World and National News

Google prefers to resign rather than submit. Two months after revealing that massive computer attacks were conducted from China against its infrastructure, the American would be safe "99.9%" to abandon its Chinese search engine, reported the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal this weekend. According to an anonymous source quoted by the British newspaper, a closure plan Google.cn, has already been developed. Only the execution date is unknown. Last week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced that an outcome would be found "quickly".

Asked on Monday, a spokesman for Google said that discussions with the Chinese authorities were not broken. But they seem to be at an impasse.Google, which has complied with the demands of Chinese censors in its entry into the country four years ago, agreeing to serve the political or pornographic content, wants more today affect its results. Opposite, China reminds him that its laws must be respected, otherwise to "pay the price." Any other choice would be "unfriendly and irresponsible," warned Friday the Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong.

Uncertainty about other Google products

If Google decides to close its Chinese search engine, but the consequences should be above all symbolic. In January, Google had thus ensured that its financial results in the country were "immaterial" (600 million dollars in 2009, according to an estimate by Morgan Stanley).In this sector, it is far outstripped by Baidu, which has a market share of 58%, whose share increased by 3.2% Tuesday on rumors of departure from its competitor. "The Internet market in China will continue to grow rapidly and the impact will not be too big," assured the minister Li Yizhong.

A withdrawal could instead be casting doubts on the future of other Google products, including mobile phones Android, China being the most dynamic market in the world. The impact on freedom of expression is not clear. The approximately 400 million Internet users in the country, wishing to continue using the engine will go through the U.S. version of the site may be blocked. China carries indeed very strict filtering on Western sites most popular, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, owned by Google.

The blame for the situation that threatens the morale of households and owners who do not sell. Despite lower prices by 4.9% in 2009 and interest rates lower, the French believe that this is not the right time to buy. According to the Ifop survey presented Tuesday by the National Federation of Real Estate (FNAIM), 76% of potential buyers find that prices are too high and 51% it is difficult to obtain credit.

At these fears including rising unemployment, compounded by the lack of property: 60% of potential purchasers can not find property they like. "Many owners receive their property from the market because falling prices have made conditions unfavorable to sellers," admits the Fnaim comprising 13,000 agencies. Only 11% of owners consider that the time is ripe to sell.

600,000 sales in 2010

Despite these very encouraging indicators, Rene Pallincourt, President Fnaim wants to believe. "The crisis is behind us, we are in the period of crisis," says he, adding that this period would be "more or less long. Counting on the sustainability of the tremor recorded in December 2009, he believes in a modest recovery in 2010 which confirmed in 2011.

"There will be no sharp rebound but with low interest rates, purchase conditions improved particularly for households with incomes of about 3,000 euros. More buyers have incorporated that prices will fall more and the period of speculation on the price decline is over, "explains Fnaim. For her, the prices will undergo changes from -3% to +3%, while the value of property in the affected employment areas or remote areas may still fall.

Rene Pallincourt remains optimistic and expects a global increase in sales in 2010. If estimated at 550,000 the total number of transactions in France in 2009, he expects 600,000 in 2010. Estimates superior to those of notaries and the branch network Century 21.

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The Paris Bourse breath on Monday following a sharp rise in a row Friday to U.S. unemployment figures. The improvement on the labor market in the United States did not establish a huge bullish consensus within the financial community. Factors support abound yet not: the rise of the dollar against major currencies has helped export values to hold their own game in the coast. But the recent outperformance of equity markets suggests that the good news on Friday was already included in prices.

At closing, the Paris Bourse shows a small decline of 0.17% to 3840 points. Even locations in London, which fell 0.22% and Frankfurt back from 0.57% to 5784 points.

More at 18h15.