In contrast, the Nasdaq was up, driven by the specialist Qualcomm semiconductors.

Statistic of jobless claims was an auspicious omen for the employment figures on Friday. The weekly jobless claims fell in the United States during the week to January 28, at 367,000 against 379,000 (revised) the previous week.

Economists expect 150,000 new jobs in January from 200,000 in December, with an unemployment rate that would not move to 8.5%.

Investors have not reacted more, it seems, the intervention of the President of the Federal Reserve before a parliamentary committee. Ben Bernanke said that the European financial crisis continued to threaten the U.S. recovery and the Federal Reserve will do whatever it takes to prevent it penalizes world's largest economy.

The Dow Jones lost 11.05 points (0.09%) to 12,705.41. The S & P 500 gained 1.45 points (0.11%) to 1325.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index is 11.41 points (0.4%) to 2859.68.

The technology continued to outperform the market. Qualcomm has registered its highest level in 12 years after the quarterly that easily beat the consensus. The stock has gained 1.96% to 60.73 dollars.

The values ​​of health have instead included in the red after quarterly results released by the pharmacist Merck (-0.49%), the insurer Cigna (-3.39%) and Medical equipment manufacturer Boston Scientific (-4.1%). The sector index lost 0.41%.

Merck said on Thursday quarterly results better than expected, thanks to lower spending on research, while providing a profit in 2012 more or less stable compared to 2011, in anticipation of the arrival of its lead drug generic, anti-asthmatic Singular.

The food group Sara Lee and Kellogg have also mounted after the announcement by both companies to better than expected quarterly results and confirmation of their annual forecasts in spite of significant changes in progress.

Kellogg took 2.6% and 4.36% Sara Lee.

In a report entitled "European Economic Perspective: The Return of the recession," the rating agency forecasts growth of 0.4% for the euro area next year, following 1.5% expected this year.It has revised its forecast to 0.5% growth for France in 2012 (against 0.8% previously), 0.6% for Germany (against 1%) and 0.1% for Italy (against 0.2%).

In 2013, growth would accelerate to 1.2% for the euro area to 1.3% for France, 1.5% for Germany, 0.5% for Italy and 1.0% for Spain (after + 0.3% expected in 2012).

"We now expect a mild recession in the first half of 2012 in the euro area, before a modest rebound in the second half of the year," wrote the chief economist at S & P for Europe, Jean-Michel Six.

"The impending recession threatening Europe was first found fertile ground in Spain, Portugal and Greece, but economic problems are spreading now in the heart of the euro area, France and Spain," says it.

Valquant does not exclude a relapse "serious and imminent threat" of a market still under reconstruction, stock prices remain extremely volatile and the risk remains very important in an economy close to recession.

The analyst firm has also expanded its area of ​​neutrality on the actions between 3100 and 3700 points on the CAC 40 index.

"The shares are cheap or very cheap (…Germany is not as virtuous people think (…) The problem is that we are dealing with a debt that does not generate growth, "he said.

"PERFORMANCE DEPOSIT"

Usually difficult, the month of October was marked this year by the rebound in stock exchanges, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index containing 7.65% after falling by about 18% in the first nine months of 2011.

Cyclical stocks have supported this rebound thanks to a renewed optimism, automotive bouncing from 15.75% last month after a decline of 27.21% between January and September, and the building containing 11 , 64% (-25.88% over the first nine months).

The German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble estimates that 17 countries in the euro area could introduce a tax on financial transactions, even if other states of the European Union are opposed, in an interview published Monday in the Financial Times. The euro area could be used to test the effectiveness of such a tax and thus convince the United Kingdom to join it, according to Mr.Schäuble hopes that an agreement on the issue at the G20 summit on Thursday and Friday in Cannes (south-eastern France).

The United States and Canada, but also China and Russia have opposed such a tax, new version of the "Tobin Tax" advocated for years by associations fighting against poverty, and that Paris and Berlin are now calling their wishes. The Europeans have agreed to implement this tax in Europe and the European Commission should make proposals to this effect soon. But within the EU several countries are opposed, as the United Kingdom who fears for his financial center of London and Sweden.

Greece was paralyzed Wednesday by a new general strike in two days the call of public service unions and the private sector who hope to reduce the government faces a new set of austerity before Parliament. The fifth general strike since the beginning of the year – the second 48 hours since late June – comes as the country is already disturbed by categorical stops working like scavengers against which the government plans to use the army.

