Microsoft:aperto anche nel settore dell'intrattenimento

Si scrive Microsoft e si legge «avanti tutta». Dopo aver assestato un colpo nella telefonia mobile, acquistando il produttore finlandese Nokia, a partire da oggi il servizio Xbox Music di brani musicali in streaming sarà disponibile gratuitamente per tutti via web.
Adesso, dopo due mesi e poco più di primi passi mossi nel recinto dei propri clienti, Xbox Music apre all'intera utenza. Lo streaming gratuito è accompagnato da messaggi pubblicitari. 
Puntando su musica e intrattenimento,ilcolosso alla ricerca di un Ceo dimostra di volersi confermare come realtà attiva sul fronte di dispositivi e servizi e non solo su quello del software, come ha commentato l'analista di Raymond James Michael Turits. Piaccia o no, questa è la bicicletta (per cercare di rimanere competitivi). Microsoft ha deciso di pedalare con convinzione.

Corriere dell Sera

Russian proposal opens new U.S. options in Syria strike debate

Russia's potential "breakthrough" plan to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control but would keep the pressure on Damascus by asking Congress to authorize U.S. military strikes.
 Obama said "he would pause any military action if Syria would relinquish control of its chemical weapons arsenal".

Congress sought to buy more time to explore Russia's offer. Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid pushed back a Wednesday test vote on authorizing military strikes to possibly later in the week.

"I don't think we need to see how fast we can do this. We have to see how well we can do this," Reid told his colleagues.

Kerry suggested in London, in response to a reporter's question, that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a military strike by surrendering his chemical arsenal.

Russia pounced on the comment, and Syria also said it was open to a proposal to put the weapons under international control.

Obama said he prefers a diplomatic solution in Syria, but is still sceptical.

Source: Reuters

Les fabricants d'ordinateurs: l*avenir les tablettes-PC

Chez Lenovo, on dit "PC Plus". Chez Sony, il s'agit d'"hybrides", tandis que chez Acer on évoque plus prosaïquement les "tablettes-PC". A l'IFA, le Salon européen de l'électronique grand public qui se termine mercredi 11 septembre à Berlin, le petit monde du PC parle d'une seule et même voix : l'avenir passe par l'avènement d'appareils "tout-en-un", combinant les avantages de la tablette et ceux de l'ordinateur portable.

Lors de la présentation de leurs nouvelles gammes de produits, Lenovo et Sony ont tous deux fait la part belle à ce segment balbutiant. L'un a dévoilé la seconde version de sa Yoga, et l'autre son Vaio Fit. Deux modèles de PC-tablettes relativement similaires.

"Avant, l'ordinateur ne disposait que de deux interfaces, clavier et souris. Désormais, il existe aussi le tactile. La forme du produit évolue donc", explique Gianfranco Lanci, directeur Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique de Lenovo, le groupe chinois, numéro un mondial du PC depuis juillet.

I droni che consegnano pacchi sul balcone

Un abitante della città cinese di Dongguang, nel sud del Paese, ha fotografato un oggetto volante non identificato che volava a bassa quota e ha pubblicato l'immagine su Weibo. Non si trattava però di un Ufo, dato che l'oggetto riportava il logo di una nota compagnia di spedizioni locale, la SF Express. Era semplicemente una delle prima sperimentazioni di consegna a domicilio tramite drone, un'usanza che promette di diffondersi presto a Pechino e dintorni grazie alla legislazione più lassista rispetto a quelle di altri Paesi. 
Non si conoscono i dettagli tecnici del drone, dato che la SF Express non ha voluto rivelarli completamente. Quel che si può vedere dalle immagini e capire da quel che è emerso dai servizi dei media locali è che si tratta di un drone a 8 rotori, in grado di volare a una quota massima di cento metri, con una buona autonomia, una capacità di carico stimata intorno ai 3 kg e dotato di un sistema di navigazione satellitare in grado di renderlo autonomo nel viaggio. La consegna avviene con un margine di errore di due metri, correggibile da un operatore da remoto. Di sperimentazione si tratta ma le prospettive per un suo impiego sono ottime, almeno a sentire i commenti di SF Express. La soluzione si presta a risolvere problemi di consegna durante le ore in cui il traffico a terra è congestionato. Ma è potenzialmente interessante anche l'applicazione per le consegne in località rurali impervie e remote e per la consegna 'al piano', o meglio 'alla finestra', nei sempre più numerosi grattacieli cinesi. 

