Sales of cement, concrete and asphalt decreased by double digit percentages in Europe and the net profit after minority interests stood at 10 million Swiss francs (8.32 million euros), far from the 41.2 million expected by analysts polled by Reuters.

Revenues increased 2.2% to 4.76 billion Swiss francs, compared with 4.718 billion consensus giving.

"The harsh winter has resulted in numerous decisions of sites in Western and Eastern Europe in February," said the second world cement in a statement. 

Cement producers, firms in a particularly energy intensive, face higher costs of fuel and electricity.

Holcim said it could offset the rising costs by raising prices, but Africa and the Middle East. As Lafarge, he observed that the costs of energy and transport seemed to stabilize.

European competitors Holcim, Lafarge and whose German HeidelbergCement, have warned that they would fall under their prices to offset rising energy costs. Holcim said it reverberate cost increases caused by inflation.

The Swiss group, which generates more than half of its turnover in emerging markets, expects increased demand for building materials in Asia, Latin America, Russia and Azerbaijan this year. It also provides an increase in demand in North America.

The social network plans to complete the transaction in the current quarter.

Instagram was launched in January 2011 and now has thirty million users. The application allows in particular to apply filters and effects to photos taken with a smartphone.

This acquisition is unexpected since Facebook is preparing an IPO.

"This is an important step for Facebook because it's the first time we acquire a company and a product as accrued," said the Director General General of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg.

The country had 18,000 job seekers less than in February in seasonally adjusted data (CVS), to 2,841,000, while economists polled by Reuters had pre saw a decline of only 10,000.

In raw data, the number of unemployed fell by 82,000 to 3,028,000 and the rate of unemployment has fallen from 7.4% to 7.2%.

Qatar Holding, one arm of sovereign investment fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), said holding 12.83% stake in Lagardere and have surpassed the 10% voting rights, to 10.05%.

Qatar Holding says it reserves the right to further increase its stake in the company but said not wanting to take control. 

However, it indicates that it intends to seek appointment to the supervisory board of Lagardère and "talk with any interested actors, as appropriate, to strategic partnerships to the credit ation of long-term value for shareholders, with the stipulation that there is currently no specific plans in this regard ".

Qatar says it is not targeting any merger or reorganization, liquidation or transfer, modification of activity or status of Lagardère. He also says not to consider proposed cancellation or issuance of securities of Lagardère.

Nobody was immediately available for comment at Lagardère announced.

The Qatari fund became the largest shareholder Lagardère in December with 10.07% of the capital, before the family Lagardère (Lagardère Capital & Management), which holds 9.6% .

The market hardly reacted to this information, the Lagardère shares remaining unchanged at 23.56 euros at noon in a market down by 0.75%.

Lagardère has suffered a heavy loss in 2011 (707 million), due to massive write-downs on past sports. (See)

This diversification strategy considered by Arnaud Lagardère, General Partner of the group, ended last year with an operating loss of six million euros, after performance trading below expectations, loss of contract disputes and more.

At their next meeting in April, the G20 agreed to agree on a financial firewall around 2,000 billion dollars (1.487 billion euros) to prevent European debt crisis from spreading and threatening the global recovery.

This would be the most ambitious effort since the 2008 financial crisis, when the G20 has reached 1,000 billion dollars to save the global economy. 

In an unexpected turn, Germany announced that it would decide in March on strengthening the European bailout fund, an initiative it excluded so far and that many G20 countries consider essential before any increase IMF resources.

For many partners in the euro area, it is indeed the first European leaders to implement the necessary means to control the risks of contagion from the debt crisis, for example by combining lending capacity of its two mechanisms of financial stability, the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) and the European Financial Stability Mechanism (MES ).

This would bring their firepower combined with some 750 billion euros. 

G20 countries would then be more inclined to answer the call of the IMF, who wants more than double its capacity to respond by raising $ 600 billion of additional resources.

Added together, all these measures would create a global financial firewalls of about 1,950 billion.

