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.

These sales were up 16.4% over the same period a year earlier to 52.4 billion (39.25 billion euros), according to data released Sunday by the National Federation of the distribution ( NRF).

A total of 226 million people traveled between Thursday and Sunday in stores or on online sales sites.This is also an unprecedented level, compared with 212 million last year.

Among the big winners of the weekend appears Best Buy, one of the stores that opened its doors at midnight on the night of Thanksgiving.

The fines amounted to 300,000 euros and 150,000 euros EIM France for Alternative Leaders France (ALF), the AMF said in a statement.

The exhibition of these two companies to the Madoff fraud was at the time of the revelation of it, from 63.5 million to three million ADRs and for ALF, said the AMF.

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 number two manufacturer of sporting goods after Nike has identified three times its sales prospects this year.

The German group now expects growth in its turnover by nearly 12%, adjusted for exchange rate changes, against a target of 10% previously announced, the company announced Thursday.

For 2012, Adidas is an increase from 10 to 15% of its earnings per share, a year that will be paid by the UEFA Cup and 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Its turnover is expected to grow between 5 and 10% next year, adjusted for currency movements.

The group's operating income in the third quarter 2011 rose 7.3% to 441 million euros, in line with analysts' expectations, which stood at 442 million.

The quarterly revenue rose to 3.74 billion euros, slightly higher than the expected 3.65 billion.

The French are quite happy in their lives, and they are all the more as their incomes rise, according to a study released Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INSEE). "In France in 2010, when we ask people to indicate their level of satisfaction in life, they meet an average of 7.3 on a scale of 0 to 10", is the INSEE.

This study was conducted following the report presented in 2009 by Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz.This report commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested to complete the measurement of economic growth, currently estimated by the gross domestic product (GDP), indicators of "well being" taking into account the non-market activities (housework, leisure …) or inequality.

The money buys happiness

According to INSEE, 92% of respondents said a satisfaction greater than or equal to 5, and 60% even give themselves a score between 7 and 9. "The satisfaction increases systematically with the standard of living," said he: it rose from an average of 6 to 10% of the most modest at 7.8 for the 10% most affluent.Similarly, the French have more difficulties, to make ends meet month to pay their bills or have adequate housing, more dissatisfaction is high.

However, most high-income, "plus gain satisfaction is low and other dimensions that the income involved," said INSEE. "The money buys happiness, but only to a certain extent," he told AFP Fabrice Lenglart, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics at INSEE. "This is the first time that we assess subjective indicators. The main interest is to be correlated with objective data that we used to collect," he added.

After the material living conditions, health problems have a strong impact on the well-being felt.Other factors include age (45-49 years are the least satisfied) and the situation vis-à-vis employment (the unemployed are significantly more dissatisfied than assets). Residents of rural communities say they are on their side slightly more satisfied than city dwellers.

The study was conducted in May and June 2010 with a panel of 10,000 households representative of the so-called ordinary French metropolitan population over 16 years, interviewed face to face.

Of the 150 member lower house of parliament of the Netherlands, 96 spoke in favor of the proposal.

Now, only Malta and Slovakia have not yet given the green light.

All the parliaments of the Member States of the euro area will have to give before the expansion of EFSF to take effect.

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.

Paris closed up 1.63% to 3176.19 points (final number). London has been 1.89%, Frankfurt ended down 0.1% while New York also took up after a fall in the Dow Jones more than 5% Monday.

Milan took 0.52%, Madrid lost 0.36%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 closed up 0.32% and 300 Eurofirst gained 1.27% (a figure likely to change again).

"The ISPs, long-term investor, thus contributing to enhancing shareholder of Bull, which it intends to support the development of its various markets," said the ISP in a statement.

Bull, which employs 8,600 people, including more than 4,500 in France, is on the market of supercomputers, security and "cloud computing".

"I look forward to the arrival of the ISP, which became the third shareholder in the group after Crescendo and France Telecom," said Philippe Vannier for his part, President and CEO of Bull of the investment fund Crescendo Industries, the largest shareholder the IT group.

Action Bull closed Wednesday at 3.85 euros, a market capitalization of around 500 million euros. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has gained nearly 13% after a gain of more than 11% throughout 2010.