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The number of vehicles in China would exceed 200 million in 2020, reported Monday's China Securities Journal, citing a government official.

This sharp increase in the number of cars in circulation may pose problems for the environment and energy security, said Sunday Fuchang Wang, Vice-Minister in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at an automotive conference.

The Chinese automotive market is one of the mainstays in the global automotive industry is still recovering from the slowdown experienced last year.

Sales have shown signs of slowing from the start of the second quarter but rebounded sharply in August, thanks to government subsidies for the purchase of clean vehicles.

Carrefour, which announced results in line with its forecasts in the first half, on Tuesday confirmed its guidance for full year 2010 thanks to the dynamism in emerging countries, while expressing disappointment in the sales of July .

The number two worldwide in distribution, after Wal-Mart, reported a net profit of 82 million for the first six months of the year against a loss a year earlier.

Its operating profit stood at 1.096 billion euros over the period, according to the prediction of Carrefour in mid-July.

The group at the same time reiterated that it was an ordinary profit of 3.1 billion for all 2010.

"We are on track to achieve our 2010 targets," said Lars Olofsson, Executive Director of Carrefour, at a conference presentation of results.

"We're quite pleased with the sales in July, a little disappointed by sales cons of August, for his part said Pierre Bouchut, the group finance director of distribution, during a conference call. "The trend in emerging markets remains strong."

Around 9:50, after having opened down nearly 2%, the action Carrefour did not yield more than 0.3% to 36.00 euros.She is spending time in positive territory for the sole and increasing value within the CAC 40 index.

Since the beginning of the year, the title was up over 7%.

"The first half is in line with forecasts of July 15, 2010 target is unchanged and our point of view, (Crossroads, Ed) is a title" on hold "with a value greater than in the rest of the industry "said Justin Scarborough, analyst at Royal Bank of Scotland.

NO COMMENTS ON THE ASIAN ASSETS

Over the half, Carrefour has benefited from the dynamism of emerging economies to reach a turnover up 6% to 41.3 billion euros, offsetting a contraction in sales in Europe, mainly France, Belgium, Spain and Italy, as well as in other countries of southern Europe such as Greece or Romania.

Sales fell 0.4% in France and 3.1% in the rest of Europe. At constant exchange rates, they climbed 16% in Latin America and 8.9% in Asia.

The group, which seeks to save 4.5 billion euros over three years to improve its margins, also points to have reduced its costs by 236 million euros in the first half of the year, a target of 500 million euro per 2010.

Asked about the Asian assets of the group, Pierre Bouchut has refused to comment on reports about a possible sale of assets Malaysian, Thai and Singaporean group.

"We do not comment on such rumors," said the CFO.'Our goal is to build on certain markets and, over time, probably, to take the decision to abandon certain other markets. "

"At what point will we take this decision? Will we really?" Everything remains open, "he added.

According to several sources, Carrefour tries to sell its assets in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to focus its efforts on China and India.

This could generate some 800 million euros in the French distributor.

PTT, Thailand first group in the energy sector, has already expressed interest in taking over the assets in Thailand.

The Sanofi-Aventis Multaq must be considered one of the main options for treating atrial fibrillation, one of the most frequent disorders of cardiac rhythm, recommended on Sunday the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

This recommendation is a key support rider for a drug that has so far achieved only modest commercial start.

The Multaq (dronedarone) is intended to replace an older molecule, amiodarone, and has fewer risk factors than the latter, but it has generated to date that relatively weak sales in the U.S. and Europe because several studies have found limited effectiveness.

In its new recommendations on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF), ESC Multaq attributed to a Class 1 recommendation, which means it is a safer treatment option even though it may be less effective.

"Given the superior advantages in terms of safety and potential outcomes, the dronedarone might be preferable as a first option antiarrhythmic" explain the recommendations, published at the ESC congress in Stockholm.

The paper also highlights, for the first time the importance of reducing the duration of hospitalization of patients with atrial fibrillation, a result of Multaq found in a pivotal clinical trial.

The drug is not recommended for patients with severe heart weakness.

"Sanofi-Aventis is pleased with this recommendation Multaq first line in the FA, which constitutes a recognition of the extensive clinical development program of the drug and the innovative results achieved in terms of reduced hospitalizations from cardiovascular causes," said Marc Cluzel, executive vice president in charge of research and development in the pharmaceutical group, in a statement.

The marketing of Multaq was approved in the United States in July 2009 and last September in the European Union.He is considered one of the main growth potential of Sanofi for years to come, which will be marked by the patent expiry of several key products groups, which include cancer Taxotere or anticoagulant Plavix.

The Multaq could generate an annual turnover of 1.2 billion euros in 2014 according to consensus estimates of analysts by Thomson Reuters.

The Paris Bourse was up slightly in early trading Thursday, in a market dominated by a wait before the rate decisions from the European Central Bank and Bank of England.

Around 9:15 am, the CAC 40 rose 0.15% to 3766.18 points.

Lagardère, the largest increase in ACC, after gaining 1.72% RBS increased the purchase on the title.

Michelin, which had already taken more than 8% since the beginning of the week, ahead even of 1.14% to 64.20 euros.S & P Equity Research raised its target price of 62-73 euros with a board of purchase.

EDF, which had climbed 5.5% Wednesday after the announcement of an imminent increase in electricity rates, yields 0.47%.

