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iOS 5 and icloud: updates to the iPhone

Serious competition from Google's Android, Apple gave Monday a facelift to the iPhone. Surrounded by a cohort of leaders, CEO Steve Jobs introduced from San Francisco, California, the new version of IOS, the operating system behind the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch. This software, including a 5 iOS draft was made available to developers on Monday, will be available for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPad iPad 2, and the latest iPod touch here in the fall short term personal loans. Here's what we can learn from this presentation.

Devices iOS archive their data on Wi-Fi and 3G. Photo credits: Kimihiro HOSHINO / AFP

Debt: the bad blood between Obama and Congress

Since mid-May, the United States exploded the ceiling set by Congress of American debt, around 15,000 billion dollars currently. This ceiling has been found in January. It would suffice to go back again to exit the United States from embarrassment: the country can theoretically borrow on the markets when the threshold is exceeded. Which is to say that the U.S. is in a situation of default.

But the maneuvers have pushed until August 2, the bankruptcy of the federal state. The White House and Congress have so until that date to agree. The first press the other to raise the ceiling, but he refuses to press the button until the government has not detailed a program foresaw and specific reductions in public spending. The United States shackle in effect three years of deficit exceeding 10%.It should reach around 1.6 trillion dollars this year.

If the financial world does not doubt the ability of great leaders of the first world power to agree, for the good of the global economy, the timetable is narrowing. And rating agencies do not fail to recall. Thus, after Standard & Poor's in April, Moody's puts a sudden extra pressure on Thursday by threatening to put the debt rating of long-term United States, currently at AAA, on negative watch, implying an actual deterioration in the coming months.

No to raising the ceiling

Yesterday, Wednesday, Barack Obama received dozens of Republican representatives in the White House. These, a majority in their meeting, refused to give the green light to an increase in the federal debt ceiling because of cuts in spending."We need to tackle this debt," said out of the meeting the head of the budget committee in the House, Paul Ryan, author of a draft budget with drastic cuts in funding for the welfare state and criticized by Democratic allies of Barack Obama.

Tuesday night, the House rejected by 318 votes against 97 an increase of 2,400 billion of debt ceiling, a move described as "irresponsible" Democratic side.

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Wall Street disappointed by two indicators

U.S. stock markets are changing very slightly lower on Thursday. The Dow Jones lost 0.23% to 12,365.67 points, the S & P 500 was down 0.07% to 1319.57 points and the Nasdaq was unchanged at 2760.97 points.

The New York Stock Exchange finished up Wednesday, rebounding from a series of three consecutive declines.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro rebounded against the dollar on Thursday, helped by speculation about a coming increase in Chinese investment in the European sovereign debt.In early afternoon in Paris, the European single currency was worth 1.4196 dollars against 1.4083 dollars late Wednesday.

On the macroeconomic front, the U.S. GDP grew 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the second official estimate of the growth of winter, which confirms the original figure while analysts thought it would be revised upwards (consensus expected 2% growth).

New jobless claims in the United States are divided on the rise during the third week of May, 424,000 according to figures released Thursday by the Department of Labor (cons 414,000 the previous week), while analysts expected a decline, to 400,000.

Freescale Semiconductor revises downward its ambitions

The side of values, the scoring title Freescale Semiconductor will begin Thursday.The group says it still hopes to sell 6.5 million additional shares by June 1, in addition to the 43.5 million already invested. Freescale has set a price of $ 18 per share when it had advanced a range from 22 to 24 dollars in early May.

Microsoft: 1.49% to 24.55 dollars

The investment fund Greenlight Capital, a shareholder of Microsoft, wants to remove the CEO of computer giant, saying that Steve Ballmer is a man of the past.

Computer Science: -10.50% to 39.46 dollars

For his part Computer Sciences announced yesterday evening after the close of Wall Street have registered for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010/2011 earnings per share of $ 1.09 against $ 1.16 and $ 1.66 expected year past. Turnover was 4.2 billion, stable over one year.Over the full year, EPS fell 10.4% while turnover remained stable at 16 billion dollars.

Liberty Global: 0.77% to 44.59 dollars

Also after the close of U.S. markets, Liberty Global has received an indicative offer from Foxtel to buy back its subsidiary Austar United Communications owned 54.2% at a price of 1.52 Australian dollars per share, valuing the share of Liberty Global to nearly one billion Australian dollars.

