Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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‘Switzerland must prepare for a return to negative interest rates’

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

Given the low inflation, which in May stood at a four-year low of -0.1%, and the strength of the Swiss franc, negative interest rates could return in Switzerland. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This is according to BAK Economics, which on the other hand considers the risk of a recession …

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Dubai chocolate trend leaves Swiss chocolatiers competing for pistachios 

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

The TikTok-fuelled popularity of Dubai chocolate has prompted Swiss chocolate companies to develop their own versions, spiking demand for pistachios. Dubai chocolate was created in 2021 by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, the founder of Dubai-based FIX Dessert Chocolatier. The chocolate filled with pistachio cream, tahini and kadayif (crispy pastry threads often used in oriental desserts) …

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Datwyler to close Ohio site putting 70 jobs at risk

2025-06-11

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2025-06-11

The Uri-based industrial group Datwyler is streamlining its production network in the US. The closure of one site in Ohio will probably result in the loss of the vast majority of the 70 or so jobs there. Datwyler announced on Wednesday that the production and sales activities at the Vandalia site in Ohio will be … Continue...

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Swiss bank Raiffeisen appoints new CEO

2025-06-11

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2025-06-11

Gabriel Brenna, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB) since 2021, has been appointed head of Raiffeisen Switzerland. The new CEO will take up his post on December 1, according to a Raiffeisen press release issued on Wednesday. Gabriel Brenna takes over from Heinz Huber, who stepped down at the end of December 2024. …

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The Swiss welfare state is ‘not about to be dismantled’

2025-06-10

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2025-06-10

Switzerland needs to revise its “debt brake” mechanism, say guests on our Let’s Talk panel. That might help balance the country’s budget without having to rely on savings cuts, say economists Marius Brülhart and Nils Soguel. The Swiss federal government wants to do some serious belt-tightening in order to maintain a balanced budget. The plan …

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Swiss retailers review deal on fees for single-use plastic bags

2025-06-08

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2025-06-08

The agreement reached in 2016 on the introduction of chargeable plastic bags at Swiss shop checkouts is being scrutinised. The Swiss Retail Federation is analysing whether it wants to terminate the agreement it concluded with IG Retail. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Dagmar Jenni, Managing Director of the Swiss Retail …

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Logitech CEO: ‘We are well positioned to face US tariffs’

2025-06-07

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2025-06-07

Logitech is well-positioned against the threat of US tariffs, said Hanneke Faber, CEO of the Swiss-American tech giant. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox “Today we manufacture our products in a total of six countries,” explained the 56-year-old in a speech at the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF), an event that brought …

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Swiss state-owned PostFinance to cut 141 jobs

2025-06-05

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2025-06-05

PostFinance, the financial services subsidiary of Swiss Post, plans to cut 141 jobs in the coming months, mostly in administrative functions in Bern. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "The challenges posed by market volatility, investor uncertainty and a difficult interest rate environment are putting PostFinance under pressure," reads a statement …

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Capital punishment: how Swiss bank reforms could hit UBS

2025-06-04

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2025-06-04

Bank’s year-long tussle with government will come to a head with proposals to be unveiled on Friday. The Swiss government on Friday will lay out its long-awaited reforms to the country’s bank capital rules, and the centrepiece proposal will affect just one company: UBS. Switzerland’s Federal Council and financial regulators have been at loggerheads with …

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Ukraine’s once pioneering agriculture drone industry is hoping to return to the skies

2025-06-04

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2025-06-04

The large size of its farms and a regulatory Wild West allowed Ukraine to quickly grow into an agriculture drone powerhouse. Restrictions due to the war have killed off growth in an industry that is hoping for a renaissance once the fighting is over. In 2024, DroneUA, Ukraine’s largest importer and distributor of drones used …

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UBS economists more confident about Swiss economy in 2025

2025-06-03

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2025-06-03

UBS economists have revised upwards their estimates of Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the current year. However, they are more pessimistic for next year, due to the spectre of US tariffs. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Experts are expecting GDP growth adjusted for sporting events to reach 1.3% …

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Swiss economy grows slightly faster in the first quarter

2025-06-02

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2025-06-02

The Swiss economy grew slightly more strongly than initially expected in the first quarter of 2025. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.8% on an adjusted basis in the period from January to March 2025 compared to the previous quarter, as announced by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) on Monday. A fortnight …

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Delayed flights expected at Geneva airport due to air traffic control issue

2025-06-02

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2025-06-02

Skyguide air traffic control reduced the number of approaches at Geneva Airport by 20% on Monday as a precautionary measure for safety reasons. Delays are to be expected. This is a temporary safety measure due to a latent technical problem, Skyguide wrote in a communiqué early on Monday morning. +Get the most important news from …

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Swiss Army in Kosovo Explained: Why Are They Still There? | #switzerland #kosovo

2025-05-31

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This is episode two of our mini-series 'Swiss Eyes on the World" 🇨🇭🌍 Today, we’re looking at why Swiss soldiers are still in Kosovo – 17 years after it declared independence. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our...

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Bitcoin causes 98 million tonnes of CO2 per year

2025-05-31

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2025-05-31

The Bitcoin network currently has a carbon footprint more than twice as large as that of Switzerland. This is shown by figures from the crypto portal Digiconomist. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Calculated on an annual basis, the network of the popular cryptocurrency currently generates 98 million tonnes of CO2. …

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Swiss voters to decide again on imposing ethical behaviour on companies

2025-05-27

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2025-05-27

A second Swiss "Responsible Business" initiative has attracted 287,000 signatures, nearly three times the 100,000 backers needed to trigger a nationwide vote. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The initiative calls for Swiss corporations and their subsidiaries to respect human rights and environmental protection at home and abroad and be liable …

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Swiss exports weighed down by US tariffs

2025-05-27

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2025-05-27

Exports, the backbone of the Swiss economy, fell in April. Trade with the United States, which has introduced a range of tariffs, posted a double-digit fall. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In seasonally adjusted terms, exports fell by 9.2% and imports by 15.6%, according to the Federal Office of Customs …

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Swiss chemical group Clariant faces fresh price fixing probe

2025-05-27

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2025-05-27

The Swiss chemicals group Clariant is facing another claim for damages in connection with alleged price fixing. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Austrian petrochemicals group OMV has filed a lawsuit against a total of four companies, including Clariant. OMV is claiming damages totalling around €1 billion in a court …

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Foundation stone laid for new building for biomedicine in Basel

2025-05-24

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2025-05-24

The foundation stone for the new Centre for Biomedicine building was laid on the University of Basel's Life Sciences Campus on Friday. The laboratory building, which will cost CHF365 million ($444 million), will host around 700 researchers from 2030/2031, the university announced on Friday. According to the press release, the building will bring together all …

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Court rejects Credit Suisse shareholder compensation claim

2025-05-23

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2025-05-23

The Federal Supreme Court has dismissed a couple's claim that misinformation from the Swiss state caused them to lose money on Credit Suisse shares. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Before the collapse of Credit Suisse, the couple had bought 38,000 shares in the bank, relying on the reassuring words …

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