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.

At 311.7 million euros, sales of the group recorded organic growth of 8.8%, Orpea said in a statement.

"The dynamics related to both France and abroad, including the continued rise of Belgium and Italy," said Yves Le Masne, CEO of Orpea, quoted in this release.

It says that the group confirmed "with serenity, its goal of a turnover of 1,230 million euros (27.5%) accompanied by sustained profitability" for the full year 2011 .

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday that the countries that continue to harbor tax havens, including a list of 11 expected to be released, would be "ostracized by the international community at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Cannes.

"We do not want to tax havens. The message is very clear, countries that tax havens will remain ostracized by the international community," he told reporters Mr Sarkozy, whose country currently chairs the G20.

According to information from Figaro OECD will publish a new list of tax havens.Switzerland and Liechtenstein can be found on the list and gray, not having done enough to be transparent. Nine other states, including Panama, the Seychelles and Botswana, are in a blacklist.

The two financial centers were committed in 2009 to challenge the secrecy and to meet the criteria of the OECD on tax information, to get out of this list. But they have failed the examination and the international body would have found that the transparency commitments were not met.

"This announcement is likely to penalize the performance of the banking sector, given the uncertainty it generates on the implementation of the Europe Agreement on Greek debt," say analysts at Natixis.

Lionel Garden, head of institutional sales at Assya Capital, believes that "the post-summit rally seems definitely over."

"Pandora's box"

"When U.S. investors will wake up, they will not like what they see. The referendum is a bad idea that falls at the wrong time. This is a big disappointment as the market hoped for unity within the euro area.

The least we can say is that the end of term Jean-Claude Trichet has not been easy. The French left the European Central Bank (ECB), after eight years of presidency, when the euro area is experiencing a critical step – critical? – Of its crisis. For if the Europe Agreement birth Thursday morning in pain is an important step in the short term, it does not eliminate all long-term risks of contagion from the debt crisis.

We do not worship nor hate Jean-Claude Trichet, as it is more consensual than cleaving – it boasts of never having been outvoted by the Governing Council of the ECB. We respect him.For he succeeded in making the institution of Frankfurt an economic and political front. The markets were suspended in any of his words at monthly conferences of the ECB on interest rates. And since Europe is in crisis, he took part in EU summits as well as leaders and heads of government of member states of Euroland.

The route of Jean-Claude Trichet

1942: Born in Lyon

1969-1971: ENA

1978-1981: Economic Advisor, Valerie Giscard d'Estaing

1986-1987: Director of the Office of Edouard Balladur, Minister of Finance

1987-1993: Director of Treasury

1993-2003: Governor of the Banque de France

2003-2011: President of the European Central Bank

Of the review of eight years as president of the ECB, it can be fierce independence vis-à-vis the Franco-German policies.No sooner did he take the levers of the ECB in November 2003, accusing Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder to gut the Stability Pact. In 2010, he opposed the will of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel to involve private investors in the rescue of Greece. But we remember also its renewed calls for member states to implement a real economic governance of the euro area. Not to mention his extraordinary responsiveness during the financial crisis in August 2007 first, then in October 2008, noting that the interbank market is frozen, the ECB is the first to lend banks as much liquidity as they wish.

The strong euro, the result of the fight against inflation

Two of his actions, however, are highly controversial.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was to participate Wednesday in a crucial European summit bears the overwhelming support of the Bundestag but conditional to negotiate a strengthening of the European Relief Fund (EFSF). German MPs had to vote at midday on a "motion" filed by the government majority and the opposition, a mission order for Mrs. Merkel.

Without going into technical details, two pages of this motion pose prohibited: no way to load even more the European Central Bank, making it taste too many Germans. And not about to spend more than 211 billion euros already pledged.Before the vote, the Chancellor still had to speak before the lower house. "It will be a long day," warned the early morning spokesman Steffen Seibert, via Twitter. "We will send a strong signal for Europe", promised Wednesday to television the secretary general of the party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel, Hermann Grohe.

"It is fitting that on such important issues the opposition (…) renounces the tactical game fan", it was bliss. In fact, the conservative chancellor for European affairs has a "grand coalition", which gathers around its own most conservative / liberal of the two main opposition parties SPD (Social Democrats) and Greens. The mission statement drafted by all parties, with the exception of the radical left "Die Linke", should be adopted by an overwhelming majority of 620 MPs.On 29 September already, when he acted for the Bundestag to ratify a first capacity building of EFSF, this "holy alliance" was played.

This massive vote of support will not prevent commentators to have dissenting voices in the majority, to see if Merkel was able to win without the votes of the opposition. He needs 311 votes for this account in his own camp. "Merkel needs the magic 311 votes to go heads up in Brussels," commented Wednesday Der Spiegel in its Internet edition. Otherwise, the Bundestag to hands-free Merkel to leverage the lending capacity of EFSF (440 billion), based on two options: to fund a "credit insurance" states in difficulty, and seek external funding, such as emerging markets.

Members recognize that with this strategy, "the risk of loss can be changed" they do not want to put more money on the table, but are willing to lose the already committed. This vote confirms the increasingly important role taken by the German parliament in the European political game, to the dismay of some partners in Germany. The Constitutional Court has recently strengthened the powers of the Bundestag, by requiring the green light for decisions involving public funds in support schemes in Europe.