NetApp: 4.81% to 54.22 dollars

NetApp reported for the fourth quarter earnings per share of $ 0.59 against $ 0.53 expected and $ 0.5 last year, while turnover reached 1.4 billion dollars against 1.2 billion last year.For the quarter, NetApp expects earnings per share of 0.52 to $ 0.57 and revenues of about $ 1.5 billion.

Google: -0.68% to 516.13 dollars

Also of note, Google is expected to unveil today a contactless payment solution developed by MasterCard and Citigroup. The owners of Android phones will eventually make their phones instead of their credit card at the checkout.

When the funds will slow growth

The Figaro.fr – Can there be too many funds in the economy?

Jean-Louis Arcand – According to our work, there is a turning point from which the size of the financial sector is beginning to have a negative effect on the economy. More precisely, when the total amount of loans granted by banks to their clients, individuals like firms, exceeds 110% of gross domestic product (GDP, that is to say, the wealth produced by a country). We observed that states with the most prominent financial sectors have suffered more than others during the last crisis.

Why finance has grown as she?

During the past three decades, the U.S. financial sector has grown six times faster than the economy.If banks have grown so much is because they knew, taking risks to maximize their profits, in case of generalized bankruptcy they would be saved. Clearly, they have tended to over-lend to their clients because they underestimated the cost of a possible bankruptcy.

Should we establish by law an unsurpassable level of 110% finance?

It is useless to determine a bar impassable. This does not work, as evidenced by the European rule of a maximum debt equivalent to 60% of GDP make quick cash. It was enough that the powerful countries, France and Germany are close to this threshold so that they overcome them in the mid 2000s. Oting the same time any credibility to this political rule.

How then to control the growth of the financial sector?

Some argue that we must rein in salaries to encourage bankers to take fewer risks.This solution would not change populist: firms always find a way to reward talent. We believe it would be better that the regulator forces banks to keep their coffers sufficient financial reserves to cope with a situation of widespread bankruptcy. By increasing the so-called capital adequacy of institutions, they are forced at the same time to take fewer risks.

The current reform of the banking system, known as Basel III is along these lines …

The proposed controllers do not go far enough. The ratio of equity currently under discussion is 7%. In our view, reserves should be higher by several points to this goal. But the banks already reluctant to adopt this new threshold, saying it will reduce their profitability. This argument is not proven.

Slow start for the chain of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is far from having won his wager. Launched in early January, its new cable channel: Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN has not yet been proven. After initial success due to the curiosity of millions of Americans who admire Oprah, the chain is always looking its audience. Over the last three months, attracting 149,000 viewers on average than at any time of day. Only 6% better than Discovery Health, chain it replaced in bouquets of U.S. cable operators.

In prime time, the programming feature designed by the world's richest television, attracts 291,000 viewers on average, only 17% more than the emissions that Discovery has dropped to make room for this joint venture to 50 % with Oprah Winfrey.It is the first attempt to climb a chain around the aura of a personality.

Oprah Winfrey and Discovery remain optimistic. Provided their goal of break-even point in the first year of operation of the channel seems increasingly elusive.

Discovery has agreed in any case to inject 50 million dollars in the project this year. An amount in addition to the 189 million already invested during the preparatory phase to launch OWN, which lasted nearly three years.

Wrath of the "queen"

According to the press in the gossip of the media world, "the queen of talk show" was angry after a series of meetings with colleagues, alarmed by the poor viewing figures cash advance. "I built this system with my own hands, I expect all those who are employed here work hard for the next two years.If the audience rating does not take off soon, heads will fall, "shouted the imposing Oprah Winfrey.

First decision to boost its ratings, OWN announces six new series of programs. These documentaries or reality television productions. "Confronting …" for example, presents the efforts of crime victims to face their attackers.Both parties try to experience each other overcome their trauma.

Another program "Unfaithful: Stories of Betrayal" (Infidel: Stories of treason) shows how couples torn by adultery manage to save their relationship with the help of a therapist.

These original programs are supposed to support the public's attention before the "queen" in no more come in September consistently lead the interviews and documentaries on its own channel.

Indeed, paradoxically, the great "talk show" Oprah's syndicated on hundreds of different channels are not broadcast on OWN. Its latest edition, scheduled on May 25, looks spectacular. Oprah calls on advertisers not less than one million dollars for an advertisement of thirty seconds.

