A jacket, an electric heater and a good soup. In this period of extreme cold, households equip themselves, and the delight of some traders.

Heating and soup go hand

"The heaters are selling very well right now," said a spokesperson for the brand Boulanger, who expects to sell three times more this week than last week. Thursday, electricity consumption was close to its peak absolute, the French setting up their electric heaters.

Sales of these soups should be greater than 16% this week that they would have been usual with temperatures (5-6 degrees on average), the company provides Metnext, a subsidiary of Météo France. The expected impact is 8.5% for stocks, 8% for soluble coffee, 8% for the chocolate powder and 4.5% for the chocolate tablet. "These products will also benefit from the winter next week," he told AFP Cedric Flecher, consultant Metnext.

The ingredients used to concoct homemade soups, such as leeks, carrots, onions or potatoes, will also benefit, he said, but in supermarkets where they do not freeze, as the open-air markets, where they can be damaged on the shelves. "These conditions lead to changes in diet," added Thierry Desouches, spokesman for U. System "We are back to product a little more invigorating, hot drinks, soups, meat, cooked, products that take the body."

However, consumers may be less tempted to go to the shops to keep warm at home, drawing on their stocks of canned or frozen.

The boots are hot

"There should be a trend to fewer trips to the supermarket. But when it's cold like this, people need calories, with products such as starches, pasta, potatoes. And still fresh such as yogurt, "says Flecher.

"So the races are going to be, but people will focus their shopping in one location, often in large shopping centers rather than in small stores downtown," he said. Textile side, the cold should benefit winter items that had previously suffered a very mild winter. "On this end of period balances, in a extremely cold weather, we expect a very positive impact that will sell for the series easily," says Arrow.

For example, the site selling shoes Sarenza recorded this week "historical peaks" of sales of fur boots and après-ski. "Until now, with mild temperatures, you could dress like in October. But from -5 to -8 degrees, if you have a coat a little short, go buy one soon," noted M . Desouches. "It also benefits the accessories like gloves and hats." "It is rather positive, it can sell the jackets we have not sold the previous week," said Jean-Marc Genis, president of the Federation of brands of clothing (FEH, chains).

"There is no rush," said Bertrand Morvan, president of the National Federation of the clothing (FNH, independent), but the cold "can sell stocks that might have been difficult to sell. " In contrast, the new summer collections "are struggling to leave."

Beyond its organic levers, the former branch of the Accor group prepaid service, which issues such as meal vouchers, announced during a day dedicated to investors and financial analysts that it will carry out targeted acquisitions.

Edenred also wants to accelerate the transition to digital solutions "paving the way for new growth opportunities," we read in a statement.

The action Edenred closed Monday at 18.4 euros, showing a market capitalization of 4.2 billion euros.

Germany, France and Italy, met Thursday in Strasbourg (east), expressed their determination to secure the future of the euro, if necessary by amending the European treaties, but without affecting the independence of the European Central Bank (ECB).

The three largest economies in the euro area are determined to "do everything to support and ensure the sustainability of the euro," said the French president told reporters at the end of the tripartite summit.

Mr."We all three indicated that respect for the independence of this institution, it was not to request positive or negative" to the ECB for its part has assured the French President.

Several French officials, including Foreign Minister Alain Juppe Thursday morning, however, have called for the ECB to play "a role" to save the euro area. This role would be to buy massive debt of the countries most vulnerable to stem the continued rise in rates on government bonds of several euro area countries, which penalizes their already fragile budgets. This rate increase, a sign of the distrust of the market against the euro area, is now affecting countries like France.

"We are all three very much aware of the seriousness of the situation," said

Groups and UMP New Centre (NC) voted this draft budget called "obsolete" by the leftist opposition, who voted against.

This draft budget, the last of the five-year and the Legislature, is built on a projected growth rate of 1.75 for 2012 but the government has revised this rate downward by reducing it to 1%.

In the second part of the expenditure, the budget contains several provisions of the savings plan submitted on November 7 as the removal in late 2012 of the device "Scellier", a tax benefit for investors in new homes for rental .

Another measure of austerity November 7: the refocusing of the interest-free loan that will be reserved for new homes and means-tested.

Or a shot of "plane" of 15% and not more than 10 of the tax loopholes.

The "blunder" by Standard and Poor's comes almost timely for the European Commission. Brussels Wednesday will unveil a range of measures to regulate rating agencies, and the announcement erroneous degradation of France by S & P should increase the willingness of European regulatory agencies. Details of the measures to be adopted.

Suspend a rating

The Commission will decide to suspend the rating of a State in case of excessive volatility or if the country is under European aid program. The decision can be explained by the previous in Greece.

Attack to justice agencies

Any investor can now sue an agency and ask for damages when it deems necessary. Brussels wants to create "a European framework of liability in case of serious misconduct or gross negligence." A new measure that should appeal to France after the "true-false" degradation Standard and Poor's.