Corriere Della Sera

Kazakhstan will sell 8.33% of Kashagan oil project to China

 Chinese President Xi Jinping struck a deal with Kazakhstan on Saturday giving China a stake in its giant Kashagan oil project, a highlight of his tour of Central Asia to secure hydrocarbons for the world's largest energy consumer.

The $5 billion deal further increases China's rising clout in post-Soviet Central Asia, once Russia's imperial backyard, and blocks an attempt by global rival India to get a stake in the oilfield, the world's largest oil discovery in five decades.

"The two countries have agreed on China's shareholding in the development of the Kashagan deposit," Xi told a news briefing after talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"The two governments hail and support this agreement."

Oil and gas deals, including on building an oil refinery in Kazakhstan, are among 22 agreements worth some $30 billion reached during Xi's visit, Nazarbayev said.

Under the Kashagan deal, Kazakhstan will sell 8.33 percent of the offshore oilfield in the Caspian Sea to China for about $5 billion.

CNPC will also pay up to $3 billion to cover half of Kazakhstan's financing of the second phase of Kashagan's development, KazMunaiGas head Sauat Mynbayev told reporters. This phase is expected to start after 2020.

Another draft agreement, seen by Reuters, would guarantee loans from The China Development Bank and The Export-Import Bank of China - worth respectively $3 billion and $5 billion - to Kazakhstan's state holding firm Baiterek, which promotes innovation and industrial projects.

The Kazakh deal comes after Astana decided in July to use its pre-emptive right to buy an 8.4-percent stake in Kashagan that U.S. oil major ConocoPhillips was selling for $5 billion.

Houston-based ConocoPhillips, whittling down its worldwide portfolio of assets, announced last year it had agreed to sell the stake to ONGC (ONGC.NS), the overseas arm of the Indian state-run company.

The sale to CNPC blocks India's plan to enter Kashagan.

Kashagan and neighboring fields in the North Caspian hold estimated reserves of 35 billion barrels of oil, with between 9 billion and 13 billion barrels recoverable.

A multinational consortium developing the field has invested some $50 billion in about 13 years, making it the costliest oil project in the world.

During Kashagan's development, production will be gradually increased to 370,000 barrels per day in the second stage from 180,000 bpd in the first stage in 2013-14, according to North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which is developing the field.

Italy's ENI , U.S. major ExxonMobil ,Royal Dutch Schell and France's Total, each hold 16.81 percent stakes in Kashagan. Japan's Inpex  owns 7.56 percent.

Source:  Reuters

China's consumer price index slows to 2.6 percent in August

 China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, slows to 2.6 percent year on year in August, down from 2.7 percent in July, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.

China's producer price index (PPI) fell 1.6 percent in August from the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.

Precious Metals Prices 08.09.13 10.31 p.m. Eastern Time

Gold Prices  Futures     3months    US$  1,388.59

Silver Price Futures      3months    US$       23.73

Japan anticipates Olympic boost, but Fukushima shadows linger

Japan savoured its victory on Monday in the race to host the 2020 Olympic Games, anticipating an economic boost to spur its revival from two decades of stagnation and help it recover from the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The decisive win over rivals Madrid and Istanbul is also likely to strengthen the fortunes of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who put his reputation on the line in a bold gamble that victory would boost national confidence, a key ingredient in the success so far of his aggressive pro-growth policies.The economic impact of the win was estimated by the Tokyo bid committee at more than 3 trillion yen ($30 billion) with the creation of 150,000 jobs. If the Nikkei stock index follows the examples of the London and Athens bourses after those cities won the games, it could see a one to three-month rally.
But Tokyo, which in 1964 became the first city in Asia to host the Olympic games, won the right to host the world's biggest sporting extravaganza despite concerns over the leaking Fukushima nuclear plant 230 km (140 miles) from the Japanese capital.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Emerging market crisis may derail global recovery

