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Internationalisation et endettement des grands groupes français à la fin des années 1990 ; suivi d'un commentaire de Michel Boutillier

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  • Claude Picart
  • Michel Boutiller

Abstract

[eng] Internationalisation and Debt among Large French Groups in the Late 1990s . . Certain large French groups strengthened their internationalisation with new acquisitions of foreign companies at the end of the last decade. However, this also raised their level of debt. Although their weight in the French economy was such that their borrowing weighed on the average debt of non-financial firms, their situation cannot be considered to be symptomatic of the entire French economy. For example, independent firms have been slowly reducing their debt load since 1993. These acquisitions, often made when stock exchange prices were at their highest, weakened these groups due to substantial goodwill. The amortisation of this goodwill contributed to the deterioration in their return on equity in 2001. The debt is concentrated among a group of companies •the control pole •whose resources are essentially financial. The other companies •the productive base of these large groups •indirectly bear the weight of the debt via the distribution of dividends following the formation of an internal capital market. [fre] La remontée de l’endettement des grands groupes français à la fin des années 1990 . . Les nouvelles acquisitions de sociétés étrangères par quelques grands groupes français à la fin de la dernière décennie ont renforcé leur internationalisation mais aussi leur niveau d’endettement. Si par leur poids dans l’économie française, l’endettement de ces grands groupes pèse sur la situation d’endettement moyen des entreprises non financières, leur situation ne peut pas toutefois être considérée comme symptomatique de celle de l’ensemble de l’économie française. Ainsi, les entreprises indépendantes se désendettent lentement depuis 1993. Ces acquisitions, souvent réalisées à un moment où les cours boursiers étaient au plus haut, ont fragilisé ces groupes, en raison d’importants écarts d’acquisition. L’amortissement de ces écarts d’acquisition a notamment participé à la dégradation de leur rentabilité financière en 2001. La dette est concentrée au niveau d’un ensemble d’entreprises •le pôle de contrôle •dont les ressources sont essentiellement d’ordre financier. Les autres entreprises •la base productive de ces grands groupes •supportent indirectement le poids de la dette par la distribution de dividendes à la suite de la constitution d’un marché interne des capitaux. [ger] Internationalisierung und Verschuldung der großen französischen Konzerne Ende der 1990er Jahre . . Die Übernahme ausländischer Unternehmen durch einige große französische Konzerne Ende des letzten Jahrzehnts stärkte deren Internationalisierung, erhöhte aber auch deren Verschuldung. Die Verschuldung dieser großen Konzerne lässt zwar aufgrund deren Gewichts in der französischen Wirtschaft die durchschnittliche Verschuldung der Nichtfinanzunternehmen ansteigen; deren Situation ist aber für die französische Wirtschaft nicht symptomatisch. Beispielsweise bauen die unabhängigen Unternehmen ihre Schulden seit 1993 nur langsam ab. Diese Übernahmen, die oftmals zu einem Zeitpunkt, als die Börsenkurse sich auf einem Tiefstand befanden, getätigt wurden, schwächten diese Konzerne wegen der beträchtlichen Abweichungen zwischen den Anschaffungskosten und dem Nettowert. Diese Abweichungen trugen insbesondere zur Verschlechterung ihrer finanziellen Rentabilität im Jahre 2001 bei. Die Schulden konzentrieren sich auf eine Gruppe von Unternehmen •den Kontrollpol •, deren Ressourcen im Wesentlichen finanzieller Art sind. Die anderen Unternehmen •die Produktionsbasis dieser großen Konzerne •werden durch diese Schulden indirekt belastet, da sie infolge der Entstehung eines internen Kapitalmarkts Dividenden auszuschütten haben. [spa] Internacionalización y deuda de los grandes grupos franceses a finales de los noventa . . Las nuevas adquisiciones de sociedades extranjeras por unos cuantos grandes grupos franceses al final del último decenio han aumentado la internacionalización de estos y al mismo tiempo su nivel de endeudamiento. Si bien por su peso en la economía francesa, el endeudamiento de esos grandes grupos recae en la situación de endeudamiento medio de las empresas no financieras, su situación no puede sin embargo considerarse como sintomática de la del conjunto de la economía francesa, pues las empresas independientes van reduciendo su deuda desde 1993. Estas adquisiciones, llevadas a cabo a menudo cuando las cotizaciones estaban altas, han fragilizado esos grupos, debido a fuertes diferencias de adquisición. La amortización de esas diferencias de adquisición ha contribuido a la deterioro de su rentabilidad financiera en el 2001. La deuda se concentra entre un conjunto de empresas •el polo de control •cuyos recursos son ante todo financieros. Las demás empresas •la base productiva de aquellos grandes grupos •soporta indirectamente el peso de la deuda por el reparto de los dividendos tras la constitución de un mercado interno de los capitales.

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Picart & Michel Boutiller, 2003. "Internationalisation et endettement des grands groupes français à la fin des années 1990 ; suivi d'un commentaire de Michel Boutillier," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 363(1), pages 207-234.
  • Handle: RePEc:prs:ecstat:estat_0336-1454_2003_num_363_1_7334
    DOI: 10.3406/estat.2003.7334
    Note: DOI:10.3406/estat.2003.7334
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