The Labor Department reported Friday, 243,000 non-farm jobs created in January, the highest figure since April, and the unemployment rate down to 8 , 3%, its lowest level since February 2009.

Since August, the unemployment rate fell 0.8 percentage point.

Economists polled by Reuters on average expected 150,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 8.5%, as in December. 

The number of jobs created in December was revised up slightly to 203,000 against 200,000 announced last month, and November was revised in 157,000 net increase to 100,000 against.

The private sector has provided in January all new jobs with 257,000 positions created, a highest level since April, while the public sector by removing 14,000.

Moreover, the average hourly wage increased by four hundred, which should help to support consumption.

According to the report of the Department of Labor, the expected slowdown in U.S. economic growth in the first quarter has not yet had an effect on hiring decisions of firms. 

"It's a good surprise, and the first digit of the job that is really good since the recession," said Philippe Weber, studies and strategies in CPR AM.

These figures significantly better than expected gave a boost to equity markets in Europe and the dollar.

The Dow Jones opened up 0.55%, the S & P500 by 0.66% and the Nasdaq 1%.

"This is certainly a great support for the U.S. recovery and this suggests that the rebound is growing," said Brian Dolan, chief strategist at FOREX.com markets .. ……

WHAT IMPACT ON DECISIONS OF THE FED?

The Federal Reserve announced last week the probable continuation rates to near zero until at least late 2014, on behalf of a particular unemployment rate ; high unemployment. 

The Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told to consider new measures to support the economy, but, faced with this recovery in the labor market, the leaders of The Fed may well turn back.

The U.S. central bank has already bought 2,300 billion in bonds to keep rates low and stimulate the economy.

The United States experienced a rapid growth year on year over the last three months of 2011 to 2.8%, against 1.8% last quarter. However, the recovery of stocks of companies accounted for two thirds of this increase, which should result in slower growth in the first quarter of 2012.

The fiscal crisis raging in Europe, where several states are already in recession, is expected to affect U.S. exports and thus hamper growth.

However, there are still some signs of strength in the U.S. economy, as auto sales strong in January, a manufacturing activity, which reached a high of seven months or even declining four weeks moving average of jobless claims.

However, there are still 19.3 million Americans unemployed or underemployed.

Remain reasons to be cautious. The unemployment rate did drop for the fifth consecutive month, but partly because of the abandonment of job searches by some Americans, tired of not finding work.

An index, which includes people who have stopped job searches and those working part time but would like to work more, stood at 15.1% in January against 15.2% in de ; December.

The euro area has suddenly plunged into turmoil Tuesday after the surprise announcement of a referendum in Greece, Prime Minister George Papandreou playing his all facing strong internal opposition, the risk of default in payment of his country .

Around 1:45 p.m., here is what the state of European stock: -5.07% for the CAC 40 in Paris, -5.32% in Frankfurt, -6.26% in Milan, -3.09% in London .. . To monitor in real time here.

After the lull that had received the results of the EU summit last Thursday, which gave birth to a debt reduction plan for Greece, the announcement of a referendum in Greece has "taken the market by surprise and shocked," said the broker IG Markets in Paris.

According to a government source, the referendum, the first organized in the country since the one that abolished the monarchy in 1974, will speak "about January."Papandreou had raised vertiginieusement setting, wondering if he had at least warned its major counterparts, first and foremost the German chancellor Angela Merkel.

In Paris, the French presidency announced that the head of state Nicolas Sarkozy would call Merkel in mid-day.

For political scientist Nikolapopoulos Ilias, this gamble is a decision potentially "suicidal for the country," jeopardizing the delicate negotiations that began after the Brussels agreement with the holders of private debt to Greek they erase nearly a third cheaper for them a loss of 50%.

"It adds to the uncertainty, which is never good for markets, wondering if all the scaffolding assembled by the euro area may collapse if 'no' to the referendum," commented echoing Michalis Matsourakis, chief economist at the Greek bank Alpha Bank.

He said Mr.

"There is progress," he said on his arrival in Brussels where he will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel began Sunday when the European Council considered a challenge for the future of economic and monetary union.

"By Wednesday (when a second Council, ed), we must find a solution, a structural solution, an ambitious solution, a final solution, there is no choice," he said when he arrived at the headquarters of the European Council.