The emerging market (EM) crisis currently under way in Asia and Latin America may derail the incipient global economic recovery, according to QNB Group. 
The financial turmoil unleashed by the Federal Reserve (Fed) announcement that it will start tapering its asset-purchasing program soon, has led to large capital flight from most EM, a large weakening of their currencies, and higher long-term interest rates globally. If the Fed starts QE tapering in its forthcoming meeting on Sept. 17-18 as announced, this is likely to unleash further EM capital flight, thus undermining their economic growth and reducing global export demand. 
This will inevitably have a knock-on effect on the relatively weak growth in the US and the incipient recovery in Europe. 
On June 19, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke announced a tapering of its QE policies contingent upon continued positive US economic data. 
This announcement marked an end to three waves of QE that have flooded US financial markets since 2009 with an estimated $2.9 trillion (19.3 percent of US GDP), according to the economic research of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

The opportunities to invest QE resources have been limited in advanced economies given the near zero interest rates in Europe,Japan and the U.S. Global financial institutions therefore used a significant portion of this liquidity to invest in EM, which offered higher returns. This led to higher EM exchange rates, lower interest rates, and to some extent higher growth momentum.

  The announcement in June 19th by  Chairman Bernanke that the Fed may, start tapering its bond buying,was like an alarm sign to Global financial Institutions(GFI).   As has been the case in previous EM crises, it pays to be the first one out of the door, because exchange rates are still high and it is easier to liquidate large financial investments when foreign exchange liquidity is still plentiful. Accordingly, GFI have rushed to liquidate their EM investments since the Fed announcement in order to cash in their capital gains and avoid being faced with policy measures that could restrict their capital movement. The result has been a panic selling of EM exchange rates. 

The Fed announcement has also lowered demand for government bonds globally, thus leading to higher long-term interest rates in EM and, to a lesser extent, in advanced economies. 

Today's EM crisis has serious implications also for advanced economies. Unlike in the 1990s, advanced economies are today more than ever dependent on EM for their own growth. China, the US, Germany and Japan were the world's largest exporters in 2012 and an increasing share of their exports have flown to emerging markets in recent years. A significant decline in EM growth would inevitably have a knock-on effect on their own exports and therefore on their growth momentum. This comes at a critical time in the global recovery, where the United States is still showing relatively weak economic growth and Europe is slowly coming out of a two-year long recession. A significant slowdown in EM economic growth could therefore put in jeopardy the recovery in advanced economies as well.

Source: Arab News

Japan Q2 GDP revised up to 0.9 pct

 Japan's economy expanded 0.9 percent in April-June from the previous quarter, government data showed on Monday, revised up from a preliminary 0.6 percent increase.

The result matched the median market forecast in a Thomson Reuters poll of economists.

The revised gross domestic product figure translates into an annualised 3.8 percent growth, up from an initial reading of 2.6 percent and against a median market forecast for a 3.7 percent increase, the data released by the Cabinet Office showed.

The upward revision underscores the view Japan's economy is on track for a moderate recovery and may heighten the case for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to proceed with a scheduled sales tax increase from next year.

Source: NewsOnJapan

CNPC sign agreement with Gazprom to import natural gas

The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said on Friday that it has signed a framework agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom to import natural gas.

The agreement is a breakthrough after years of negotiation on bilateral gas cooperation, and paves the way for a final deal that the two companies have agreed to sign at the end of this year, said the CNPC in a statement.

Gazprom will start delivering gas to China in 2018, said the CNPC.

China XD Electric, GE form alliance

China XD Electric Co., Ltd. announced on Friday a strategic alliance with the General Electric Company to tap China's vast electrical infrastructure market.

