Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Swiss fact: Switzerland has one of the world’s lowest home ownership rates

In Romania, 96.1% of the population owns the home they live in. In Switzerland the percentage is 37.4%. Home ownership rates vary significantly across the country. The lowest rates are found in the canton of Basel-City (16.0%) and Geneva (18.3%). Relative to these two cities, home ownership abounds in Valais (57.2%), the highest. Vaud (31.4%), Zurich (28.5%), Bern (39.9%), and Luzern (34.8%) are all in between.

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The Psychological Impact Of Loss

For the third time in four weeks, the market was closed on Monday due to a holiday. Not only is this week shortened by a holiday, it is also coinciding with the annual Billionaire’s convention in Davos, Switzerland and the Presidential inauguration on Friday. Increased volatility over the next couple of days will certainly not be surprising.

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Davos (According To Donald Trump)

Bloomberg's Anne Swardson, Zoe Schneeweiss, and Andre Tartar perfectly summed up the state of play right now during their discussion of the World Economic Forum's annual get-together: "Never before has the gap between Davos Man and the real world yawned so widely."

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Swiss mortgage rates climb in 4th quarter

After reaching a historical low in the third quarter of 2016, rates started rising in the fourth quarter. Rate increases hit mortgage tenors of five and ten years. Compared to Q3, fixed mortgage rates on loans of ten years went up an average 0.2% to 1.62% according to price comparison website Comparis.ch.

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Finding your roots after adoption

Mischa Steiner is adopted. For a long time the 44-year-old from Basel didn’t want to know about his South Korean roots and biological family. The film “Reset Restart” documents how he began his quest to find out more about his identity and discover a new homeland later in life. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international …

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How dry conditions are damaging forests

The second half of the year in Switzerland has been exceptionally dry. The trees are suffering as a result, as an ailing forest is more susceptible to fungi and beetles. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss …

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Swiss Real Estate Focus 2017: Vacancy rates rising at the end of the real estate cycle

Record-breaking purchase prices and increased vacancy rates are making property investments a careful balancing act. Achieving full occupancy for an investment property now requires active space management and discounted rents – in every segment. Rents for investment properties are expected to fall this year, while house prices stagnate.

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Thomas Meyer, Schweiz-Chef von Accenture

Maschinen sollen den Menschen immer mehr einfache Jobs abnehmen. Thomas Meyer, Schweiz-Chef von Accenture, sieht das als Chance, wie er im Video-Interview sagt. Doch er rechnet mit vermehrtem Widerstand.

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Lagarde Urges Wealth Redistribution To Fight Populism

As we scoffed oveernight, who better than a handful of semi, and not so semi, billionaires - perplexed by the populist backlash of the past year - to sit down and discuss among each other how a "squeezed and Angry" middle-class should be fixed. And so it was this morning as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan and Founder, Chairman and Co-CIO of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio, espoused on what's...

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A Recession-Proof Industry That Few Investors Know

Subscribe to Patrick Watson’s free weekly column, Connecting the Dots, at Mauldin Economics: http://bit.ly/2jIKatg

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Steuerreform holt das Geld dort, wo sich keiner wehrt: Im arbeitenden Mittelstand

Die kommende Abstimmung über die Unternehmenssteuerreform III führt uns einmal mehr vor Augen, wie hoch komplex diese Materie ist. Ein „Normalsterblicher“, also jemand, der sich nicht von Berufes wegen mit Steuerfragen auseinandersetzt, dürfte mit den Abstimmungsunterlagen masslos überfordert sein. Ja, selbst Ökonomen, die Fragen zur Besteuerung studiert haben, dürften bald am Ende ihres Lateins sein.

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Squeezed and angry: how to fix the middle class crisis – a look at Switzerland

One of the topics at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos is: Squeezed and angry: how to fix the middle class crisis. As a precursor, the WEF published the 135 page  Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017, which ranks Switzerland 3rd behind Norway and Luxembourg on inclusion, out of a group of 30 advanced economies. In addition, unlike Luxembourg, which is headed slowly backwards, both Switzerland and Norway are moving towards higher...

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While Davos Elites Address Populism, Just “Eight Men Own Same Wealth As Half The World”

As political and business elite gather at the Swiss ski resort of Davos, a new report is shining light on the shocking reality of the wealth gap between the very rich and poor that is “pull our societies apart.” A report by Oxfam released ahead the World Economic Forum in Davos shows the gap between the ultra-wealthy and the poorest half of the global population is starker than previously thought, with just eight men owning as much wealth as 3.6...

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Investec – Design Your Future

Whether you require our assistance in isolation, or whether you would like for us to partner with your existing advisers, Investec Wealth & Investment can be of valuable assistance to you in relation to the financial planning process. Speak with us today: http://bit.ly/2ixf4qU

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Schools try to smooth waves in Muslim swimming controversy

How do schools cope with Muslim families who want to prevent their daughters from attending swimming lessons? Swiss public television, SRF, talked to school principals and an imam about the controversy. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a …

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Davos Elite Eat $40 Hot Dogs While “Struggling For Answers”, Cowering in “Silent Fear”

For those unfamiliar with what goes on at the annual January boondoggle at the World Economic Forum in Davos, here is the simple breakdown. Officially, heads of state, captains of industry, prominent academics, philanthropists and a retinue of journalists, celebrities and hangers-on will descend Tuesday on the picturesque alpine village of Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.

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Davos: In Defense Of Populism

DAVOS MAN: “A soulless man, technocratic, nationless and cultureless, severed from reality. The modern economics that undergirded Davos capitalism is equally soulless, a managerial capitalism that reduces economics to mathematics and separates it from human action and human creativity.” – From the post: “For the Sake of Capitalism, Pepper Spray Davos”

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What Vice Costs – The World’s Cheapest (& Most Expensive) Countries For Drugs, Booze, & Cigarettes

Indulging in a weekly habit of drugs, booze and cigarettes can cost you as little as $41.40 in Laos and a whopping $1,441.50 in Japan, according to the Bloomberg Vice Index.

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Swiss franc less overvalued according to latest Big Mac index

On 12 January 2017, the Economist came out with its latest Big Mac index. Also known as the burger benchmark, the index compares the price of a Big Mac around the world. This catchy, if highly incomplete means of comparing the relative purchasing power of different currencies, uses the United States and the US$ as its base. Countries where Big Macs cost less than in the United States (in US$ terms) have weak currencies, and those where they are...

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We Are All Low-Skilled Workers Now

Subscribe to Patrick Watson’s free weekly column, Connecting the Dots, at Mauldin Economics: http://bit.ly/2jIKatg

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