Customers, equal access to Internet

Customers should they pay more for their Internet access if they over-consumption of online video? Providers of Internet access they can slow the rate of subscriber connections that download on the Internet? No and no, slice the report of the mission on the neutrality of the Internet and networks, introduced Wednesday by deputies Laure La Raudière (UMP) and Corinne Erhel (CBC) Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

Anxious to "protect the Internet" in its current form, they detail the nine principles that should ensure an open Internet or "neutral" for Internet users. Proposals trenches that contrast with the approach of a "traffic control" as proposed by the Minister of the Digital Economy, Eric Besson.

The cornerstone of this report is the inclusion in the law, the principle of net neutrality.Its definition could be slipped in the Postal and Electronic Communications: "Capacity for Internet users to send and receive the content of their choice, or use the services to run applications of their choice, connecting the equipment of their choice (…) with a transparent quality of service, adequate and nondiscriminatory. "

The report also estimates that only obligations of a judicial or security must justify blocking access to the Internet. Therefore, access to file sharing sites should not be blocked upstream. "The network would not be neutral if the peer-to-peer was degraded," say the MPs, because peer-to-peer is used both to pirate music or movies that innovation as Internet telephony Skype.This does not apply the law to hackers.

Participate in financing

It does not include the principle of network neutrality into law, it is still necessary authority to enforce it. This authority could be the policeman telecom Arcep or judge. The authority will be particularly responsible for preventing telecom operators to restrict access to Internet content. The report wants to "reserve the term Internet access to only deals with the principle of neutrality."Thus, a mobile operator could no longer sell "unlimited Internet packages" when consumption is limited for example 500 megabytes per month or if it refuses to install applications like Skype Internet telephony.

If equal access to the Internet and is ringfenced from the Internet side, it remains to ensure services for publishers – video platforms, social networks, connected TV applications. For the service providers, the report proposes to "further reflection" on their participation in the financing of the Internet and network investment. He claims such a precise study of the costs of increased traffic on the Internet.Where appropriate, the report recommends that a mechanism by which sites get the traffic (such as YouTube, Google, Facebook, Skype …) are involved in financing networks by paying a kind of right of way. "It would stabilize the cost sharing of the network … and could encourage smaller players content," the report said. But it's a story at the European level.

Renault is testing hundreds of electric cars

Renault will probably not expected to start full-scale experiment one hundred electric vehicles in such a climate of tension. But the real false espionage case was Thursday in every mind. The scandal "has not changed the electric vehicle program. Between what is said today and what we said six months ago, it has not changed our marketing plan for a single day, "was keen to stress Koskas Thierry, the owner of this activity Renault. His former assistant, Matthew Tenenbaum is one of three group executives wrongfully dismissed for industrial espionage.

The kickoff of this project called Save and targeted at Yvelines, near Paris, is an important step for the automaker, at 6 months of marketing its first cars running abreast.Renault is to launch Fluence sedan and minivan Kangoo electric version in the fall of 2011. The quadricycle Twizy is scheduled for the end of the year. Finally, Zoe, flagship of the range vehicle, is scheduled for fall 2012. Renault and its ally Nissan invested $ 4 billion on power.

Test behavior

Save the project but started a little late since it had originally, start at the beginning of the year. It will run until July 2012. Forty clients will test the vehicles. Mainly businesses – such as Carrefour, France Telecom or Otis – and communities.The first cars were delivered: the prototypes of Renault Kangoo and electric Fluence, and Nissan Leaf (sold in France this summer).

"The goal is to study driver behavior (their mode of conduct, the frequency of refills) and its impact on the autonomy of the vehicles, but also to test our after-sales services, that is to say our ability to repair an electric vehicle incident, "said Bernard Cambier, commercial director of Renault France. Firefighters in the region have also been trained to work on damaged cars without fear of electrocution.

More than 200 charging points are being deployed. Renault has teamed up with EDF, Schneider Electric (for the provision of terminals) and Total, which will place two terminals fast charge (30 minutes) in its service stations.This experiment, amounting to 23 million euros, is financed by the Ile-de-France, ADEME (Agency for Environment and Energy Management) and the General Council of Yvelines. The initial feedback is expected within two months.