The Shanghai-listed company in May of this year transferred a 15 percent stake worth 3.38 billion yuan (546 million U.S. dollars) through private placement, making the U.S. conglomerate its second-largest shareholder after parent company China XD Group, which now holds a 51.10 percent stake.

The two companies also agreed to form a joint venture to distribute GE's electrical grid solutions to XD's local customers.

The alliance between the two companies is a crucial step for China XD Electric in implementing its "going abroad" strategies, said Zhang Yalin, board chairman of the company.

Zhang said the move would help the company build its advantages in the traditional market while serving the the structural adjustment of China's energy industry.

XD Electric will benefit from GE's advanced management experience to boost the company's "soft power" in its efforts to expand globally, he added.

Dan Janki, president and CEO of GE Energy Management, said cooperation between the two sides will enable them to offer solutions to China's rapidly growing transmission and distribution industry. The cooperation will also sharpen GE's competitiveness in the Chinese market, he said.

China XD Electric is one of China's largest primary equipment providers and exports to over 40 countries.

Source: Xinhua

China's exports rise 7.2 % in August

China's exports rose 7.2 percent year on year to 190.61 billion U.S. dollars in August, according to customs figures released on Sunday.

The growth rate was 2.1 percentage points higher than July.

Imports also rose last month, gaining 7 percent to 162.09 billion U.S. dollars, the General Administration of Customs said in a statement.

Total foreign trade grew 7.1 percent in August over the same month in 2012 to 352.7 billion U.S. dollars, said the statement.

Trade surplus widened by 8.4 percent year on year to 28.52 billion U.S. dollars last month, the highest since January this year.

Chinese authorities have exempted all outbound goods, transport vehicles and containers from inspection and quarantine fees from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31 this year.

Meanwhile, the government has pledged consistency and stability of its macroeconomic policies. Added to this, there has been a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy.

In August, imports and exports with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, rose 3.2 percent, while that with the United States, China's second-largest trade partner, rose 9.2 percent.

Trade with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members increased 13.3 percent. Trade with Japan shrank 6 percent during the period.

Mei Xinyu, a foreign trade expert at the Ministry of Commerce, said that European and U.S. economies recovered with increasing demand, while Chinese companies were given an extra competitive edge by macro stability at home.

Sunday's data showed that exports of electronics and machinery products grew by 6.7 percent to reach 106.45 billion U.S. dollars in August, accounting for 55.9 percent of total exports.

China's manufacturing sector saw a strong recovery last month, offering further signs that the world's second-largest economy is moving out of the shadows of a protracted slowdown.

Data from China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing showed that the sub-index for new export orders in August jumped to a 16-month high of 52.4 percent, which is convincing evidence of a strong recovery.

Source: Xinhua

The Global Competitiveness Index 2013-14

Europe fails to tap Caspian Sea's surging gas supplies

European countries are losing out to China in their quest to source natural gas from the Central Asian states.Moving away from dependence on Russia and Middle East hydrocarbons was a key energy objective of European countries in the 1990s, and the oil and natural gas resources along the Caspian Sea was seen as a vital alternative.
Instead, European oil dependence on Russia and the Middle East has grown from 75% in 2000 to 84% by 2010. In addition, EU reliance on gas imports has also risen from 49% to 62% during the period.
EU countries such as Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia all depend on Russia for over 60% of their gas imports. In addition, countries aspiring to be EU members such as Moldova, Turkey, and Ukraine rely on Russia for over 65% of their imports.
Central Asia is estimated to hold more than 11% of world proven gas reserves, primarily in Turkmenistan, which has lagged behind Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in attracting outside investments. 
But while China has moved swiftly to source supplies from Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Europe has been distracted by a crippling economic recession.
"European gas demand is likely to continue to struggle for the next five years, facing competition from cheaper coal and the promotion of renewables, while also suffering due to poor economic performance," said the Economist Intelligence Unit in a new report.
"As a result, the sense of urgency in opening up the Caspian region's gas supply to European customers--while still viewed as important--has somewhat dissipated. Nevertheless, it is still important for south-east European states, where dependence on gas from Russia is the strongest."

