Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Swiss government data affected by cyber-attack on Basel firm

The software company Concevis has been the victim of a cyber attack. Once again, federal government data is involved. The cybercriminals are threatening to publish the data on the darknet.

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Glencore buys Teck’s coal assets in billion dollar deal

Commodities giant Glencore is taking control of Canadian Teck's steelmaking coal business.

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Zurich Airport hits pre-pandemic traffic level in October

For the first time, the same number of passengers flew through Zurich Airport in October as before the coronavirus pandemic. The number of passengers rose significantly compared to the same month last year.

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Swiss Post readies for holiday rush amid slight parcel dip

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and then Christmas shopping: many people in Switzerland will go on a shopping spree at the end of the year. However, Swiss Post is expecting a slightly lower flood of parcels this year than in 2022.

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Swiss rental prices for apartments continue to rise

In Switzerland, rents for apartments on the market continued to rise in October. However, there were clear differences in the individual cantons. Across Switzerland, rents for new and re-rentable apartments - the so-called asking rents - rose by 0.4% in October compared to the previous month, according to the Homegate rent index published on Monday. The index advanced by 0.5 points to 123.8 points. 

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Swiss banks spend more on online advertising but lag in AI

Retail banks have increased investment in digital marketing by 16% in a bid to attract younger clients. 

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Swiss government wants to lower licence fee to CHF300

The government wants to reduce the annual radio and television licence fee from the current CHF335 ($372) to CHF300 by 2029. The turnover threshold for companies to qualify for exemption has been raised from CHF500,000 to CHF1.2 million.

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Switzerland scraps electric car tax exemption

Anyone who owns an electric car in Switzerland will have to pay automobile tax from January 1. The Federal Council decided on Wednesday to repeal this tax exemption for electric cars, which has been in effect since 1997.

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No real wage growth expected in 2024: UBS survey

Purchasing power in Switzerland is likely to remain under pressure next year. Companies surveyed by UBS want to pay their employees more wages for 2024, but higher salaries cannot compensate for the inflation.

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Swiss potato harvest expected to drop by a third

This year's potato harvest has been disappointing with growers expecting a drop of around a third compared with recent years. Yields are still difficult to estimate at the moment. The final figures will not be known until early December, Ruedi Fischer, President of the Swiss Potato Growers' Association (USPPT), told press agency Keystone-SDA.

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Will a project to reintroduce European bison into Swiss forests work?

The European bison, a species that differs slightly from its north American cousin, died out in Europe. Now it is to be reintroduced in Switzerland. Can a densely populated country tolerate such a large wild animal?

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Price cuts on 350 medicines in Switzerland

With the ever rising cost of of Swiss healthcare, the government has been hunting for savings. This week it announced that it has ordered price cuts on 350 medicines from 1 December 2023, reported RTS.

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Swiss finance minister wins 2023 obfuscation award

Every year, investigativ.ch, an association of investigative journalists, bestows an award on the public figure it deems to have exercised the lowest levels of transparency during the year.

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Swiss inflation returns in October

Consumer prices increased by 0.1% in October 2023, reported Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week.

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Credit Suisse wins London lawsuit over RMBS-linked notes

Credit Suisse on Friday won a lawsuit at London’s High Court over the sale of $100 million (CHF90.47 million) of notes linked to residential mortgage-backed securities.

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Swiss authorities reportedly mull new rules to prevent bank runs

Swiss authorities and lenders, including UBS, are discussing new measures to prevent bank runs after Credit Suisse’s last-ditch rescue earlier this year, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

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What CERN’s next-generation particle collider could look like

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva are taking the next steps towards creating a huge particle collider. With the Future Circular Collider (FCC), they want to search for new physics and answer fundamental questions about our universe. We visited the CERN sites to learn more about particle physics and their plans. Particle colliders have been used since the 1950s to help physicists explore the laws of the...

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Stablecoins explained

The rapid proliferation of cryptocurrencies has been matched by massive swings in their value relative to traditional currencies. This means that cryptocurrency holders can never be certain of their purchasing power. Enter stablecoins, a form of cryptocurrency that is backed by traditional currencies (such as the Swiss franc or US dollar), or other assets such as gold or oil. Cryptocurrencies are run on Distributed Ledger Technology systems like...

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UBS clash at Supreme Court tests whistleblower suit rules

The US Supreme Court considered reinstating a $900,000 (CHF810,000) jury verdict won by a fired UBS Group research strategist in a case that could make it easier for whistleblowers to win suits claiming retaliation under a federal investor-protection law.

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The dark secrets of Swiss gold | Part 2 #switzerland #gold

Swiss media obtained a confidential letter in which the Swiss authorities warned the Swiss refiner Valcambi of its risky practices with a refinery in Dubai. ⁠ ⁠ But why didn't they sanction Valcambi? Mainly because the Swiss law does not always permit it. Even if a company is found to have failed in its duty of due diligence.⁠ ⁠ ?Click here to find out more:...

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