Few professional groups have not called to stop work, from government officials, tax officials, doctors and teachers to the sailors, taxi drivers, traders and managers of gas stations. Even the bakers should join the movement. Public transport idling Wednesday morning. Bus drivers stayed at home but the metro was operating from 6am this morning. Air traffic controllers have decided to stop working 12 hours.

The two main unions in the country, the private sector GSEE and ADEDY for the public, have called for demonstrations in the capital Athens at midday.This show of force aimed at reducing the government, which decided to further austerity measures to meet the demands of creditors of the country, which make it a condition to payment of a new tranche of aid necessary to prevent Greece bankruptcy altogether.

Countries of the European Union could agree Sunday on a new debt reduction Greek more important than that which was decided on July 21 in agreement with the banks, hoping to stem the debt crisis in the euro area that threatens Italy and Spain. In addition to lay-off of 30,000 public sector employees by the end of 2011 and a single wage grid for the officials, the bill under discussion in Parliament provides for a freeze on collective agreements, paving the way for cuts wages in enterprises in the private sector.

"This means that our employers will be able to impose any salary, though we can not oppose it. It is a serious challenge to the rights of employees", judged Tuesday night Irene, an architect of a thirty year will be on the street Wednesday.

"According to preliminary data, the public deficit in 2010 is estimated at 24.1 billion euros (10.6% of GDP)", the office announced in a statement.

The volume of public debt in 2010 was also revised upward to 144.9% of GDP, against 142.8% in the previous estimate.

Illustration of the urgency of the matter: Paris and Brussels talks continued Saturday for an orderly dismantling of Franco-Belgian group Dexia, the first European victim of the bank debt crisis.

Germany and France have so far given conflicting discourses on the best way to strengthen banks weakened by the devaluation of their holdings of sovereign debt of countries "devices" in the euro area and by the recent turmoil in the markets Financial.

Paris would prefer to use the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) to recapitalize their own banks, while Berlin insists on booking this instrument of last resort actions, such as support to Greece.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), meanwhile, estimates that the capital requirements of banks could reach 200 billion euros, the equivalent of half the resources of EFSF.

The Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, said Saturday that the necessary capital to strengthen banks' balance sheets could come from different sources but the overall bill would in any case heavy.

"I think everyone agrees that far exceed 100 billion (euros)," he told reporters on the sidelines of an economic conference in Dublin.

"I know some of the major German banks with which I myself have discussed plan to raise money in the market, so there will be a private financing. Other banks would have EFSF funds. Others depend on their government to provide capital, there will be many ways to do this, "he added.

EACH SETTING THE CONDITIONS

Some officials believe that forcing many major financial institutions to accept public funding would not make the best use of European resources.The banks, themselves, fear that this strategy branding some of them and inflame tensions in the markets.

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported Saturday, citing financial sources, that the first five French banks would be willing to receive 10 to 15 billion euros invested by the French state on condition that Deutsche Bank, a number Germany is also increasing its capital.

The CEO of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann, is opposed to any entry of the state capital of his group and he ruled out a capital increase.

A spokesman for Deutsche Bank reiterated Saturday that double principled position and declined to comment further.

Nicolas Sarkozy, who received Saturday the Executive Director International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, to arrive in Berlin in mid-afternoon on Sunday for a meeting and a working dinner with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Their discussions will be devoted to the preparation of the G20 summit in Cannes in early November and that the European Council and summit of the euro area provided 17 and 18 October, while Seventeen still struggling to implement the new mechanisms supposed to solve the debt crisis.

In Slovakia, in fact, the various parties in the ruling coalition Saturday remained at odds over ratification of the Europe Agreement of 21 July which provides for the strengthening of EFSF, one of the smaller parties placing conditions on his support.

Slovakia and Malta are the last two countries in the euro area has not ratified the agreement in July that some regional leaders believe already passed.

The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, has acknowledged in an interview with FAZ that Europe may have underestimated the resources needed to reduce the burden under which plunged Greece.

"The risk is high to see this crisis about a further escalation and spread," he added.

A view shared by the Greek representative at the IMF, for which the financing needs of Athens will be higher than current estimates.

"This lack of funding will be covered either by an increase of 109 billion loan decided on July 21 or by a private debt restructuring," he told the Greek daily Imerisia.

The Greek economy will contract by 2.5% next year, following a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.5% expected this year, according to the 2012 budget proposal sent to the country's parliament Monday.

