the considerable investment necessary to host the Games. "We came to the unanimous conclusion that the government thinks it would not be responsible, under the present conditions in Italy, to assume these guarantees," he said at a news conference.

The U.S. rating agency Moody's announced late Monday lowered the credit rating of Italy by one notch to "A3", together with that of Portugal also one notch to "Ba3", and that of Spain by two notches to "A3".

"We do not feel able to make a financial commitment that could burden the Italian finances for years. At another point in our history we would have taken the risk, but not now," he said Italian Prime.

The City of Rome, who organized the Summer Games for the last time in 1960, needed a letter of commitment from the government to send its official bid to the IOC. "We lost a great opportunity, but we can only accept the government's decision," responded the president of the Promotion Committee for Rome in 2020, Mario Pescante. "The government's decision was well thought out, and due solely to economic reasons," he admitted, admitting, however, "a lot of bitterness". "Our plan for 2020 Rome was very serious, but the government has been steadfast on the accounts," he added.

Wall Street ended up 1.23%, boosted by employment

Wall Street closed sharply higher Friday, boosted by the employment statistics, which in particular led the Nasdaq Composite to register a peak of 11.

The Dow Jones for his part tu a high of four years, while a large number of stocks from the peaks have registered a year.

The Dow Jones took 156.82 points (1.23%) to 12,862.23 points. The S & P 500 gained 19.36 points (1.46%) to 1,344.90 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 45.98 points (1.61%) to 2,905.66 points. On the whole week, the Dow gained 1.6%, the S & P 500 2.2% and Nasdaq 3.2%.

The S & P 600 small caps for his part closed Friday's session at a record high of 463.56 points, representing a gain of 2.14%.

The upturn in the U.S. employment continued in January, with the highest rate of job creation observed in nine months, and the unemployment rate fell to , its lowest level in nearly three years, reflecting the impact of growth in the fourth quarter of 2011 at the beginning of new year.

Other statistics published in the day, the industrial orders and the ISM services. Orders to U.S. industry rose for the second consecutive month in December, driven by increased business investment.

The growth rate of services sector in the United States has clearly accelerated in January, while economists had estimated that it would evolve in the same tempo as December , according to figures released Friday by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM).

"This is confirmation of a slow but significant statistics US", says Stephen Wood (Russell Investments), noting that risks remain, however, as the debt crisis in Europe.

The financial sector gained 2.68% and 1.71% of industrial

Values, and therefore against the trend, Estee Lauder loses 2.33%. The American cosmetics group, citing adverse currency effects and increased its advertising spending, announced quarterly forecasts well below expectations.

More than halfway through the "season" results, 60% of the S & P 500 have reported results above consensus, according to Thomson Reuters I / B / E / S.

Renault said Wednesday it intends to develop in India a new car less expensive than compact Pulse, its latest launch date in the Indian market, but at a price significantly higher than the ultra low cost segment.

In its edition of Wednesday, the Tribune reported that Detourbet Gerard, head of the range low-cost Dacia Renault will take the leadership in January of a joint team to the alliance with Nissan in charge of developing a new vehicle in India for emerging countries.

A spokeswoman for Renault confirmed this information, while stressing that the price of the vehicle would be "significantly higher" in 2500 euros raised by the business daily.With its partner Nissan, the group is now seeking to attract the middle class first in the country by launching products in the mid-range and higher, before proposing then vehicles more attractive prices.

Before the Pulse, scheduled for 2012, Renault has launched this year in India Fluence sedan and 4×4 Koleos.

The proposed ultra low cost car, announced in 2008 by the CEO of Renault-Nissan at a price of 2,500 dollars (1,900 euros), for its part has still not been completed when he initially was to be launched early this year , raising doubts about its viability.

Today, the alliance gives more timing and waits for Bajaj Auto, in charge of development of the car, he presented his platform before deciding whether to give it a more industrial.

Zodiac Aerospace announced Tuesday the results slightly exceeded expectations in 2010-2011 thanks to the growth of the aerospace market and said it expected further improvement in profitability and activity for the current year.

