Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Investec
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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Swiss National Bank forecasts deflation until 2022

2020-06-22

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2020-06-22

On 18 June 2020, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) said it would maintain its negative rate of interest (-0.75%) and remains willing to intervene more strongly in the foreign exchange market.

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Coronavirus: cheap drug substantially cuts severe case death risk, according to large UK trial

2020-06-21

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2020-06-21

A trial at Oxford University suggests an existing low cost drug can cut the risk of death from Covid-19 substantially. Tests involving 6,000 hospitalised Covid-19 patients suggest the drug can cut the risk of death for those on ventilators from 40% to 28%. For patients needing oxygen the risk of death could be cut from 25% to 20%.

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Coronavirus: the rising number of mild cases with symptoms lasting months

2020-06-20

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2020-06-20

Those with mild Covid-19 symptoms are supposed to recover after two weeks. However, a rising number of relatively young people with mild cases report symptoms months later. Johns Hopkins Medicine says that those with mild cases of COVID-19 appear to recover within one to two weeks. For severe cases, recovery may take six weeks or more.

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Coronavirus: national lockdown not part of Switzerland’s second wave response plan

2020-06-19

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2020-06-19

Switzerland’s federal government is against imposing nationwide restrictions to slow the spread of a second wave on infections, according to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. The federal government plan, which is under development, is more regional than the response to the first wave of infections and focuses decision making power at the cantonal level, reported the newspaper.

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Coronavirus: latest antibody study suggests 10.8 percent of Geneva infected in first wave

2020-06-18

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2020-06-18

A recently published update to the ongoing study in Geneva to assess the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests 10.8% of the population may have been infected in the first wave of infections. The study, which tests a sample of the population over time for IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, started in early April 2020. The latest figures come from the fifth week of testing, which was concluded on 9 May 2020. 

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SoftBank invests in Credit Suisse funds financing technology bets

2020-06-17

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2020-06-17

SoftBank has quietly poured more than $500m into Credit Suisse investment funds that in turn made big bets on the debt of struggling start-ups backed by the Japanese technology conglomerate’s Vision Fund. SoftBank made the investment into the Swiss bank’s $7.5bn range of supply-chain finance funds, said three people familiar with the matter.

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Fintech firm Achiko hits Cayman-related compliance problems

2020-06-16

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2020-06-16

Cayman Islands fintech company Achiko has run into “compliance issues” just months after listing on the Swiss stock exchange. The firm has called a meeting of shareholders this week to approve a plan to create a Swiss company and re-list the shares from this entity.

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100 Swiss watch brands risk extinction due to coronavirus, expert says

2020-06-15

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2020-06-15

The coronavirus crisis could eliminate up to 100 Swiss watch brands from the market, according to an expert interviewed by the German-language weekly NZZamSonntag. Production came to a standstill during the pandemic and the most important export markets collapsed. Whether tourists with purchasing power will return to Switzerland remains in question. The watch industry, notes the newspaper, has been “caught in the perfect storm”.

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Swiss parliament votes in favour of flight tax

2020-06-15

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2020-06-15

A majority of Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of introducing a tax on flights departing from Switzerland. 132 voted in favour of the tax, with 65 against. The tax would range from CHF 30 to CHF 120 depending on the distance and class of travel, according to 20 Minutes.

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Coronavirus: new cases stable with small rise in deaths in Switzerland

2020-06-14

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2020-06-14

In the seven days to 12 June 2020, the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 127. A similar number of new cases was recorded in the week before (108) and the week before that (121), according to Worldinfometer.com.

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Swiss forests are healthy but need better management

2020-06-13

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2020-06-13

Despite threats such as drought and insects, Swiss forests are better equipped to handle natural hazards than they were a decade ago. Not content to mind her own business, Susan studied journalism in Boston so she’d have the perfect excuse to put herself in other people’s shoes and worlds. When not writing, she presents and produces podcasts and videos.

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Expats in Switzerland need even deeper pockets

2020-06-12

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2020-06-12

Three Swiss cities – Zurich, Bern and Geneva – are among the ten most expensive in the world for expatriates, according to the annual Cost of Living survey by consultants Mercer. Hong Kong remains at the top of the list of 209 countries for the third year in a row. Six of the top ten are in Asia, three in Switzerland and one in the United States.

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Swiss Post set to relaunch its e-voting system

2020-06-11

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2020-06-11

The controversial issue of e-voting is back: Swiss Post, which had halted the development of a project in July 2019, has bought a Spanish-owned system and plans to propose a platform ready for testing by 2021.

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OECD forecasts drop in Swiss economic growth in 2020

2020-06-11

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2020-06-11

Even though restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19 were less strict than in other countries, Switzerland will still see its GDP fall by 7.7%, if the pandemic is contained by summer.

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Record amount raised for rhino conservation at St Mary’s Investec Hockey festival

2020-06-10

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In six years St Mary's Waverley and Investec Rhino Lifeline have raised over R800 000 towards rhino conservation, with 2019 being the biggest fundraising effort, yet! This was originally published in March 2019. https://invest.ec/2UuKhw5

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Record amount raised for rhino conservation at St Mary’s Investec Hockey festival

2020-06-10

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In six years St Mary's Waverley and Investec Rhino Lifeline have raised over R800 000 towards rhino conservation, with 2019 being the biggest fundraising effort, yet! This was originally published in March 2019. https://invest.ec/2UuKhw5

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Investec’s approach strategy to further SDGs

2020-06-10

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Fani Titi, Investec joint CEO is one of only two South Africans to join a group of global leaders tasked with freeing up trillions of dollars from the private sector to finance the Sustainable Development Goals. In this video first published on 30 Oct 2019, Titi explains Investec’s approach to furthering the SDGs. https://invest.ec/2UvzUrU

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The impact of Covid-19 on business leadership

2020-06-10

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The world of work is being profoundly impacted by the Coronavirus. Leaders and corporate heads must adapt to the 'new norm', but what does that entail? And what's required from businesses to deliver and thrive? Investec’s global People and Organisation (HR) functions reflect on how Covid-19 is changing the role of a leader and how teams function. This video was first published on 23 April 2020. https://invest.ec/2UsWYax

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Record amount raised for rhino conservation at St Mary’s Investec Hockey festival

2020-06-10

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In six years St Mary’s Waverley and Investec Rhino Lifeline have raised over R800 000 towards rhino conservation, with 2019 being the biggest fundraising effort, yet! This was originally published in March 2019. https://invest.ec/2UuKhw5

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St Mary’s Investec Hockey festival highlights 2019

2020-06-10

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Investec has been the principal sponsor of the St Mary’s Investec Hockey festival for twelve years. The festival is a powerful platform for elevating women’s sport and assisting young talented women reach their potential. Originally published in March 2019 https://invest.ec/2UuIzuF

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