Business News & Financial News

Infiniti, the luxury brand of Japanese Nissan, Daimler will negotiate with potential for sharing a platform and engine of the German group said on Wednesday a senior.

According to executive vice president of Nissan, Colin Dodge, these discussions will be held Oct. 2. He declined to specify which models would be affected.

In case of agreement, Daimler will provide a platform and engines corresponding to Infiniti, who will then add a "unique body and interior," said Dodge, who was unable to specify the project schedule.

Daimler and Renault-Nissan alliance have already signed this year an agreement providing for cooperation on several projects, especially on small cars.

The slowdown in global economic recovery is likely to continue until early 2011 and growth should be lower than the IMF forecasts in the second half of 2010, said an official of the international institution.

"Global growth will probably be somewhat lower at 3.7% annual rate that we anticipated date for the second half of this year," said Monday John Lipsky, first deputy director of the International Monetary Fund before the Depository Trust Clearance Corporation and Executive Forum.

The growth of world economy was 4.7% in the first half, said John Lipsky in a speech on Tuesday.

The giant consumer products Unilever said Monday it has signed an agreement for the purchase of Alberto Culver, a manufacturer of hair products based in the United States, for 3.7 billion dollars (2.7 billion euros) in cash.

The Anglo-Dutch group and puts his hand on brands such as V05, TRESemmé and Nexxus and became, among other things, the world number two shampoos.

"The beauty products are a strategic segment for Unilever. There is also booming.Ten years ago, it represented 20% of our revenue today, thanks primarily to strong organic growth, this level rose to more than 30% and we have good positions in many emerging countries " said Paul Polman, chief executive of Unilever, said in a statement.

Erik Maris, former deputy CEO of Lazard France, will join Jean-Marie Messier in the banking business on November 1 and will join the consulting firm founded in 2004 by the former boss of Vivendi, wrote Friday in the Journal Sunday on its website.

Messier Partners may change on occasion of legal structure to become a limited partnership and take the name "Messier, Maris and associates," the JDD.

Erik Maris had abandoned his post in April of Deputy CEO of Lazard in France, ending the duo he formed with Matthew Pigasse head of investment banking.

The Paris Bourse was down in early trading Wednesday, with all European equity markets.

The Federal Reserve has made Tuesday a step closer to additional measures of quantitative easing to support the recovery shows signs of weakness in the U.S..

Around 9:40, the CAC 40 index was down 0.77% at 3755.35 points, after hesitating for the first few exchanges.

Sign of renewed concerns about the quality of economic recovery, the Madrid Stock Exchange suffered one of the strongest declines, falling 1.4% of the Ibex index.

London yields 0.55% and 0.6% in Frankfurt.Of the European indices, the EuroStoxx 50 and yields 0.94% Eurofirst 300 lost 0.84%.

EADS loses 1.76%, affected by the falling dollar, which traded around $ 1.33 per euro after the Fed meeting.

EDF resists with a decline of 0.15% while qu'Oddo Securities raised its recommendation from "accumulate" to "buy".

Belvedere lost nearly 6% after confirmation by the Court of Appeal of Dijon's decision last December recognizing the full 375 million euros of debt that the spirits group was to bondholders.

France Telecom has introduced a package of measures Tuesday aimed at improving working conditions for employees and offer them a new "social contract" after the wave of suicides that has shaken the company.

The group had discussed in July a development plan over five years, the social unrest was a response to its employees and provided a budget of 900 million euros.The details were unveiled Tuesday.

"This new social contract is intended to make France Telecom-Orange group in which to work with a new vision of human resources, a new management style and shared values," the company said in a statement.

The plan, which aims to make France Telecom "an employer of choice", includes 10,000 new hires in IDUs in 2010-2012.

Renault could achieve 50% of its sales outside Europe in 2013, against 40% currently, said Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata vehicle manufacturer in Le Figaro on Monday.

Renault's number two said on Thursday evening to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony that the European market more resistant and that he believed the drop in sales expected this year should be closer to 7%, up the range of -7% to -9% it expected so far.

"We expect, however, a further decline significantly in 2011.At the same time, and that's good news, we are seeing a real momentum outside Europe, in markets such as Turkey, North Africa, Brazil or Russia, "said Patrick Pelata economy in the supplement of Le Figaro .

"In total, therefore, we should sell around 2.5 million cars this year, more than last year (2.3 million).If this trend continues, our sales outside Europe, which currently represent 40% of the total, against 11% in 1999, could reach 50% in 2013, "he added.

Patrick Pelata also said that the group was still considering a successor to the VelSatis, the luxury sedan from Renault, whose production is now stopped.

"If he was out, (he) would be marketed, such as the Espace, in 2013-2014," he added in reference to the future fourth generation of famous people carrier group.

The intentions of Renault's upmarket are the subject of many questions since the two projects have been frozen because of the crisis.They have been fueled recently by the group's decision to market in Europe under the name "Latitude" the premium sedan SM5 manufactured in Korea by its subsidiary Renault Samsung.

Regarding the renewal of the area, Patrick Pelata said: "We have recently relaunched by considering a radically different car, more suited to the post-crisis in terms of CO2 emissions, taking into account the rapid changes in attitudes vis-à-vis the big cars. "

The Paris Bourse changes little in early trading Thursday in anticipation of U.S. data, including enrollments weekly unemployment and the index of the Philadelphia Fed.

Around 9:15, the CAC 40, which yielded 0.5% Wednesday, ahead modestly from 0.12% to 3760.27 points.

Schneider (1.26%) leads increases the CAC 40, Goldman Sachs being spent on the purchase value.

Renault (-1.04%) shows the largest decline in the index. HSBC cut its recommendation from neutral to underweight. Peugeot, Renault as affected by the continuing decline in auto sales in Europe, losing 0.35%.

London and Frankfurt 0.05% yield is 0.12%.The European indices, EuroStoxx 50 Eurofirst 300, are stable.

The euro is still around $ 1.30 while the yen appreciates in the aftermath of a significant decline following the unilateral intervention of the Bank of Japan.

A barrel of U.S. light crude oil yields 65 cents to 75.37 dollars.

Inflation in the euro area has slowed in August, thanks to falling food prices and energy, Eurostat said Wednesday.

In one year, consumer prices rose 1.6%, which is consistent with the consensus, against 1.7% in July. In one month, the increase was 0.2%, as expected by the market.

Food prices fell 0.2% from one month to the other in August, up 1.1% over one year.

Energy prices fell 0.1% on the month but still up 6.1% over one year.

Prices excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco were up 0.4% over one month and 1% over one year.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) does not convene an emergency meeting this month, after the intervention on the yen on the foreign exchange market, but it could ease its monetary policy in October given the slowdown in the U.S. economy and the fallout from a strong yen, the sources said.

The central bank has already held a special meeting in August to relax its monetary policy and is in no mood to recur in September, unless the intervention fails to stem the yen's sustained and then develops a strong political pressure for it to function again.

It is however willing to relax the credit at its meeting of October 4 and 5 if the sluggish U.S. economy and volatility in the yen threatens the fragile recovery in Japan, sources said the fact the discussion of central bank payday loans no faxing.

The BoJ is studying its options and increase its purchases of government bonds is seen as the most probable hypothesis as a measure of flexibility, yet the sources said.

But there is no consensus within the institution, the Governor Masaaki Shirakawa, in particular, as opposed to any such action, on the grounds that the markets would see a willingness on the part of the central bank to walk printing money to finance the public debt.