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.

Ambition: Investec Test Series 2017

England Cricket star Stuart Broad on achieving his dream of playing Test Cricket. “Talent is nothing without ambition to always better your game, to want to win every match, you need to be extremely ambitious.”

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Traffic noise increases risks of heart illnesses and diabetes

Traffic noise from cars, lorries, trains and planes can have negative health consequences, such as increased risk of heart-related illnesses and diabetes, according to a long-term study of the impact of noise pollution on the Swiss population. Researchers taking part in the SiRENE study, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), found that road noise had the greatest impact on cardio-vascular illnesses.

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Novartis chief cools on US after visa crackdown

Novartis has rejected overtures from United States President Donald Trump to increase jobs in the US, citing work visa restrictions as a reason. In a newspaper interview, chief executive Joe Jimenez said Switzerland and Europe were more attractive for the pharmaceutical firm.

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Swiss rail experiments with first-class upgrades

Should second-class travellers be upgraded to first for less than cost-price?(KEYSTONE/Urs Flueeler) A trial project on Swiss trains has allowed passengers to enjoy cheap upgrades while relieving congestion in crowded carriages. Debates about fairness have already begun. class='lead-text'>First-class tickets on Swiss trains often cost about twice as much as their second-class equivalents. For example, while a full-price,...

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New Actelion CEO feels adrenaline rush

The American pharmaceutical multinational, which operates more than 250 companies and paid $30 billion to take over the relatively small Actelion, put Jane Griffiths of Britain in charge of running its newest Swiss acquisition.

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Concern over pesticides in drinking supplies

Higher-than-normal levels of pesticides have been found in 20% of the nation’s drinking water supplies from groundwater, prompting industry calls for tougher action to cut the costs of treating the water.class='lead-text'>A fifth of the samples seen in national monitoring data contained pesticide levels higher than the acceptable limit of 0.1 microgram (0.001 milligram) per liter. Some measurement points even exceeded 70%, Swiss newspaper NZZ am...

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UberPop drivers in Zurich operating outside the law

UberPop drivers who do not hold an official professional taxi licence are operating illegally, according to the government in Zurich. They need to get a permit or risk facing punishment. Even if they readily meet the conditions set by Uber – having a four-door car, being at least 21 years old – not having a taxi licence means they are operating outside Swiss law, said the Zurich executive, responding to a parliamentary question.

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Parking clampdown in Zurich yields windfall

Traffic police issued 21% more parking tickets in Zurich last year as the city dropped its ten-minute grace period for tardy motorists. The policy change was largely responsible for a CHF3.3 million ($3.4 million) penalty bonus that seems to have taken the authorities by surprise.

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Swiss remain top of world innovation ranking

Switzerland is the leading nation for innovation for the seventh year in a row, according to the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The other countries in the top five for 2017 were Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States and Britain, the WIPO Global Innovation Indexexternal link said on Thursday. Switzerland has held the top spot since 2011.

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Property prices fall in Swiss resorts but climb elsewhere, says UBS report

A real estate report by the bank UBS, which looks at 25 top resorts in Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy, shows vacation home price drops across Switzerland. These price falls contrast with price rises in resorts in Austria, France and Italy.

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Swiss state pension fund stops investing in arms firms

The leading Swiss state pension fund, Publica, has announced that it plans to disinvest from five weapons companies. This follows a national campaign by a responsible investment pension group to blacklist 15 international arms firms.

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Thomas Jordan, SNB-Präsident

Die Wahlen in Frankreich nahmen Druck vom Schweizer Franken. Im Interview mit cash sagt Präsident Thomas Jordan, welche künftigen Ereignisse er auf dem Radar hat und ob die SNB die Negativzinsen ausweiten könnte.

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Swiss holiday homes becoming cheaper to buy

The cost of owning a holiday home in the Swiss Alps has declined appreciably in many towns and villages in the last five years. The biggest falls in property prices have been observed in the last 12 months, according to UBS bank researchers. Prices have dipped anywhere from 3% to 9 % year-on-year in some of the best-known Swiss tourist destinations, such as St Moritz and Verbier.

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Richard Olsen, Lykke

Der Schweizer Richard Olsen will mit seinem Startup Lykke einen globalen und bargeldlosen Marktplatz errichten. Im cash-Video-Interview erklärt er seine ehrgeizigen Pläne.

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Bombardier to downsize Swiss operations

Canadian plane-maker Bombardier will cut about 650 jobs in Switzerland by the end of 2018, the largest Swiss trade union said on Thursday. The job cuts, which include almost 500 temporary postings, will come from Bombardier facilities in Villeneuve and Zurich, Unia announcedexternal link on its website. That would remove well more than half of the company’s employees in Switzerland.

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Mark Yusko: Tech Stocks Today Remind Me of the Dot-Com Bubble

Claim your SIC 2017 bundle here: http://www.mauldineconomics.com/go/v34ktq/MEC

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Mark Yusko: Tech Stocks Today Remind Me of the Dot-Com Bubble

Claim your SIC 2017 bundle here: http://www.mauldineconomics.com/go/v34ktq/MEC

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Experience Spectacular: The Investec Derby Festival 2017

The highlights from the 2017 Investec Derby Festival.

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Renewed debate over banking laws for expats

New efforts are underway in parliament to ensure that the Swiss abroad can keep banking and other aspects of a financial life in Switzerland. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, an increasing number of Swiss citizens in other countries have been experiencing trouble keeping a bank account in Switzerland, especially if they reside in the United States.

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Biking still faces uphill battle in Switzerland

As the bicycle celebrates its 200th year, advocacy group Pro Velo Switzerland says there is still a lot of unfulfilled potential when it comes to Switzerland’s use of the two-wheeled mode of transport.On June 12, 1817, a German aristocrat named Karl Drais rode 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) on pedal-less wooden beam with two wheels of his own invention.

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