Business News & Financial News

Carphone Warehouse, the first European distributor of mobile phones, publishes quarterly results above its forecast, thanks to smartphone demand, pushing up the stock price of more than 5%.

The British group showed some caution about the economic climate but said he was confident, however, achieve its goal for the year in April.

Of the thirteen weeks to July 3, the first fiscal quarter, sales in stores open at least a year rose 3.7% at constant exchange rates in the European market.

This increase is greater than analysts' forecasts that anticipated growth of 2%, according to a survey conducted by the company.

Carphone has also said that the three new stores opened since April in Britain under the name Best Buy have been successful had a "very positive", without giving figures.

Asked by Reuters about the economic outlook, the group general manager Roger Taylor said: "I am not a prophet of doom. But I do not presume to rapid growth, either."

The title gained 5.09% to 227 pence at 10h00 GMT, the FTSE 100 yielded 0.19%.

Business start-ups have increased by 1.0% in June to sign up 43.2% over 12 months, according to figures released Tuesday by the INSEE.

In June, the INSEE counted 24,182 new businesses in seasonally adjusted data (+18.4%), a figure which rises to 50,508 by counting the self-entrepreneurs, the figures for the latter being in the raw data.

The lower number of new self-entrepreneurs in June was offset by higher self-creations out contractors, "said INSEE in its statement.

In May, the number of new non-auto business had increased by 2.7% to 20,426.Including these, INSEE had counted 50,021 designs.

Year over year the last three months, the cumulative number of creations in the second quarter 2010 was up slightly compared to second quarter 2009 (+2.1%). The sectors that contribute most to this increase were the construction and industry, noted INSEE.

In the first six months of the year there are 200,313 requests for creations under the self-contractor.

The statute, which simplifies administrative procedures and is fiscally advantageous, has attracted 320,000 people its first year and the Secretary of State for Trade Herve Novelli in hopes as many this year.

The release can be found at www.insee.fr

The French consumer confidence deteriorated in June for the fifth consecutive month, reflecting their concerns about public finances and pensions, according to the monthly survey published by INSEE.

The summary indicator of households' opinion on the economic situation fell to -39 from a point at its lowest since May 2009.

It reached down nine points since January and the index is 21 points below its average since the inception of the survey in 1987.

"It can not be merely a melancholy passenger since the index is in sharp decline since the beginning of the year, indicating the growing concern of the French on the country's economic situation" said Alexander Law, an economist at the institute Xerfi.

The survey was conducted among about 2,000 households from May 29 to June 17 in the midst of preparing the pension reform and government announcements on fiscal consolidation but before the cons-performance of the Blue world.

Households have an opinion on virtually stable financial situation, past and future and the opportunity to make major purchases.

Renewed worries ON UNEMPLOYMENT

But they are much more pessimistic about the evolution of living standards and report renewed concerns about unemployment.

The balance of opinion regarding the future standard of living continues to decline in June (2 points from May and 19 points since January) and households think again that the standard of living past has declined (-3 points Compared with May after four months of stability).

While the number of unemployed has risen again in France in May, households are more likely to anticipate an increase in unemployment (5 points).

After falling from 8 to 89 between January 2008 and June 2009, the balance of opinion regarding the outlook for unemployment is down and has stayed at around 65 points, well above the average long period ( 33 points), INSEE said.

In contrast, households believe that past inflation has remained stable and they do not expect higher prices.

"Undoubtedly, the French consumer is in great danger," warned Alexander Law.

"Gradually, all its drivers are switched to red: the scrappage in the car was dismantled, inflation is rising and unemployment has further increased.Turning point of rigor that was initiated in the Hexagon (as elsewhere in Europe) not help matters in the case.

For Alexander Law, "we must draw a cross in 2010 in a contribution worthy of the name of consumption growth, so that this component has assured itself between 50% and 100% of the economic expansion of France for nearly a decade.

"Without additional support, GDP growth hardly reaches 1% this year, so it should be at least double that for hope to create sustainable jobs," said Alexander Law.

Spanish Grifols announced Monday the launch of a friendly takeover bid of 3.4 billion dollars (2.8 billion euros) over the U.S. Talecris Biotherapeutics specializes in the treatment of plasma in order to develop in the blood products.

For each action Talecris, Grifols offers $ 19 cash and 0.641 new share without voting rights.

A bid that shows a 53% premium over the average of thirty days of share price of U.S. laboratory.

There is also a good transaction for Cerberus, which owns, through a subsidiary, nearly 49% stake in Talecris.

"They pay a high premium over the market price that the market may not wish to reward short term," said Dirk Schnittke, analyst at CM Capital Markets.

"But it is a good strategic choice for medium-long term and they would not have achieved without preparing their project."

Around 10:30 GMT, Grifols fell nearly 5% to 8.81 euros, while the Madrid Stock Exchange was at equilibrium at the same time.

Including debt, the total redemption amounts to four billion dollars.To finance part of the transaction, Grifols will issue up to 84,000,000 new shares for 900 million dollars.

The Spanish group said Monday he hoped for about $ 230 million of annual synergies of the transaction, unanimously approved by directors of both companies and recommended to their respective shareholders.

The transaction should be accretive from the first year and increase earnings per share of 30% during the second year.

Grifols has given finance its deal, expected to close in the second half, to a syndicate of banks including Deutsche Bank, Nomura, BBVA, BNP Paribas, HSBC and Morgan Stanley.