The question of strengthening the bailout funds in the euro area is on the agenda of the European Council of March 1 and 2.

Japan and Britain have reiterated over the weekend that they would refuse to increase their contributions to the IMF as countries in the eurozone will not self-reinforced ; their own firewall facing the debt crisis. 

"I expect that the debate on strengthening the capacity of the IMF loan is progressing as long as the problem of European debt crisis is resolved by the G20 meeting in Washington in April, "said Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi.

The Court of Auditors on Wednesday launched its annual report in 2012 a call for greater efforts to meet the commitments of France to redress its finances, the government sent out and one who will succeed him in the spring after the presidential election. France has committed to reduce its public deficit to 4.5% of GDP this year and returning in 2013 to the EU limit of 3%. The government then plans to reduce the deficit to one point per year to break even in 2016 for the first time since 1974. In 2011, the deficit should be below the target of 5.7%, according to the Government.

The Court of Auditors estimated that the structural deficit in France – excluding the impact of the economic crisis-was 5% of GDP in 2010, "far more than the European average", and was reduced by approximately 0.5 points in 2011 after being virtually unchanged in 2010. "This is encouraging," said Didier Migaud. But "at this rate it would take ten years to return to equilibrium, rather than the five recommended by the Court." One programmed for 2012 would be 1.25 percentage points in 2012 if government targets are achieved. This effort "is more important and has been exceeded only twice in the past 20 years," welcomes the report of the Court, but "it requires but a slowdown in spending that is not yet acquired."  

New anti-deficit needed in 2012

Suddenly, the deficit target of 4.5% of GDP this year, against 5.3% or 5.4% expected for 2011, remains "elusive" and that returning to the European ceiling of 3% in 2013 "more difficult" because based on forecasts of growth and tax revenues as too optimistic. The Court of new anti-deficit may be needed from this budget minister Valérie année.La Précresse fought back: new data on 2011 permit "to consider with great serenity achievement" by the Government's deficit reduction goals, she said on Europe 1 this morning. "Much of the road ahead will remain in 2013 and 2014", for its part considers Didier Migaud. The public deficit is still 110 billion euros.

The Court emphasized the gap is being created with Germany, the other economic heavyweight of the euro area. In Germany, the ratio of debt to GDP began to decline, she notes, while increasing in France. "The primary balance in 2012, that is to say, after payment of debt interest, remain negative in France, 1.7% of GDP, while in Germany it would be positive to the tune of 1.3 %, "said Didier Migaud.

To narrow the gap, the Court finds that there is still room on the side of the 500 tax loopholes totaling 73 billion euros in 2010. It calls for a reduction of 15 billion euros, against 10 so far. Efforts must focus both on the state-which funds more than 1,300 interventional devices, local and corporate accounts (health, retirement, unemployment etc.)., Says the Court. "Constraints must weigh heavy on social security spending. They represent 46% of public spending and can no longer be financed on credit," said Didier Migaud.

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 .

The EBIT of the company thus stood at 330 million euros for the three months to September against 244 million a year ago.Turnover increased 20% over the period.

Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext have until Nov. 8 to communicate officially to the European Commission their responses to concerns in Brussels about their merger, said last week a source close to the matter.

For now, officials of the two stock exchange operators are still reading and analyzing the "statement of objections" sent to them by the Commission on October 5, it says. This release contains the objections of the EC to the merger in terms of competition.

The agreement to acquire the operator of stock exchanges of New York and Paris by the operator of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange was concluded in February.The merger will create the world's largest exchange operator.

Earlier in the day, another source said that European regulators should organize on October 27 an oral examination of the merger.

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 rating agency notes that Spanish banks continue to suffer from the economic crisis over the next 15 to 18 months.

S & P has placed Spain in category 4 (cons from 3) of the scale "Bichri" (Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment), which is 1 for countries with the strongest to the weakest 10.

Among the countries in Group 4, one finds including the Czech Republic, Israel, South Korea, Mexico and Slovakia.