This is not without boondoggles: Friday, the Assembly had decided to confine the discussion of the EFSF its Committee on Budgetary Affairs. Before you turn around Monday and to convene a plenary session. "We are treading unknown territory" with respect to working with the Bundestag, Merkel agreed Tuesday, trying to recall the division of roles."These are different tasks: a government that conducts international negotiations, and the concern for parliamentary support the widest possible," she said.

Acerbic, columnist of the daily Handelsblatt stated that "the government (had) not thought about the time arrangements for informing the parliament." And parliamentarians did not realize that their new power is synonymous with extra work, "he said.

The European Commission said Friday it would submit in the coming days proposals for a coordinated recapitalization which will allow to reassure markets worried about the resilience of the banking system facing the European financial and economic crisis.

They should be ready in time for the summit of the European Union and the euro area provided 17 and 18 October, which will give "a clear signal" on the subject, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Asked during a visit to Armenia, Nicolas Sarkozy said Berlin was "the proper place" to discuss these issues Sunday.

German and European sources, there are reports of disagreements between Paris and Berlin on the use of European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) to provide the necessary funds, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that between 100 and 200 billion euros .

For Germany, the appeal to EFSF, which has the capacity for intervention of 440 billion euros, should be a last resort, if the banks were unable to finance on the markets and whether their country are not able to provide them with public funds.

Receiving the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Angela Merkel reiterated that the EFSF should be activated "if a country can go it alone."

According to a German source, the French, whose banks have the highest exposure to the debt of the peripheral countries of the euro area, "misunderstood the EFSF" and want money from the European emergency fund is available to all financial institutions in need of capital.

In Brussels, a source close to the talks said that one option considered for the recapitalization of banks is that the countries of the euro "access to EFSF jointly."

"Perfect identity of views"

This idea, which has the support of France but not Germany, would avoid the "stigma effect for a particular country" and display a significant clout vis-to-market, a the source said.

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance has sought to minimize the differences between France and Germany, emerged from discussions within the Eurogroup in Brussels this week, ensuring that the issue had not yet been discussed between the two countries.

"Our position is no different from that of the Germans: it takes more capital for banks, banks must first find in themselves the resources, then if they find private investors outside and ultimately being considered injections of public capital, "it was said at Bercy.

"All this must be discussed at European level and must be coordinated, it is currently being considered," they added noting that the issue of "instruments of a possible recapitalization public has not yet been addressed."

Diplomatic sources in Brussels, it indicates that the position of France is motivated by the desire to maintain the AAA rating on its debt for fear that it is under pressure in case of provision of public funds to banks important.

"The main thing for France is its triple A and it grows as a result of the use EFSF (for the recapitalization)," said this source.

Paris does not further that the current debate among Europeans are limited to this single question.

"It will be among the topics discussed but the main thing about Greece and the euro area, since the banks is a consequence" of the current crisis, said the French Ministry of Economy about talks Sarkozy, Merkel on Sunday.

In announcing last week his forthcoming visit to Germany, the French president had indicated he intended to "continue the work of collaboration and coordination" between Germany and France to protect the euro.

There can be between the two heavyweights in the euro area "a perfect identity of views to resist speculation, to resist the excitement of the markets and to protect Europe," he stressed.

"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.

In a report released Wednesday, the new Budget Control Committee of Greece, composed of independent analysts, said that "a significant increase in the debt, leaving a large deficit and a deep recession have pushed to the extreme dynamics debt which is now out of control. "

"These developments seem to largely offset the positive impact" of the latest bailout of the European Union amounting to 159 billion euros agreed last month, the commission said in its report published excerpts of which are by the agency semi-state Athens News Agency.Alarmist conclusions that place the Greek government in an awkward position vis-à-vis its creditors EU and IMF. They are involved because the week that Athens is negotiating hard with the Troika of its creditors for payment of the sixth tranche of the loan.

Impatient partners to the very slow implementation of structural reforms and socially unpopular, especially in the labor market, which they consider necessary for the country inflates its coffers while finding growth. More generally, they are alarmed to see that the Greek government deficits are amplified rather than backward.

The Greek finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, has done everything to discredit the report by comparing it to a gaffe."It is clear that the Office", whose mission is to inform the relevant parliamentary committees, "has neither the knowledge nor the experience nor the responsibility" required, he said

Still, the government is forced to a large gap more and more complicated, because the measures requested by the Troika feed the recession worsens. Evangelos Venizelos has acknowledged last week that gross domestic product expected to have fallen more than 4.5% in 2011 against 3.5% originally planned.

And the public deficit – the source of all evils in the country – already stands at 14.69 billion euros in the first half of 2011, a target of 16.68 billion for the whole year.

In an attempt to fill part of the hole, including the authorities decided to increase from 10 points on Thursday of VAT on catering, from 13 to 23%, as unpopular in a country for tourism. A host of other measures are also on track, but no results are yet ringing and stumbling measurable in macroeconomic terms.

During the summer, some new problems were added, after the extraordinary EU summit on 21 July, which decided last minute a new plan to help the country involving states with hundreds of private banks.

Among the main, is the reluctance of some countries such as Finland, fueled by the rise of nationalism, hand to hand to the portfolio in Greece, if it did not "guarantee" of repayment.

The leaders of the euro area have given a rescue plan of 109 billion euros in July in Greece to avoid bankruptcy in the country. The private sector has also advanced 50 billion euros.