Out ACC, SSII Sopra is 2.52% after its interim results up and confirmation of its 2010 targets.

Other major European markets are also reluctant: London (-0.04%) and Frankfurt (-0.03%) are almost in balance. As for the European indices, the EuroStoxx 50 is unchanged (-0,01%) and back slightly Eurofirst 300 (-0.08%).

The euro was steady at around 1.3125 dollars after losing a little ground Wednesday. U.S. light crude is practically stable and treated around 82.30 dollars a barrel.

BP wants to sell its network of Aral gas stations in Germany for about two billion euros, the German weekly reported on Saturday Wirtschaftswoche, citing banking sources.

The French Total, the Russian Rosneft and as the European Avia Service Station are among the possible buyers, the newspaper business.Rosneft is also interested in two refineries that BP has in Germany, says he.

BP, Rosneft and Total had no immediate comment.

The British oil giant recently announced its intention to sell for $ 30 billion in assets over the next 18 months to meet the cost of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sources close to the industry, the sale is deemed unlikely because the chain of service stations is included in BP's refining operations and disposals of assets of the company focus more on the upstream oil and gas fields and gas.

Aral is the market leader Germany with about 2,400 service stations operating under its brand, according to its website.BP acquired the chain in 2002 as part of a broader agreement with the German energy group E. ON

The German inflation accelerated as expected in July, as estimated by the Federal Office of Statistics, harbinger of higher prices across the euro area.

Inflation has emerged at 1.1% yoy against 0.9% in June, an acceleration due in large part to rising fuel prices and fruit and vegetables, said the Office.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast an average price increase of 1.1% over one year.

On a monthly basis, the national index of consumer prices was up 0.2% in July, against 0.1% in June

Calculated the European harmonized standards (HICP), inflation German spring up 0.3% in July and 1.2% over one year.

The first estimate of inflation over the past month is calculated on the basis of published data from six Länder. Final figures will be released August 10.

The French consumer sentiment has stabilized at a low level in July after five months of degradation, according to the monthly survey of consumer confidence survey released Thursday by the INSEE.

The summary indicator of households' opinion on the economic situation remained unchanged at -39, its lowest level since May 2009.Seventeen economists polled by Reuters on average expected a further deterioration to -40.

The survey, conducted at the time of the announcement of the proposed pension reform and measures to reduce public deficits, shows that concerns about the future national fade a bit while still fears about the labor market.

"The impact of pension reform was probably fully integrated in the June survey," Judge Dominique Barbet, economist at BNP Paribas.

The index had dropped one point to -39 in June fell to their lowest level since May 2009, bringing to nine points to fall since the beginning of the year.

CONCERNS ON UNEMPLOYMENT

In July, households' opinion on their past personal financial situation has lost two points, with a balance cons -26 to -28 in June

Their opinion about their personal financial future (-20) remained stable, as well as their views on the advisability of making major purchases (-24).

However, the outlook for living standards in France, in decline since the beginning of the year, edged with a net increase of two points

-52.

The households' opinion on the level of past life in France remained stable at a very low level, with the balance to -71 compared to an average of -40 from the inception of the survey in January 1987.

Among the balances do not count in calculating the summary indicator, that the prospects of unemployment has stabilized at a high level (69), reflecting concerns still alive.

This balance, said Insee, was increased from eight to 89 points between January 2008 and June 2009 and then fell until October. He has since remained around 65 points, well above its long-term average is 33.

The balance measures the opportunity to spare jumped eight points to 19 in July, near its historical average (20), but opinion on the ability to save has the same time lost three points to -14.

Officers at INSEE interviewed approximately 2,000 households from June 29 to July 19.The survey did not take place in August, the next issue will be published in late September.

The German car market shrank in April for the fifth consecutive month, falling 32% on a year which remains linked to the ruling of the scrappage scheme in the country.

Adjusted data the number of working days, the new car registrations fell by 10.2% compared to April 2008 before the entry into force of the support plan for the sector.

In the first four months of this year, new car sales in Germany fell 25%, show figures released Tuesday by the federation VDIK foreign carmakers.

"Initial estimates show that new orders for our members are at the same level as in April 2008, what I consider to be the first sign of spring in the car in Germany," said Volker Lange, President the VDIK, in a statement.

The budget of five billion euros allocated by Berlin to scrap bonus was exhausted from last September, causing a drop in orders weighing gradually on registrations in the months that followed.

Germany, Europe's biggest car market, is not the only country affected by this phenomenon: in France, registrations have slowed significantly in April, displaying only a 1.9% increase over one year , against 17.9% in March.

In the U.S., sales of new cars rose by about 20% last month compared to April 2009.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs is the subject of a complaint in partnership to shareholders filed by law firms Zamansky & Associates and Lovell Stewart Halebian Jacobson, officials said in a statement last Monday.

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Both firms have filed "a complaint in partnership April 30 in federal court in New York (Southern District) on the part of investors who bought shares of Goldman Sachs from January 2, 2007 and April 16, 2010" when Constable American Stock Exchange (SEC) filed a complaint against the bank, argued the statement.

The SEC filed a complaint against Goldman Sachs and one of its employees, French Fabrice Tourre, accusing them of deceiving customers by selling them financial products backed by very risky market in U.S. housing, which has collapsed in 2007.

According to several American media, American Justice has in turn opened a criminal investigation against the bank but has not yet decided to complain.