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Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

Main Author Investec

Investec is a distinctive Specialist Bank and Asset Manager. We provide a diverse range of financial products and services to a niche client base in three principal markets, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia, as well as certain other geographies. Investec’s strategic goals are motivated by the desire to develop an efficient and integrated business on an international scale through the active pursuit of clearly established core competencies in the group’s principal business areas.

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Swiss court stops handover of bank employee details to US

2018-01-06

2018-01-06

Switzerland’s highest court has ruled against the transfer of details of third parties such as bank employees or solicitors in cases of information handovers involving tax dodgers. Wednesday’s ruling by the Federal Court upheld an earlier decision in a case brought by a US expat in Switzerland who disputed the transfer of details gleaned from his bank by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA).

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Fintech and fake cannabis drive record number of Swiss start-ups

2018-01-05

2018-01-05

The year 2017 saw a record number of businesses created in Switzerland, many of them centred in the booming ‘crypto valley’ region, according to online platform startups.ch. Some 43,416 businesses were created, said the information and advisory websiteexternal link, an increase of 5% on 2016 and an absolute record in Switzerland.

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Swiss executives predict strong economic year in 2018

2018-01-04

2018-01-04

Eight out of ten Swiss business executives anticipate a positive economic outlook for the country in 2018, according to an annual survey carried out by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Is it a sign that moods are changing after a 2017 that many would describe as turbulent? Or rather another indication of the Swiss exception, the country having largely escaped much of the economic and political turmoil that marked the past decade?

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Telling the world about historic peacekeeping efforts

2018-01-04

On 1 January, 1942, a document was signed by 26 states, coining the term “United Nations”. The Declaration of the United Nations external link pledged that their governments would continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. Swiss Public Television, RTS, takes a closer look at attempts to make historic documents like these available to a …

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Does limiting urban sprawl mean bad architecture?

2018-01-04

The town of Schwyz recently tore down some medieval buildings with beautiful wall paintings in order to create space for some multi-storey buildings. According to the 2014 federal zoning law, Swiss municipalities are obliged to limit urban sprawl. However, building new, incongruous structures in historic town centres can often change the local character. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — …

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Investec Vision 2018: What is Vision?

2018-01-04

Investec Wealth & Investment’s Head of Research, John Haynes, describes the purpose of Vision. To watch the full video, please visit: http://bit.ly/2qrNoZd To hear the views of our research team at a Vision 2018 event near you, please visit: http://bit.ly/2lUFeCL

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Digitalisation will reverse offshoring trends, says ABB head

2018-01-03

2018-01-03

Thanks to advances in robotics and digitalisation, the trend towards the offshoring of manufacturing jobs to cheaper countries is set to be reversed, according to the president of Zurich-based industry giant ABB group. In an interview published Sunday in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, Peter Voser said that digital progress is bringing manufacturing and markets closer together again.

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Swiss VAT rate to fall in 2018

2018-01-02

2018-01-02

Toscawhi Dreamstime

The current rate of 8% is set to drop on 1 January 2018. Temporarily increased by 0.4% in 2011 to shore up funding for disability welfare, the rate will revert to 7.7%. The 0.1% difference between the new rate and pre 2011 rate of 7.6% is a new increase that will be used to help finance rail infrastructure.

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Thousands of Swiss take VW to court in emissions scandal

2018-01-02

2018-01-02

Some 6,000 people in Switzerland have banded together to sue German car manufacturer Volkswagen and a Swiss car dealer for damages related to the exhaust scandal. The Consumer Protection Organisation (SKS)external link announced on Friday that it had filed a claim on behalf of about 6,000 car owners at the Zurich Commercial Court. The owners say they suffered financial losses because the vehicles’ exhaust systems had been manipulated.

