Dependent on business investment, the French machinery industry has experienced a particularly gloomy year 2009. The turnover of this sector has plunged 15% to 97.9 billion euros, returning to its 2005 level.

Compared to its European competitors, French industry is doing rather well. "The activity of other countries fell by an average of 19%," said Yvon Jacob, president of the Federation of Engineering Industries (FIM). The French exception is explained in part by the support that was received by French manufacturers.

The recovery plans, the state aid measures such as scrapping bonus, or the continuation of regional investment activities have supported activity. The role of the state does not explain everything. Companies based in France have taken advantage of the health of certain sectors such as construction, aerospace, energy and railway industries."Moreover, thanks to social shocks, household consumption remained at a good level," says Yvon Jacob. The social situation remains tense engineering industries (650,000 jobs) lost 5.5% of their workforce in 2009. The FIM also fears of new staff reductions, and does not expect improvement until the end of the year. The activity should indeed be further reduced by 5% this year. "If the recovery occurs in 2010, it does not benefit us immediately, says the president of the Federation, as investments leave last.

After the sharp market downturn in Paris last weekend, with the Cac 40 lost nearly 7% in 48 hours, optimism is in order at the beginning of the week in the Paris Bourse. Around 10:30 am, the CAC 40 is up over 1.2% to 3607 points.

On the macroeconomic front, gross domestic product (GDP) of France is expected to grow by 0.5% in first quarter 2010, according to a first estimate of the Banque de France (BdF) on Monday.

The latest forecast from the National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) published December 17, the economic recovery in France will be confirmed in early 2010 but will be "laborious and delicate, with a growth of around 0.3 % to 0.4% per quarter until midyear.

The government recently revised upward its growth forecast for this year, rose 0.75% to 1.4% in the revised budget.

INSEE has published Friday its first figures on French growth in the last quarter of 2009.The government forecasts a GDP drop of 2.25% over the last year.

As for values, the revival of this earlier this week arises: half a dozen values were lower at the opening.

Dexia climbed after strong green light from Brussels

The year 2010 will be tougher than 2009 for the Franco-Belgian bank Dexia (6.56% to 4.29 euros) due to the acceleration of the implementation of its restructuring plan which has received the green light with Brussels, said Sunday the group's managing director.

EDF (+1.54% at 38.20 euros) and Areva (0.45% to 313.75 euros) announced late Friday it reached an agreement on the processing of uranium used in nuclear power plants of 'electrician question at the heart of a dispute between the two groups for several weeks payday advance online .The CEO of EADS (+0.04% at 14.11 euros), Louis Welsh said in Munich last Saturday he expected a "clarification" on the financing of additional costs for the Airbus A400M military "before the end of next week. "

GDF Suez (+1.05% at 26.50 euros) could revise its bid for International Power Plc, particularly the terms of its offer in cash, reports the Independent on Sunday, citing sources close to the French group.

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has asked for new commitments to Bélvédère (-5.28% to 34.07 euros) in the case of warrants, which in recent weeks between the group of spirits Association Defense of Minority Shareholders (ADAM).

Bongrain (-1.68% to 55.53 euros) has reported a turnover down 7.4% on a comparable basis in 2009, affected by unfavorable economic environment.

Eiffage (+0.68% at 36.42 euros) was able to stabilize its sales in 2009 thanks to a rebound in activity in the fourth quarter.

Several publications of companies are expected on Monday: Altran Technologies (-1.18% to 4.20 euros) pre-market Unibail Rodamco (-0.80% to 155 euros) after-hours trading, Le Noble Age (-1, 72% to 15.40 euros) and Devoteam (stable at 18.50 euros). Faurecia brings an extraordinary general meeting regarding the capital increase related to the repurchase of Emcon.

Manipulation. The word has been uttered by Andrew Cuomo, the Minister of Justice of the State of New York. The latter accused Bank of America (BofA), the largest bank in the United States, having committed a "huge fraud" during the merger with Merrill Lynch. He said the former BofA CEO Kenneth Lewis and his former chief financial officer Joe Price, while two continued, would have deliberately hidden the huge losses at Merrill Lynch for a massive federal assistance.

This "arrogant maneuver" after Andrew Cuomo, would have allowed BofA to validate the merger by the shareholders. Once the transaction is approved, the management of Bank of America has made public the statement of loss and "manipulated the federal government to save the deal with billions of taxpayer dollars, claiming falsely that it would cease the agreement without assistance.

The bank responded by saying "disappointed" and said its leaders had always been "good faith". The respective lawyers of Kenneth Lewis and Joe Price state that the accusations are baseless.