Impose a turnover in the agencies

Brussels wants to put some competition in the "Big Three", Moody's, Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings. The idea of ​​creating a European agency was dropped, now Brussels wants to impose a rotation to the actors who are noted. Clearly, companies and states will be required to change agencies every three years, to encourage competition between agencies. But the idea is not only criticized by the rating agencies but also by some of their clients.

Net income for the Swiss reinsurer has more than doubled in the third quarter to $ 1.35 billion (988 million) against 618 million in the comparable period in the previous year.

Swiss Re said the performance by "a moderate level of natural and unique effects positive."

Premium income rose to 5.74 billion against 5.05 billion a year earlier.

The combined ratio, a key indicator of operating profitability in the sector, however, has deteriorated to 80.8% against 76.4% last year.The combined ratio was expected at 89.7%.

The world's second largest reinsurance confirmed its medium-term objectives, for an ROE of 700 basis points above the average over five years and an average annual growth of 10% of earnings per share.

"Our financial targets in 2011-2015 reported in February 2011 is our top priority and we are fully dedicated," said CEO Stefan Lippe in a statement.

The group also expects a modest turnaround in the market but general damages, liability and accidents.

The hotel group Accor is always operating income in 2011 of between 510 and 530 million euros. It builds on the pursuit of "sustained activity in Q4 2011 in the absence of signals of a slowdown in demand."

Accor has achieved sales of 1.623 million euros in the third quarter, against 1621.8 million expected by analysts according to Thomson Reuters consensus I / B / E / S. On a comparable basis the increase was 5.8% (4.52% expected) and 2.7% as reported.

The Bank of France reiterated Monday its forecast of growth of 0.1% of the French economy in the third quarter, based on the results of its latest monthly business survey.

In September, "industrial activity has remained stable, the contraction in the automotive and manufacturing equipment was offset by the increase observed in the food industry and some sectors of production of consumer goods" said she.

The Bank of France said that the forecasts of business leaders expect a continuation of the stability of industrial activity in the coming months. Services could, in turn, suffer from a slowdown in activity.

Thursday, INSEE had indicated anticipate GDP growth of 0.3% for the third quarter, a more optimistic prediction than the Bank of France.But the institute expects a stagnation in activity over the last three months of the year highlighting the sharp deterioration in the economic climate in the euro area during the summer.

The indicator of business climate in France has lost eight points between July and September to $ 97 in its long-term average of 100.

INSEE also announced Monday that industrial production rose by 0.5% in August while economists polled by Reuters on average expected a contraction of 1%.

"It's always good to take.PMI surveys suggest already predict a decline in output, which shows that this sector should not escape the impact of slower global growth and lower domestic demand against a background of escalating crisis debt in the euro area ", says Joost Beaumont, economist at ABN Amro.

Markit PMI surveys among purchasing managers have shown last week a contraction of manufacturing and for services, the lowest growth for two years.

The only support activity at year end could then once again to come from household consumption, unless the sovereign debt crisis incentive for consumers to save more.

According to Insee, the saving rate of French households has reached 17% in the second quarter, its highest level since the third quarter of 2009.

"It is fundamental that there is a policy coordination between countries to weather the current international situation," said Brazilian President Rousseff after meeting officials of the European Council and Commission in Brussels.

"The absence of effective regulation of the financial system is causing the problem," she said.

The economy dominated an annual summit that normally relations in trade and investment.The inability of the EU to find an effective parry to his debt problems upset Brasilia, Washington and Beijing, while market confidence is affected by fears of a global recession.

The leaders of both parties were critical financial regulation more effective in preventing future crises and to prevent national economic problems will spread to other countries or regions.

"We need to overhaul the global financial architecture in order to avoid financial crises in the future," said Herman Van Rompuy later, European Council President, representatives of business circles in Europe and Brazil.

GROWTH, advocates Rousseff

The EU leaders, who will meet this month before the G20 summit scheduled for November in Cannes (France), will have a more united front against economic hardship, said Van Rompuy.

"A strong and coordinated action is necessary to prevent the global economy falls into recession. The EU and Brazil will cooperate closely to prevent this from happening at the G20 summit in Cannes, he added.We must cooperate more on trade and exchange rates. "

Dilma Rousseff, whose country has itself gone through a debt crisis in the 1980s before re-emerge as a major economic power, said that "holders of tax adjustments recession" made when Brazil had problems of debt, had aggravated his stagnation.

"We can end the crisis by stimulating economic growth," she said on the occasion of his first visit to the EU as president.

The EU is the largest trading partner of Brazil, and European investments in this country represent more than all of those of the Union in China, India and Russia.

Brazil wants greater involvement of the EU's leading industries such as telecommunications, oil extraction and refining. For its part, the EU hopes to benefit from a Brazilian economy that recorded last year a growth rate of 7.5%, its fastest in 24 years.

However, discussions on a free trade agreement between the EU and the South American bloc Mercosur, dominated by Brazil and Argentina, are deadlocked.