These forecasts are darker than those used to calculate the final in Athens bailout 109 billion euros, which was banking on a return to a growth of 0.6% next year.

The Greek government admitted Sunday he would miss this year's deficit targets that were assigned by its international donors.Athens anticipates a deficit of 8.5% of GDP in 2011, while the EU and the IMF at the planned 7.6%.

The Socialist government of George Papandreou has already announced new austerity measures to try to reduce the budget deficit next year to 6.8% of GDP in 2012 to an original target of 6.5% .

BANKS COULD PAY MORE

The fiscal slippage of Athens could complicate the ongoing negotiations on the second Greek bailout, analysts said.

"In the political debate in Germany, this will probably be used to request the renegotiation of the entire bailout and greater involvement of private investors," said Holger Schmieding, economist at Berenberg Bank.

If the "troika" of donors in Greece – European Union, International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank – concluded in their report due this month that the financing needs of Greece will be greater than expected due of the recession, banks may be required to contribute more than the discount of 21% in July.

The "troika" continue for the time to peel the accounts of Greece and has not given the green light to the payment of a new tranche of eight billion euros vital to prevent the country from be insolvent soon this month, sources said Monday.

Vice Minister of Finance had previously Oikonomou Pantelis said the discussions were over, but for the most part, the sources that have direct knowledge of the case, they are far from it.

Finance ministers of the euro area (Eurogroup) met in Luxembourg on Monday and they had to do even more pressure on the Greek government to implement more forcefully the reforms planned by the international bailouts.

The second plan, set in July, includes in particular the private sector is participating in a plan to exchange debt at a discount.Athens wants at least 90% of the creditors participating in the project goes forward.

The skepticism seems in order in the markets about the ability of Europeans to stem the crisis in Greece, especially after the latest financial reports of the country.

The country's debt should represent 172.7% of GDP next year against an estimate of 161.8% for 2011, according to the draft budget of Athens. The unemployment rate has meanwhile increased to 15.2% this year and to 16.4% in 2012.

Michael Fuchs, vice president of the coalition CDU / CSU to power in Germany, the case is heard: Greece is indeed bankrupt. "There is probably no alternative for us to accept a deletion of at least 50% of its debt," said he.

The continuing crisis in the euro area and new signs of slowing global economy led to a sharp correction in equity markets, lower long-term rates and a rising dollar.

Governments and institutions in the euro area must act quickly to resolve the crisis of sovereign debt at the risk of contagion in the global economy, said seven of the leaders of the G20 in a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, France chairing the G7 and G20.

In their letter, the leaders of Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Great Britain, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea are asking the leaders of the euro area to examine "all options to ensure long term stability of the second most widely used international currency in the world."

The U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has also been more urgent considering that it was more important to contain the crisis to support European growth and that it was essential to mobilize sufficient resources to avoid a default of Greece.He expressed confidence that Europe make more bold to resolve the crisis in the weeks and months ahead.

The European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) will be fully operational and strengthened in the second half of October, said European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn.

However, he felt that the Eurobonds, presented by their proponents as a solution to the debt crisis, would become "junk bonds" without better coordination of European economic policies.

The publication of purchasing managers index (PMI) showing a contraction in private sector activity in the euro area and China has fueled the drop in equity markets, the European indices yielding around 5.0 % in closing while the U.S. indices gave up over 3.0% in mid-session.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the G20 meeting in Washington at the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, will discuss the crisis on Thursday night during a dinner but it is not anticipated that 'they publish a statement on the responses they intend to make.

THE EURO IN DANGER, SAYS STUDY OF THE ECB

The single European currency is at risk because of uncontrolled spending of the States of the euro zone and the debt crisis that ensued, warns a study by the European Central Bank (ECB), co-authored by Jürgen Stark, who has since resigned, because he seems to agree with the policy of buying government bonds introduced by the ECB in the fight against debt crisis in the euro area.

"The budgetary imbalances sharp rise in the euro area as a whole and the extreme situation of some individual countries could undermine the stability, growth and employment, as well as the sustainability of economic and monetary union ( EMU) itself, "it said in the study whose publication has plunged the euro fell to a seven-month low against the dollar, less than $ 1.35.

The European Committee of systemic risk (ESRB), new financial regulatory authority of the European Union, for its part warned that the consequences of the crisis of sovereign debt had significantly increased risks of financial instability in Europe.