150 million dollars in penalties

In addition to these criticisms, the SEC, the gendarme of the Exchange in the United States, announced Thursday that the agreement to settle other lawsuits related to the acquisition of Merrill Lynch now amounted to 150 million cash advance payday loan . The first agreement concluded in August 2009 set out the penalties owed by Bank of America to 33 million.

The SEC alleges that BofA for hiding its shareholders having authorized its future subsidiary Merrill Lynch $ 3.6 billion in bonuses despite losses of the latter in 2008.

The new deal announced Thursday provides for further measures to strengthen the bank's procedures, including the stipulation that shareholders will now have their say on remuneration of the management team. It must still be approved by Judge Jed Rakoff, who had refused last summer how the first agreement.

The SEC also announced that the proceeds of the fine will be distributed to shareholders penalized by the actions of the bank.

ALSO READ:

Merrill Lynch boosts the results of Bank of America

With Twitter, the communication is passed in real time. With Shazam, the iPhone has become a machine to recognize the music. German Aka-Aki opened the madness of mobile location based social networks. These services are transforming our lives for several months have been identified, there are one or two years, the Forum Netexplorateur. Founded in 2008 by Martine and Thierry Bidegain Happe, it seeks to identify innovations that can have a significant impact on the uses digital economy or society. The third edition, including Le Figaro is a partner, meets Thursday and Friday to the Senate in Paris. It is an opportunity to set new standards in the "socio-digital revolution" underway.

The winners of the 2010 edition were selected from more than 440 projects emerging. They are part of a new digital world where the Internet becomes ubiquitous.The URL can not be visited more but found himself. Many objects become key input into an ecosystem where real and not real live. Databases and servers are scattered, software and outsourced services, terminal dematerialized. The interface for mobile augmented reality Sixth Sense allows to browse the Internet with a virtual screen projected by a minicam, dial a phone number in the palm of his hand or view a video on a newspaper article. Accessible from anywhere, this new Internet makes the user knowing. With mobile browser layar augmented reality, any building or environment is an opportunity to unwind "layers of virtual information.Augmented with TAT ID, the user can display a variety of virtual cards and virtual social networking profiles around her face, free to the caller to download this information.

Freeing the user of the computer

This ecosystem is emerging as new human-machine interfaces capable of freeing, ultimately, the user of the computer or a smartphone. The aircraft of the future will respond to a voice command, gesture or brain. The French HiLabs has already begun to deploy an intelligent window on the windows of merchants Grenoble: responding to displacement of people, she then called by a movie, the way to interact with one giant touch screen (Eyelights).

On the Internet also should be contacted individually to the consumer.Social networks like Facebook and Twitter is why a "hunting ground" ideal marker there conversations on Internet brand and integrate it with an ad campaign that takes account of these opinions (People Powered Ads).

In this new digital world order, and environmental organizations are impacted first. The technology can learn to change and therefore it is the creed of Source Map, which shows the carbon footprint of a product or a food or Mobile Lucas, who turns the mobile phone Minilab analysis medical use and particularly to distinguish true and false cases of malaria.

Similarly, the Better Place project relies heavily on intelligence network, able to indicate to drivers of electric cars recharging station nearest, then manage the transaction load and billing.At work, it calls for transparency on the powers of his future employer to decide to change. What improve individual productivity or collective, as the founder of the website Get a Great Boss. In parallel, microtâches can be relocated and create microjobs for solidarity: the draft Work Give an iPhone application developed by Samasource, which proposes to perform computing tasks mechanical ( "tag" a video detailing card, test application) by refugees from Dadaab camp in Kenya. Initiatives that, once industrialized are likely to reverse the tide.

Validated: This morning during a special Board of Directors, France Televisions has decided to enter into exclusive negotiations for the privatization of its governed France Televisions with Lov Financial Advertising and Publicis.

Only staff representatives voted against while Dominique Wolton abstained after proposing to delay the decision. Indeed, Patrick de Carolis, president of France Televisions has written his "tutelage" in this case Christine Lagarde and François Fillon asking them to affirm the necessity of selling the board even though a number of parliamentarians proposes maintaining advertising day.The president of France Televisions would, however, felt it unnecessary to await the reply of the State to initiate this discussion and even exclusive it would be absolutely necessary for "guarantees" about possible conflicts of interest with a buyer Stéphane Courbit, who is also a supplier of programs for antenna France Televisions payday loan .

Side employees and representatives are upset that the proposals of the candidates certify the absence of socially for three years for the Metropolitan France. They argue that the end of the pub on their RFO does not give sufficient guarantees in respect of employment.

"We have a bitter taste," said the representatives of the CGT – the majority union at France Televisions."We feel that the assets of the company is sold off and we find this shocking distinction between employees of the Hexagon and those DomTom. Finally we fear that in a few weeks all realize that this assignment was useless because of changing legal requirements.