News & Financial Advice

Manutan announced Friday that its sales had increased 9.3% in third quarter 2009-2010 to 132.9 million euros, the group has enjoyed an upturn in all regions of Europe where it is present.

Of the first nine months of the year offset, net sales rose 0.2% on a constant basis and 18.7%, taking into particular account the integration of Local Businesses Camif, acquired in March last.

"The end of the first nine months of activity marks the return to growth in aggregate group," commented Manutan in a statement, without giving targets for the current year.

The German unemployment rate reached its lowest level since December 2008 but the uncertain economic outlook for 2011 could undermine this trend.

The number of unemployed fell by 21,000 in Germany in June, seasonally adjusted data, after falling 41,000 in May (revised from 45,000) to go back to 3.23 million, announced the Federal Labour Office.

The German unemployment rate displays and twelfth consecutive month of decline.

"The unemployment figures have stagnated at this level," said Andreas Scheurle, economist at DekaBank. "The economy is expected to deteriorate in 2011.This suggests that this figure should remain at this level. "

The number of unemployed for the month of May has been revised from 3,246,000 to 3,251,000 people.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged in June at 7.7% of the workforce.

Economists polled by Reuters expected a larger decline in the number of unemployed, with 25,000 applicants for fewer jobs and an unemployment rate unchanged at 7.7%.

In unadjusted data, the number of unemployed fell by 88,000 over the month to 3.153 million.

The director of the Federal Labour Office, Frank-Juergen Weise, it is possible that the number of jobseekers fell below the three million mark by the end of the year.He stressed the good economic performance in the second quarter but had doubts in 2011.

The drop in unemployment follows a surge in industrial orders in April.

"As the order books are filling up, companies must increasingly resort to stop using part-time work or new employees. However, he cautioned against being too optimistic," said Joerg Zeuner VP Bank.

The German manufacturing activity fell further in June, suggesting a slower recovery in Europe in the second half of 2010.

"The impending austerity measures to balance budgets in the euro area is already clouding the outlook," he adds."A further decline in demand would again use under pressure."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled this month a plan to achieve budgetary savings of 80 billion euros over the next four years, with the objective to comply with the requirements of the European Union by 2013.

The U.S. agency mortgage refinance Fannie Mae, which had a significant stake in the subprime crisis, said Monday in a loss of 11.5 billion dollars in the first quarter, and asked the federal Treasury to grant further 8.4 billion dollars by the end of June to offset its deficit. "Our first quarter results are due primarily to costs associated with credit, which remain high due to weaknesses in the economy and market américainde residential property," said Fannie Mae said in a statement.

The additional $ 8.4 billion requested to be added for an additional $ 15.3 billion already disbursed by the Treasury on March 31, intended to fill the deficit in December 31, 2009."Given the current trends in housing and financial markets, we continue to expect net deficits in the future, and therefore we will obtain additional funding from Treasury," the company said.

This aid, granted in exchange for preference shares held by U.S. taxpayers also costs for Fannie Mae, who had to pay first quarter dividend of $ 1.5 billion to the federal government, widening its quarterly loss Group share 13.1 billion.

The credit losses increased from the fourth quarter 2009 and first quarter 2010, from 4.1 to 5.1 billion, "reflecting the increased number of defaults, partially offset by a slight reduction in the magnitude of these losses, "the company said.

The rate of seizures has increased in the first quarter, Fannie Mae said: macroeconomic conditions and "the protracted decline in prices of residential property at the national level continue to lead to an increasing proportion of our loans go from being of default than before.

And given the minimum time for them to sell foreclosed properties (unfinished evictions, repairs, legal deadlines to allow property owners to eventually settle their debts to stay home ..), the body just to put on the market properties seizures, delaying the cash flow.

Last week, the other major parastatal mortgage refinancing, Freddie Mac, had published a quarterly loss of 7.980 billion and $ 10.6 billion requested additional assistance from Treasury.

In late March, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had estimated that the reform Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae should expect "a period of greater stability in financial markets." The Treasury had announced in late December that it would close until end 2012 loss of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

The two bodies were placed under the supervision of the U.S. government in September 2008, at the height of the crisis, when they threatened to collapse under the weight of their debt. Since then, the state has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars to keep them afloat.