The aerospace equipment anticipates organic growth of 20% of its turnover for the first quarter (September-November) and in the longer term, expects to exceed its growth target of 40% of its turnover on three years, excluding the impact of foreign exchange.

Zodiac has emerged on the fiscal year ended in late August an operating margin of 14.0% – it was a rate higher than 13% – against 11.2% in 2009-2010, with an operating profit of 385.7 million, an increase of 60.4%.

Already stung by the latest developments in euro area markets have also been faced with the announcement of a further slowdown in manufacturing activity in China and the United States has accentuated the negative sentiment in the markets.

More than 68,000 passengers affected by the strike at Qantas

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has asked Qantas unions to end their claim as the strike of the airline has reached over 68,000 passengers.

Julia Gillard, criticized for not having intervened earlier in this dispute, asked the court ruling in Melbourne this type of case to end as soon as possible to the strike.

"We have taken this action (going to court) because we are worried about the impact on the economy," said the head of the Australian Government.

The strike comes at a worse time for the Australian Government, the Commonwealth summit being held in Perth.Seventeen officers were invited to travel on Qantas aircraft Sunday.

Saturday, the airline has grounded more than one hundred aircraft and canceled 447 flights. The strike comes during a weekend of the busiest of the year in Australia in terms of air transport, in part because of a very popular horse race, the Melbourne Cup horse, which takes place Tuesday and attracts tens of thousands of people.

The unions are demanding salary increases and improved working conditions, and challenge the strategy of the company to focus its international activities in the Asia-Pacific region. The company management wants it removed through a thousand jobs.

Death is expensive in France

Bury or cremate their dead costs on average 3,000 euros, according to a survey of the UFC-Que Choisir. The difference between the cheapest quote (1300 euros) and the most expensive (6100 euros) shows that competition is not enough. Cemetery of Pantin, near Paris

Bury or cremate their dead is a complex and costly journey to the consumer who must deal with often exorbitant prices and specifications are difficult to obtain or abuse in an industry where competition is not. The cost of the passage from life to death can be multiplied by five, depending on the selected services and burial.A survey of UFC, released Tuesday, provides a range of 1300-6101 euros between the cheapest quotes and the highest, at an average cost of 3098 euros, almost equivalent to a burial or cremation.

These differences show that the competition is not enough, and especially since customers weakened by grief often accepts the estimate prepared by the provider first met. "Play competition, even in the case of death, it's not butt, although some operators do not hesitate to make this argument vicious" to corner the families to pay a high price, told the AFP Alain Bazot, president of the association.The "first condition" of healthy competition, he says, is a quote "transparent and legible for comparing and sorting" between mandatory services and plenty of optional services (flowers, toiletries, conservation , dressing, porters etc. ..) always available.

The price of the coffin varies from 950 to 1300 euros, care to the deceased from 90 to 150, the burial chamber from 250 to 400, and administrative procedures handled by the operator 110 to 263 euros. However, the benefits required by law, can be summarized in a coffin 22 mm – 18 mm for a cremation – a mechanical seal, four handles, an identification plate, and a vehicle authorized to transport the deceased.

Reinvigorate competition

A ministerial order intended to force since August 2010 funeral operators to establish transparent and legible quote, did not provide a satisfactory answer, according to Mr.Bazot: 97% of estimates collected by UFC does not conform to the regulatory model, 39% only partially meet the criteria, and 18% of 997 shops visited refused burial to establish a personalized quote. The constraint can not be effective if accompanied by sanctions, and this, according to Bazot, the Directorate General for Competition (DGCCRF) must become a "deterrent" in imposing penalties financial.

DGCCRF objected that "this is the field establishing PV" including crimes (in case of deception on benefits). Paid for justice to follow. DGCCRF also conducts investigations "to identify more discrete agreements between operators or abuse of dominant position". For in this local market, franchisees and independents, too often only locally, abuse of that exclusivity.

"There are ways to enhance certain operators and avoid the ill will of others," says Bazot proposing to inform consumers through brochures available in hospitals, nursing homes, and town halls. "It's not revolutionary, he says, but it can revitalize the competition."