Source: Zawya

China and Kazakhastan increasing economic ties

China and Kazakhstan are important cooperation partner of each other and have achieved fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation, Xi said in an address at the founding ceremony of the China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee.

China is the largest trade partner of Kazakhstan, while the Central Asian country is China's largest investment destination within the Commonwealth of Independence States (CIS), he noted.

Xi listed that China and Kazakhstan jointly built China's first cross-country crude oil pipeline and first 

international border cooperation center, and that China helped Kazakhstan construct its first major 

hydropower station since independence.

These cooperation achievements have not only brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, but also provided unremitting drive force for the development of China-Kazakhstan relations, he said.

The China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee is the first bilateral business cooperation mechanism China set up with a Central Asian country, which testifies to the high level of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries as well as their business sectors' eagerness to deepen cooperation, Xi said.

He also encouraged the committee to come up with a package of new projects in such fields as interconnection, agriculture, high-tech and clean and new energy, so as to further the development of China-Kazakhstan cooperation both in scale and on level.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, also present at the founding ceremony, said Kazakhstan and China are good partners and have made outstanding achievements in cooperation in economy and trade.

Xi's visit to Kazakhstan has prompted the two sides to reach a series of important agreements, and thereby effectively boosted bilateral cooperation, Nazarbayev said.

He said Kazakhstan is willing to expand cooperation with China in areas like energy and interconnection, and to revive the Silk Road.

Nazarbayev called on the newly founded committee to actively boost exchanges between the two countries' companies and open up a new prospect for bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment.

Source: Xinhua

Intervistato dalla Cbs, Assad ha annunciato ritorsioni in caso di attacco.

Il presidente siriano Bashar Assad minaccia una ritorsione in caso di attacco americano. E avverte che in caso di intervento armato di Usa e Francia, gli amici della Siria, le milizie libanesi di Hezbollah e l'Iran (tutti uniti dalla comune fede sciita) effettuerebbero rappresaglie. Dopo l'intervista della settimana scorsa al francese Le Figaro, il presidente siriano parla ancora con i media occidentali. E questa volta lo fa con l'americana Cbs. Quella con il giornalista Charlie Rose è la prima intervista di Assad a una emittente americana in circa due anni. Il presidente siriano ha ribadito di non essere dietro l'attacco con armi chimiche del 21 agosto, ripetendo che non ci sono prove dell'evento.

  Secondo Assad, ha riferito Rose, un attacco potrebbe diminuire le capacità delle sue truppe (come vorrebbe Barack Obama) ma così facendo si concederebbe un vantaggio alle frange qaediste dell'opposizione.

   Charlie Rose ha intervistato Assad nel palazzo presidenziale di Damasco. L'intervista sarà trasmessa interamente sulla Cbs lunedì sera, lo stesso giorno in cui il presidente americano Barack Obama concederà interviste a sei reti americane nella sua azione a tappeto per convincere il Congresso e gli americani a sostenere l'azione militare in Siria.

L'INTERVISTA AL NUMERO UNO DI VODAFONE

L'INTERVISTA AL NUMERO UNO DI VODAFONE: vendita del 45% di Verizon wireless

«Grazie alla vendita passiamo da 6 a 8 miliardi di sterline di investimenti, vuole dire circa 10 miliardi di euro di capitali da impiegare ogni anno. Il consolidamento è inevitabile. E l'Italia rimane centrale per Vodafone». La soddisfazione è scontata: con 130 miliardi di dollari si tratta del secondo più grande deal di sempre dopo Vodafone-Mannesmann (del '99) e prima, tanto per dare un'idea, della scalata di America Online a Time Warner (2000), dell'acquisizione di Abn Amro da parte di Rbs, Santander e Fortis (2007) e anche della fusione Exxon-Mobil ('98). 