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Oil Tripping the Cac 40

After the nice gains yesterday on Wall Street and in Asia this morning, European stock markets saw their rate of increase slowed even fall into negative territory. In Paris the Cac 40, which closed yesterday up nearly 1% beyond 4100, declined by more than 1% to 4067.15 points after leading much of the day. The CAC 40 suffered profit taking after several fine sessions of gains. Investors worried about the risk of contagion of violence in the Arab world to major oil producing countries, like Kuwait or Oman.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro continued to rise against the dollar on Tuesday, still supported by persistent speculation about an early monetary tightening in the euro zone before the policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday.To 17 hours in Paris, the euro bought 1.3816 dollars against 1.3803 dollars late Monday.

Registrations of new cars bound

Tuesday, statistics aside, the European Commission announced expect a growth of 1.6% for countries in the euro area this year, up 0.1 points from previous projections, despite rising prices Oil and debt problems of some countries. Note, however, inflation accelerated again in February in the eurozone to 2.4% yoy from 2.3% in January, according to a first estimate Tuesday of the EU statistics office Eurostat. Still according to Eurostat, unemployment in the euro area fell to 9.9% of the workforce in January, after at least 10% in almost all of 2010.Also note, the growth of French manufacturing activity accelerated in February, according to final results of the Monthly Markit published Tuesday.

Registrations of new cars jumped 13.7% in France in February, still enjoying the effects of scrapping, according to figures released Tuesday by the Committee of French Automobile (CCFA). Registrations of Peugeot SA climbed 10.7% and 15.2% of Renault. The CAC 40, Peugeot SA and Renault respectively lost 1.64% to 28.54 euros and 2.23% to 43.42 euros. Furthermore, Peugeot SA is considering a name "low cost" for Europe, but has not yet taken a decision thereon, said Tuesday its chief brands, Jean-Marc Gales at the Geneva Motor Show .

Note also challenge Toyota, Peugeot and BMW in the hybrid car.The two groups will invest 100 million euros in their joint venture. Research and procurement will be located in Germany, while production of components will be located in Mulhouse.

In Paris, the luxury group LVMH with doing well, which accounts 0.17% to 114.70 euros. Investors ignore the departure of Galliano Dior. His rival, PPR advance more (0.86% to 110.95 euros)

Technicolor has reduced its losses in 2010

Sales of the former Thomson – on the brink of bankruptcy in 2009 – have rebounded throughout the year. The net loss of 69 million has been divided by five.The title is sanctioned: -5.66% to 5.17 euros

Vivendi (-1.31% to 20 business cards.39 euros) projects a slight increase in its profits and maintaining a high dividend in 2011 after posting 2010 earnings in line with expectations, the economic daily reported Tuesday Voices.

Steria (-1.25% to 22.57 Euro) announced Monday anticipate an acceleration in organic growth in turnover in 2011 against a backdrop of improving the IT services market, but its margin is expected to remain stable against 2010.

Remy Cointreau: + 2.74% to 50.01 euros specialist in wines and spirits to be announced Monday night entered into exclusive negotiations with the PPE Group for the sale of two brands of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck.

Bureau Veritas (-0.45% to 55.70 euros) on Monday published the results in 2010 net growth due to emerging countries and said to anticipate further strong growth in sales and operating profit in 2011.

Ingenico: -1.66% to 26.98 euros The group announced Monday night that he might have to raise its medium-term objectives, set for 2013, on the basis of year 2011 for which he anticipates growth organic turnover and improved margins.

Casino Guichard (unchanged at 70.98 euros) wants to sell assets for 700 million euros.The group expects an increase in sales of more than 10% annually over the next three years, but shows a 7% drop in net income in 2010 to 550 million euros in 2010 against 591 million euros a year earlier.

Carrefour (-1.71% to 34.79 euros) and the Alliance Boots company announced Monday an agreement of long-term cooperation in the field of cosmetics. Both groups will also explore partnership opportunities in emerging countries in the field of health.

GDF Suez degraded by UBS

GDF Suez, the second largest European utilities in terms of turnover, is studying the possibility of selling its gas distribution network in Italy as part of a transaction that can represent 750 million euros. Value (-2.13% to 28.75 euros) suffers from a lowering of recommendation from UBS, spent "neutral."

Dried Environment (-0.49% to 66.35 euros) on Monday published the results in 2010 rising, driven by the treatment and recovery of waste, and it was announced a further increase in current operating profit in 2011.

April Group (-2.25% to 22.38 euros) announced Monday a 9.6% increase in net income in 2010 for increased income from investments and the sale of nonstrategic assets .