"The high degree of interconnection within the EU financial system led to a rapid increase in the risk of contagion significantly.This threatens the financial stability within the EU as a whole and has negative consequences on the real economy in Europe and beyond. "

The ESRB, chaired by Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, called for a "quick and decisive action" of the euro zone leaders whose efforts to contain the crisis is widely perceived as inadequate and too slow.

According to the ESRB, national supervisors "should coordinate their efforts to strengthen bank capital (…) taking into account the need for a transparent and consistent exposure to sovereign issuers."

Executive Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, renewed his call for a recapitalization of banks in Europe including the leaders of the institutions concerned and the governments of several countries in the euro area had downplayed the need for highlighting the strength of bank balance sheets in the zone.

Speaking on the eve of the G20 and the IMF, the Canadian Minister of Finance was alarmed by the possibility of credit crunch if the Europeans could not settle the Greek problem, by far the most critical within the euro area.

"The first item on the agenda …is that Europe needs to accelerate, they must resolve the issue of Greece, "said Jim Flaherty, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Otherwise the market will prevail and we will have some form of crisis, it will become a banking crisis, affecting banks around the world, and we have a new credit crisis will cause a contraction of the real economy.We need to fix this, "he said.

The lack of solution to the crisis continued to weigh on European banks, the first of which French banks because of their exposure to Greece and Italy.

BNP Paribas has categorically denied being in search of investors for a capital increase and reiterated the line of French banks that it can cope with the debt crisis in the euro area without injection of capital.

A source based in Qatar had told Reuters on Wednesday that the emirate was in talks with BNP and other French banks about possible equity participation.

BNP Paribas finished Thursday's session down 5.7%, while Credit Agricole dropped 9.49% and 9.57% Societe Generale, while the sector index of European banks plunged to 7.26%.

Degradation by Moody's credit ratings of two of the largest French banks came to illustrate the growing risks to the European financial sector of a deepening crisis.In particular, Moody's said the one notch downgrade of the rating on Societe Generale and Credit Agricole by exposure to the Greek debt.

President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel were to meet with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in the late afternoon.

No official communication is provided at the end of the conference, which takes two days to an informal meeting of EU finance ministers, in Wroclaw, Poland, with the participation of exceptionally U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Meanwhile, France and Germany have reiterated their opposition to the issuance of Eurobonds.

In Paris, the budget minister Valérie Pécresse reiterated the position of France, that these bonds could only be "the culmination of a process of consolidation in the euro area" and a convergence of fiscal policies, and not a starting point.

In Berlin, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance said that Germany was always hostile to it waiting to see what the European Commission will propose.

The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said in the morning before the European Parliament that the EC will soon propose options for the introduction of euro bonds. It would, at this stage that a technical document that lists the available options and nothing says that member states of the EU finally choose to embark on this path.

THE BRICS also consider ASSISTANCE

José Manuel Barroso warned, however, that in case of issue of eurobonds would not provide an immediate solution to the problems of Europe.And the Commissioner of Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn was wanted by recalling that a prudent option amounting to euro bonds was proposed in May 2010 for countries sharing the single currency, which had rejected.

However, these comments supported the euro, which hit a high of 1.3742 to dollar days before returning to around 1.3690 in mid-afternoon.

Sign of the nervousness of investors, European equity markets that had erased their losses after the initial declaration of the President of the EC, significantly reduced their earnings to 16.30, traders citing a possible postponement of the vote in the second rescue plan by the Greek the Austrian Parliament, scheduled Sept. 21 but retoqué in committee.

Bank stocks, the volatility remains high, were all divided down in Paris in the afternoon.Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole signed the three largest declines in the CAC 40 index.

Hopes also came Wednesday from major emerging countries gathered in the club of the Brics, which should decide on the opportunity to help the euro area at their meeting in Washington Sept. 22, according to an official of the Indian Ministry of Finance.

The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have begun preliminary discussions to increase their holdings of bonds denominated in euro, had already indicated to Reuters on Tuesday an official of the Brazilian government.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the World Economic Forum in Dalian, nevertheless said China would invest more in Europe but the Europeans were on their side to avoid an extension of the debt crisis. An adviser to the Chinese central bank, Li Dakui, subsequently said that China should refrain from buying large volumes of European bonds, adding that it was important for European countries to continue their reforms.

The adoption of the austerity plan seems to Italy. The government of Silvio Berlusconi has won the confidence of the House of Deputies, the last step before the vote, in the evening, this package of measures designed to bring the country out of the crisis.