Nella vendita del 45% di Verizon Wireless c'è un trade-off: da una parte Vodafone lascia gli Usa, mercato maturo che ancora produce un enorme cash-flow, dall'altra ottiene una cassa invidiabile che, forse, in questo momento non ha nessuno. Come avete ponderato la scelta? 
«Non siamo usciti dal mercato americano perché non ci siamo mai stati. In Verizon avevamo un investimento finanziario e se il brand Vodafone è oggi in America è grazie all'acquisizione di Cable&Wireless. L'investimento in Verizon ha quintuplicato il valore da quando lo abbiamo fatto. Anche Verizon migliora il suo profilo di cassa e utili grazie a una transazione che riporta loro concentrati sull'America e noi sull'Europa e sui mercati emergenti». 

In questo processo di consolidamento Vodafone è già in posizione per diventare la At&t europea? 
«Non direi che vogliamo diventare la At&t perché sembra che abbiamo bisogno di copiare le loro strategie. Siamo già l'operatore europeo per eccellenza e siamo molto forti anche in India, Africa e Oceania». 

Corriere della Sera

G20 «Siamo divisi a metà», ha detto infatti Putin.

In una dichiarazione diffusa al termine del G20, 11 Paesi (Australia, Canada, Francia, Italia, Giappone, Corea del Sud, Arabia Saudita, Spagna, Turchia, Gran Bretagna e Stati Uniti) «condannano l'attacco con armi chimiche avvenuto a Damasco il 21 agosto e di cui il regime di Assad viene ritenuto responsabile». Il documento è firmato anche dall'Italia.
 Nel documento - redatto a margine del G20 a San Pietroburgo, Russia - si «condanna in modo categorico l'orribile attacco» effettuato usando gas nocivi lo scorso 21 agosto alle porte della capitale siriana Damasco. «Le prove indicano che è il governo siriano (guidato dal presidente Bashar al-Assad) ad esserne il responsabile». I leader dei Paesi firmatari «invitano a una forte risposta internazionale a questa grave violazione delle regole, consapevoli che un chiaro messaggio verrà inviato» ossia che «questo tipo di atrocità non può mai più ripetersi. Coloro che hanno commesso questi crimini devono rispondere» delle loro azioni.
Alla fine del G20 il tanto atteso faccia a faccia tra Putin e Obama è avvenuto. Una discussione di 20 minuti, terminata però, con un nulla di fatto. Non ci sono posizioni che convergono, ha spiegato il leader russo nella conferenza stampa a lavori conclusi. E nel caso di un attacco a Damasco, Mosca sarà pronta a portare i suoi aiuti in difesa della Siria: «Stiamo già aiutando, inviamo armi, cooperiamo nella sfera economica, auspichiamo di estendere tale cooperazione al settore umanitario, che include l'invio di aiuti umanitari e il sostegno delle persone e dei civili».

«L'applicazione della forza nei confronti di uno Stato sovrano è possibile solo per autodifesa e con il mandato Onu, e non è questo il caso. Come già detto, chi agisce in modo unilaterale viola la legge internazionale , ha precisato il presidente russo facendo poi l'elenco dei paesi contrari all'intervento: «Cina, Argentina, Italia e Brasile», oltre a India e Indonesia. Putin ha incluso, in qualche modo, anche il Vaticano tra i contrari all'attacco, definendo «importante» il messaggio inviato dal Papa in questo senso. A favore di un'azione militare, ha aggiunto il capo del Cremlino, si sono espresse Usa, Canada, Turchia e Sud Corea. I due presidenti antagonisti sono d'accordo a continuare le trattative con i rispettivi ministri degli esteri.

Corriere della Sera

Azerbaijan Oil and Gas Poduction and projects

Azerbaijan, a resource-rich South Caucasus republic, forecasts growth in the oil and gas output over the long term in the backdrop of the implementation of large-scale energy projects.

The Industry and Energy Ministry announced that currently the country's proven gas reserves are at the level of 2.6 trillion cubic meters, while the oil reserves amount to 2 billion tons.