Asked if he was confident in the outcome of discussions, the president replied: "Yes, otherwise I would not be here."

This could derail the hostile bid launched by Cameco Corp. of Hathor.

The Board of Hathor has recommended that shareholders accept the offer of Rio Tinto, which amounts to 4.15 Canadian dollars per share. Cameco is only that of 3.75 Canadian dollars per share.

The aim of the maneuver is the exploration project "Roughrider", located in the Athabasca region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

The listing title Hathor was suspended Wednesday morning at the Toronto Stock Exchange.The title Cameco, the first Canadian producer of uranium, was down 3.21% to 20.80 Canadian dollars to 3:20 p.m. GMT, while the action listed Rio Tinto in London declined by 1.09% within minutes of the fence.

"I do not want a country will default but if it happens, obviously (…), we would be vulnerable to an event of this nature," said Pedro Passos Coelho to parliament.

"If this happens, we can not exclude a stronger plan to help," he added.

If such an event occurred, the prime minister would like the European Central Bank provides liquidity to banks in Portugal and Ireland.

"There are risks abroad and we need to take these risks into consideration," he said.

As part of the aid program of 78 billion euros was granted, the country must lower its deficit to 5.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), while it recorded a deficit of 9, 2% of GDP last year.

The center-right government is conducting a series of measures such as spending cuts and tax increases, and economic reforms to achieve the goals of the bailout.

The crisis of sovereign debt continues to weigh on European shares and heckle banking stocks, particularly the French – the most exposed to Italy and Greece, two countries that capture these days the attention of market.

The CAC 40 index lost 1.62% to 2935.82 points, after rising 1.5% Tuesday in closing.

London has yielded 1.4%, 2.47% Frankfurt, Milan 1.65%.The index Pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 lost 1.96%.

European banks, including the French, have been buffeted in the red and the green at the mercy of rumors, including whether or not to recapitalize, and news about the crisis in the area.

The Stoxx European banks index ended down 1.6%.

In Paris, BNP Paribas has finally dropped 1.85% after gaining over 2% in the afternoon.Societe Generale, having also made the yoyo, ended in the red (-1.28%) as well as Credit Agricole (-2.38%).

Many professionals emphasize the link of "inbreeding" among European banks and the debt of the euro area and say that as governments will not put out a general settlement plan, financial stocks continue to suffer.

"So things are moving in all directions according to rumors," said a vendor noting the "fragility" of the market.

In this context of flight to quality, Germany awarded for the first time in its history of Bund 10 years at an average rate below 2%.

The performance of the Bund, part of the euro area, the market remained unchanged at 1.77% and that of the French OAT maturing as well, to 2.62%.

The euro gained ground and was trading late in the day around 1.3723 against the dollar around 1.3675 this morning.

In Paris, Alcatel-Lucent (0.85%) was the only value of the CAC 40 to finish in the green while cyclical as PSA (-5.70%) and Vallourec (-4.61%) suffered the largest declines in the index.

"We can say that we are, with respect to the positions of French banks that have positions in Greece, that one is over 90% of the agreement, which is considerable," he said to the press.

Baroin, speaking after a meeting of EU finance ministers in Wroclaw, Poland, also indicated that there were still "some time" to raise the number of participating banks European awaited by Athens at least 90%.

Several sources had earlier told Reuters that participation stood at present to around 75% of existing claims.

Excluding a $ 10.6 billion paid for the Irish banks, the deficit was reduced by about two billion euros a year, the ministry said.

Tax revenues reached 20.5 billion euros, representing an increase of 8.3% over the previous year and slightly above the target of 20.3 billion set by the Ministry for the end of August.

Expenses amounted to 29.2 billion euros in the first eight months of the year.

This evaluation suggests that the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm may have caused less damage than feared by insurance professionals.

According EQECAT, the bulk of the damage in both states was recorded in North Carolina, including unusual waves and flooding.

Added compensable damage suffered in the Caribbean, estimated between 300 and 600 million, now estimated EQECAT Irene has so far caused damage of between 500 million and one billion dollars.

This is less than the estimates of the competitor AIR Worldwide, which refers to 1.1 billion damage in the Caribbean region alone.

Estimates of damage to the rest of the United States are expected in Monday.