Damartex (0.46% to 21.70 euros) announced Monday a Damartex Monday announced an increase of 17.5% in operating profit in the first half of 2010-2011 ended in late December, to 23.4 million euros thanks to improved sales and profit margins.

Predica, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole Assurances and Land Wall announced Monday it had signed with the Louvre Hotels Group protocol to acquire a portfolio of 33 hotel properties operated under the Campanile.

Ports: the strikes have cost 800 million euros to companies

On the occasion of its big annual event, the Ufip, the French Union of Petroleum Industries on Friday announced the impact of strikes on the fall of 2010 alone oil industry: 230 million euros.

A figure that could grow. For the fourth straight weekend, the activity of French ports will be affected by social movements, the CGT still requiring validation of an agreement on the drudgery.

Besides this "handicap" represented by the unreliability of the port of Marseilles, and denounced by Jean-Louis Schilansky Ufip Chairman of the rising discontent especially from the bosses of companies weakened by the downturn port. Under the patronage of the Phoenician city, the losses at the end of November last, relating to strikes, would amount to 800 million euros.In the medium term, the continued movement threatens 41,000 jobs directly and indirectly specifies the organization, who attended Thursday at a meeting of major economic players in Marseille.

Now "A container for two to France through foreign ports," a late Jean-Luc Chauvin, president of the PSU 13, the Union for companies in the Bouches du Rhone. Companies are dying to Marseille where we are in a state of permanent strike. "

Threat to long-term activity Ports

"Companies are tired, we are undermining the economic fabric," adds the CEO of the Port of Marseille, Jean-Claude Terrier. Especially if short-term impact of strikes on the job can be cushioned by partial unemployment, it is not the same in the long term.

Plagued by recurring blockages, the poor image of the port of Marseilles is widening cash advance loans. What is not without consequences for the activity: traffic from all terminals of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMM) grew twice as fast in 2009 as the Mediterranean ports, and three times less than those Northern Europe.

And the fall in traffic could continue. On the site of Fos sur Mer, terminals and cargo containers are still totally blocked this weekend. A new arrest brings to 29 the number of calls to cancel since the beginning of the month. Between 1980 and 2010, the port of Marseille has lost 12% market share, reaching 16% last year. He has yet to lose a place among the European countries (5th in 2010).

However, difficult before any return to normalcy, to quantify exactly how many jobs really threatened.Meanwhile, a cell of the Prefecture of the Bouches du Rhone will be created to select the companies affected by social movements, and conduct an evaluation in terms of jobs. About 2,500 companies will receive bank facilities, said the Prefect Hughes Parant.

Side Le Havre, or movement is also closely watched, the loss of port activity related to strikes brought to 40% in Les Echos said the president of the Maritime Union and port of Le Havre. About 80% of the 16,000 jobs that include the organization today are indirectly affected, "he said. In January more than 50 calls were canceled out of 170 were provided, again in favor of other ports, Belgian and Dutch.

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Homes Borloo complaints defects

Cracked walls, leaky chimneys, shutters that do not close, gutter-grid, electrical non-compliant … the lists of defects found by four owners of houses Havre Borloo is long. The bill also has increased. While the program launched by former Minister of Social Cohesion provided at a cost of 100,000 euros per house, in fact the final additions have all exceeded that price. For one family, the final bill even reached 150,000 euros.

Faced with silence from the developer – a company of Val-de-Marne – the owners have demanded Tuesday an injunction, the appointment of an expert independent judiciary, officials said in court. This solution was approved by Laurent Lepillier, counsel for the New workshops Urban, who said she was "able to bring the serenity and initiate dialogue".Then the installation of families in their home last September, the parties refer in fact responsible.

Answer January 18

The sponsor believes that those defects are "greatly exaggerated". Eric Gaillard, head of the New Urban workshops, "these are small faults, microcracks, but no site is perfect." He also asserts that the owners have refused to receive the workers sent to carry out necessary repairs, and challenges the Latvian company has developed the concept of timber-framed houses.For its part, the first deputy mayor Cahierre Agathe (UMP) said that this promoter is "defective" but stressed that 150 houses or similar Borloo were delivered "no problem" in Le Havre in 2010.

As for the passing of tariff, the developer explains that this is justified by "the evolution of market prices" since the launch of the operation by Jean-Louis Borloo in 2005. And he accepted the appointment of an expert, his lawyer has instead asked the judge to reject the principle of paying an allowance of 4000 euros per family. The expert must rule on January 18.

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