The cited indicators ensure future development of the gas industry in Azerbaijan for a period exceeding 100 years.
According to the projections, the country's oil production will hit 51 million tons in 2015.
Gas production will amount to 27.54 billion cubic meters in 2013, 29.39 billion cubic meters in 2014, and 30.19 billion cubic meters in 2015.

Azerbaijan is an important current and future supplier of both oil and natural gas. The country's largest hydrocarbon deposits are located in the Caspian Sea, particularly, the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields and Shah Deniz gas field.

Source: Azernews

Panasonic veut convaincre de sa renaissance

Coincée entre les annonces attendues de Sony et  de Samsung, celle de Panasonic n'a pas eu beaucoup de retentissements, jeudi 5 septembre, au Salon international consacré à l'électronique grand public de Berlin. Le groupe y présentait un téléviseur 4K, une technologie d'ultra-haute définition, ainsi qu'une tablette géante de 20 pouces de diagonale principalement destinée au marché professionne.

Pour la période allant d'avril à juin, l'ancien fleuron de l'électronique a enregistré un résultat net de 107,8 milliards de yen (800 millions d'euros), contre 12,8 milliards une année auparavant. Le groupe devrait même finir l'année dans le vert pour la première fois en trois ans.

Pour en arriver là, Panasonic s'est lancé dans des opérations de restructuration sans précédent. En trois ans le groupe s'est séparé de pas moins de 92 000 salariés, enregistrant au passage 236 milliards de yens d'économie entre 2012 et 2013.

Autre explication de la santé retrouvée de Panasonic : le cours du yen. La dépréciation de la monnaie nippone voulue par le gouvernement a, entre autres, permis à plusieurs géants industriels de sortir la tête de l'eau.

  Mais surtout a l'arrivé à la tête du groupe de Kazuhiro Tsuga,en juin 2012.

"L'entreprise est en train de changer fondamentalement. M. Tsuga l'a réorganisée et a décidé d'abandonner d'ici à 2015 toutes les activités qui ne réaliseraient pas au moins 5 % de marge", déclare-t-il.

"Aujourd'hui, ce sont surtout les activités professionnelles qui sont en croissance, explique M. Abadie,président directeur général de Panasonic Europe, nous fournissons par exemple les batteries de voitures électriques ou encore les écrans de divertissement pour les avions, sur lesquels nous sommes leader, avec 70 % de part de marché". Panasonic possède en outre des activités fructueuses dans la domotique et dans l'énergie.

Elle garde une présence dans le segment electonique grand public, mais a compris que ses relais de croissance étaient dans des secteurs comme l'énergie ou encore l'automobile.

Source: Le Monde

Le président de la BCE, Mario Draghi:les taux directeurs de la BCE resteraient bas "pour une période prolongée".

Le 4 juillet, le Romain a dévoilé que les taux directeurs de la BCE resteraient bas"pour une période prolongée". C'est ce qu'on appelle la forward guidance, ou le "pilotage des anticipations".

C'est une révolution pour cette institution qui, jusque-là, refusait de lâcher le moindre indice sur sa stratégie. M. Draghi emprunte là le même chemin que la Réserve fédérale américaine (Fed) et la Banque d'Angleterre (BoE), converties à ce type de communication depuis le début de la crise. "Les banquiers centraux ne se sont jamais montrés aussi transparents avec les marchés", souligne Fabrice Montagné, économiste chez Barclays.

En vérité, la BCE n'a pas vraiment eu le choix. Lorsqu'en mai la Fed, prenant acte de la reprise outre-Atlantique, a annoncé qu'elle allait stopper ses rachats massifs d'actifs, les investisseurs ont misé sur une remontée des taux américains à long terme. Et dans la foulée, sur celle des taux européens puisqu'en général le redémarrage du Vieux Continent suit de quelques mois celui des Etats-Unis.

  La crise de la dette a laissé de telles séquelles que la croissance en zone euro ne devrait pas significativement repartir avant 2015.