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Nestle tops list as most valuable Swiss company

2018-01-01

2018-01-01

With a market value of $264 billion (CHF258 billion), Nestlé has claimed second place in Europe behind Royal Dutch Shell ($276 billion) in global rankings published by consultancy EY on Friday. However, that only put them in 17th and 18th place respectively, well below the global ranking leaders: the Silicon Valley tech giants Apple ($876 billion), Alphabet ($733 billion) and Microsoft ($661 billion).

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Increasing number of poor people in Geneva

2017-12-31

Demand for food parcels in Switzerland has increased by more than 38% over two years, highlighting the issue of poverty in the country. One in four Swiss people experiences financial difficulties and has no money left over for food at the end of the month, especially in Geneva. (RTS/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of …

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Getting easier to get to Swiss business hubs

2017-12-31

2017-12-31

Swiss business hubs like Zurich are more globally accessible than they were a few years ago. According to the latest “accessibility index” from economic research institute BAK Economicsexternal link in Basel, Zurich has jumped in the rankings from 34 to 28. This is due to improved connections to business hubs in China, India and the United States, says BAK.

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Die Magie des gesetzlichen Zahlungsmittels

2017-12-29

by Christoph Zenger

2017-12-29

Seit der Aufhebung der Golddeckung durch Präsident Nixon im Jahre 1971 sind die meisten Währungen der westlichen Welt reines Fiatgeld. Was heisst das? Zur Beantwortung der Frage beziehe ich mich ganz bewusst – wie übrigens soweit möglich im ganzen Text – auf keine Lehrbücher oder anderes universitäres Material. In Wikipedia (Stand 3.9.2017) steht:

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Darwin Airlines bankruptcy under criminal investigation

2017-12-28

2017-12-28

The public prosecutor of the southern Swiss canton of Ticino has opened criminal proceedings over irregularities concerning the bankruptcy of regional carrier Darwin Airlines. According to the SonntagsZeitung paper, the Ticino public prosecutor opened criminal proceedings against “unknown persons” on Thursday after the bankruptcy office in Lugano drew his attention to suspected irregularities.

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Great St Bernard Tunnel reopens after three-month closure

2017-12-28

2017-12-28

Switzerland’s oldest traffic tunnel through the Alps reopened on Christmas eve after a three-month closure due to problems with the ventilation system. After extensive repair work, the tunnel that connects Martigny in the western Swiss canton of Valais with the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy reopened to traffic at 8am on Sunday. Motorists wishing to traverse the Alps though the tunnel can travel for free until January 1, 2018

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Public Eye issues criminal complaint against Glencore

2017-12-27

2017-12-27

Swiss NGO Public Eye has filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland against the activities of Swiss commodities giant Glencore in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Office of the Attorney Generalexternal link on Tuesday confirmed receipt of the complaint but said further details were currently not possible, according to the Swiss News Agency.

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Scaring off wild boar in their own language

2017-12-27

Forget guns or traps, a researcher in Switzerland has been using terrifying sounds to try and scare wild boar away from crops. It’s hoped that the “scary stories”might help farmers, who suffer from destroyed fields and harvests thanks to the animals. The number of wild boar in Switzerland has been increasing for years. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is …

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Life without a mobile phone

2017-12-26

It might be hard for some of us to believe, but there are people who choose to live without a mobile phone. Do you find yourself looking at an app to check the weather, rather than looking out of the window? This is just one example of a reliance on mobile technology that started to … Continue reading »

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How much more you need to earn in Switzerland to breakeven

2017-12-24

2017-12-24

Recently published international price comparison numbers show just how expensive life is in Switzerland. The price of a standard basket of items, including food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare, transport, education and other regular expenses, was far higher in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe.

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Veterinary office lifts quarantine for Swiss chicken farm

2017-12-24

2017-12-24

A poultry farm in southern Switzerland has been given a clean bill of health following a recent outbreak of the virulent Newcastle virus that resulted in thousands of chickens being put down. Veterinarians in canton Ticino confirmed that the farm is no longer infected and that all remaining animals are now free of the disease.

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