Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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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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A quarter of Swiss workers stressed and exhausted, according to new research

2018-01-31

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2018-01-31

Work
Around a quarter of Swiss workers are stressed and exhausted, according to new research. A three-year study by the University of Bern and Zurich University of Applied Sciences, which covers the period from 2014 to 2016, estimates that this stress and exhaustion cost Swiss companies between CHF 5 and CHF 5.8 billion a year.

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Swiss court condemns €8 per hour wages of Polish workers

2018-01-31

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2018-01-31

A labour court in Geneva has ruled against a Polish subcontractor that underpaid its seconded employees working on a Geneva building site. The workers were earning €8 an hour, about a third of what the work warranted, the court said. The case has been ongoing for almost five years and was led by the UNIA trade union on behalf of the workers.

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Swiss continue to rent rather than buy houses

2018-01-30

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2018-01-30

Some 59% of Swiss households were rentals in 2015, according to the most recent figures. The average monthly rent across the country came in at just over CHF1,300 ($1,395). The numbers were released on Monday by the Federal Statistical Office and reflect the situation at the end of 2015, when 2.1 million rented accommodations were recorded.

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The global investment horizon for Q1 2018

2018-01-30

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Highlights from the #InvestecWealth Global Investment View video series, including comments on the SA economy, portfolio diversification and global economic outlook. Download the Global Investment View report here: http://bit.ly/2BBphHD. Get more Global Investment View insights: • Global investment icebergs to look out for in 2018 https://youtu.be/z6B0uSfIkpY • Global investment outlook https://youtu.be/xogB7xLHHq0 • What next for …...

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Outlook for the South African economy

2018-01-30

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There’s been a “renewed confidence” in the market since Ramaphosa’s election as ANC President, with a “huge ramp up in SA economy plays” – #InvestecWealth In its latest Global Investment View for Q1 2018, #InvestecWealth & Investment experts discuss the South African market’s positive reaction to current political events. In this video, Paul Deuchar, Head …

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Global investment icebergs to look out for in 2018

2018-01-30

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From transition risk to investor complacency, #InvestecWealth experts highlight the risks on their radar for Q1 2018. Following the release of the Global Investment View for the first quarter of 2018, Investec Wealth & Investment experts, Paul Deuchar and Alexandra Nortier, outline the major risks on the horizon, including the normalisation of interest rates, the …

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Investing in turbulent times

2018-01-30

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“What would’ve happened if you invested at the peak of the last five market crashes?” asks #InvestecWealth study. An Investec Wealth & Investment study explored whether it’s better to invest or sit on cash in turbulent times. Investec tested how a portfolio of 60% equities and 40% bonds would’ve performed over a ten-year period following …

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Swiss fact: nearly half of Swiss rental properties owned by individuals

2018-01-29

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2018-01-29

If you rent a home in Switzerland it is more likely to belong to an individual than a big real estate company or pension fund. In 2017, 49% of residential rental properties in Switzerland were owned by individuals, according to Statistics published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. The highest rate of rental home ownership by individuals was in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (71%). The lowest rate was in the Lake Geneva region (41%).

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Economics minister praises Swiss tax system

2018-01-28

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2018-01-28

Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann has downplayed concerns that Swiss-based American firms might relocate to the United States in the wake of tax reform. Speaking in Davos ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump, Schneider-Ammann said that if he were head of an American company he would think twice before such a relocation, since there is no guarantee the tax breaks will still be in place a few years from now.

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Swiss president says Trump meeting was productive

2018-01-27

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2018-01-27

Swiss President Alain Berset says his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos was productive and frank. Trump took credit for making Switzerland “even richer”. "You have a lot of our stock in the United States so I have helped to make Switzerland even richer," Trump said shortly after the meeting. He said a booming US economy was good for Switzerland.

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Income inequality in Switzerland remains stable after redistribution

2018-01-26

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2018-01-26

Inequality
Income inequality in Switzerland has remained stable according to a report published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. A key measure of inequality involves dividing the income share of the top 20% by that of the bottom 20%, a measure known as S80/S20. 1 is complete equality.

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Börsen-Talk vom 26. Januar 2018

2018-01-26

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Marc Possa rechnet noch lange mit steigenden Aktienkursen. Im Börsen-Talk spricht der Fondsmanager über das «süsse Gift» tiefer Zinsen, er nennt zwei seiner Schweizer Lieblingstitel und beurteilt Bitcoin.

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Switzerland still competitive despite US tax reforms, says economics minister

2018-01-25

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2018-01-25

Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann says he does not think sweeping US tax reforms will drive American firms from Switzerland. In an interview with the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper on Saturday, he said Switzerland also has competitive advantages for companies.

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New poll on vote to axe Swiss broadcast fee suggests rejection

2018-01-25

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2018-01-25

TVs
A poll run by the media group Tamedia shows a clear majority in favour of rejecting the initiative, dubbed “No Billag”, which aims to end Switzerland’s broadcasting fee. This poll follows one done in December 2017, which showed a majority in favour of the initiative.

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WEF 2018: Trumps Ankunft in Davos

2018-01-25

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cash verfolgte mit Martin Naville, Direktor der Schweizerisch-Amerikanischen Handelskammer, die Ankunft von US-Präsident Donald Trump am Strassenrand in Davos. Im Video sagt Naville, was er von Trump in Davos erwartet.

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Switzerland ranked second-most ‘globalised’ nation

2018-01-24

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2018-01-24

Switzerland is the second-most globalised country in the world after the Netherlands, according to the latest edition of an index prepared by the University of Zurich. The Alpine nation has moved up from fifth place. The index prepared by the KOF Swiss Economic Instituteexternal link tracks countries’ levels of globalisation across politics, economics, and society. The current edition uses data up to and including the year 2015.

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Tax amnesty programme turns up billions in undeclared assets

2018-01-24

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2018-01-24

According to the results of a survey published Sunday in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, CHF31.7 billion ($32.9 billion) in undeclared assets have been reported to tax authorities in Switzerland over the last eight years.

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Cameron van der Burgh: The Man behind the Medals

2018-01-24

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When multi Olympic medalist Cameron van der Burgh approached #Investec for sponsorship he was only 21 years old. Over almost a decade Cameron has broken two world records and become a South African swimming icon. This is a look at the man behind the medals. More on Out of the Ordinary #InvestecSponsorships http://bit.ly/2BolmxR

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Budget busting burgers – Swiss franc still the most overvalued

2018-01-23

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2018-01-23

McDonalds
The Economist has just published its January 2018 Big Mac index, a light-hearted measure of whether currencies are under or overvalued. The underlying assumption is that a Big Mac is the same whether bought in Kiev or Chur, so any price difference must be due to the exchange rate.

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Swiss fact: health insurance premiums cover only 37percent of Swiss healthcare costs

2018-01-23

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2018-01-23

Switzerland
Figures published in 2017 show that only 37% of Swiss healthcare costs were covered by basic compulsory health insurance premiums. The remaining cost was covered by the government (20%), accident and social insurance (10%), private complementary health insurance (7%), charity (1%) and out-of-pocket spending by individuals (26%).

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