 Une remontée trop rapide des taux aurait pu replonger l'Espagne, le Portugal ou l'Italie dans la tourmente... Voilà pourquoi, afin de la stopper net et de modifier les anticipations des marchés, M. Draghi s'est résolu à annoncer qu'il ne changerait pas de politique avant des mois. Avec succès : les taux européens se sont détendus.

 Le défi de M. Draghi s'annonce délicat. Il va devoir faire comprendreaux investisseurs que la forward guidance à l'européenne ne répliquera pas à la lettre celle des Etats-Unis.

D'autant que la forward guidance, malgré ses atouts, n'évitera peut-être pas à la BCE de prendre de nouvelles mesures.

Source: Le Monde

Syrie : le dîner du G20 qui confirme les divisions internationales

Les dirigeants des vingt plus grandes puissances se sont retrouvées à Saint-Pétersbourg, jeudi 5 septembre, pour le premier dîner d'un G20 à l'agenda bouleversé par la Syrie. Après plusieurs jours d'échanges à distance, la tension est encore montée d'un cran entre François Hollande et Barack Obama d'un côté – qui accusent le régime de Bachar Al-Assad d'avoir tué des centaines de civils avec des armes chimiques et plaident pour une intervention militaire –,  et le président russe, Vladimir Poutine, de l'autre, qui maintient son veto.

Ce dîner n'a finalement pu que "confirmer la division" sur la Syrie, a estimé, sur Twitter, le chef du gouvernement italien Enrico Letta .

Le plus petit dénominateur commun trouvé par les leaders du G20 aura été la simple condamnation générale de l'usage des armes chimiques. "La question pour certains était de savoir qui avait utilisé ces armes chimiques. Poutine n'y répond pas. Il dit 'les uns ou les autres et sans doute les uns et les autres'", selon une source diplomatique française.

Le président américain avait, plus tôt, estimé que les leaders mondiaux devraient"admettre que l'utilisation d'armes chimiques en Syrie n'était pas seulement une tragédie, mais aussi une violation du droit international qui devait être réglée".

Peu avant ce dîner, Mme Merkel a rendu une visite impromptue à François Hollande, venant défendre en tête-à-tête sa position, partagée par la majorité écrasante des Européens : le rejet de toute intervention militaire qui serait conduite sans l'aval de l'ONU et la priorité absolue accordée à la voie politique.

Source: Le Monde

Precious Metals Prices 8.24 a.m. Eastern Time

Gold Price Futures     US$   1,383.04

Silver Price Futures    US$       23.81

The real Employment Situation in the U.S., August 2013

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- AUGUST 2013


Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 169,000 in August, and
the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.3 percent, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in retail
trade and health care but declined in information.

Household Survey Data

Both the number of unemployed persons, at 11.3 million, and the
unemployment rate, at 7.3 percent, changed little in August. The
jobless rate is down from 8.1 percent a year ago. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men
(7.1 percent), adult women (6.3 percent), teenagers (22.7 percent),
whites (6.4 percent), blacks (13.0 percent), and Hispanics (9.3
percent) showed little change in August. The jobless rate for Asians
was 5.1 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year
earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In August, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27
weeks or more) was about unchanged at 4.3 million. These individuals
accounted for 37.9 percent of the unemployed. Over the past 12 months,
the number of long-term unemployed has declined by 733,000. (See 
table A-12.) 

The civilian labor force participation rate edged down to 63.2 percent
in August. The employment-population ratio, at 58.6 percent, was
essentially unchanged. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons
(sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) declined by
334,000 to 7.9 million in August. These individuals were working part
time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable
to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)

In August, 2.3 million persons were marginally attached to the labor
force, down by 219,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not
seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force,
wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime
in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because
they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.
(See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 866,000 discouraged workers
in August, essentially unchanged from a year earlier. (The data are
not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not
currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available
for them. The remaining 1.5 million persons marginally attached to the
labor force in August had not searched for work for reasons such as
school attendance or family responsibilities. 

Source: United States Department of Labor

              Bureau of labor Statitistics