Category Archive: 3.) Investec

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House Prices Down in Verbier but Up in Some other Swiss resorts

2018-06-04

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2018-06-04

Verbier
A recent report published by UBS shows real estate price changes in european mountain resorts. Over the last year, Verbier (-3.2%) and Crans Montana (-3.0%) experienced the largest price declines, while Saas Fee (+14.3%) and St. Moritz (+7.4%) climbed the most.

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Pay in Zurich and Geneva highest in the world

2018-06-03

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2018-06-03

Days of pay to buy an iPhone X
A survey of the cost of living in 77 cities, by UBS, ranks Zurich (1st) and Geneva (2nd) as the most expensive. But while these cities are the most expensive, their workers are also the highest paid. In Zurich, less than five days pay affords an iPhone X. In Geneva, the same device requires less than six days of labour.

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Switzerland second hardest working nation in Europe

2018-05-29

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2018-05-29

Recent statistics show that the average full-time employee in Switzerland worked 42.6 hours a week. This is slightly less than an average Icelander (42.9) – the longest working – but 13% longer than the average in leisurely France (37.4), the european nation putting in the fewest hours.

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Clare Balding’s Derby Memories | Investec Derby 2018

2018-05-29

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Ahead of the Investec Derby, Clare Balding reflects on the greatest flat race and how it changed her family’s life forever.

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High Swiss Drug Prices – Campaign Presents a Solution to Swiss government

2018-05-27

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2018-05-27

Generic-drugs-Switzerland
This week, the Swiss NGO Public Eye, launched a campaign for more affordable medicine in Switzerland under the slogan: protect patients, not patents. The NGO says high prices, of cancer drugs in particular, is not only an issue affecting developing nations but wealthy ones too. It says that cancer treatments in Switzerland often cost over CHF 100,000 a year.

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Switzerland Drops in Economic Competitiveness Ranking

2018-05-26

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2018-05-26

Swiss-business
While Switzerland remains in the top five with the same other four countries in this year’s IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, it slipped from second to fifth place. The United States rose from fourth to first, second and third places went to Hong Kong and Singapore, and fourth place to the Netherlands.

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Fribourg – moves to axe government pensions for life

2018-05-22

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2018-05-22

Fribourg
Switzerland’s government is working hard to find ways to fix a looming state pension shortfall. Two politicians in the canton of Fribourg have decided to seek savings by attempting to cut lifetime government pensions granted after short stints in the job, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes.

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Switzerland’s vote to change its monetary system – sensible or silly?

2018-05-21

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2018-05-21

Swiss franc
Sometimes Swiss voters are presented with questions that only specialists are equipped to answer. The vote on 10 June 2018 to change their monetary system appears to be one of these. On the surface it appears simple. Upon closer inspection it contains much complexity and uncertainty, compounded by a widespread misunderstanding of how the financial system works – banks do not act simply as intermediaries, lending out the deposits that savers place...

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Can President Ramaphosa improve business confidence in South Africa?

2018-05-21

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Talking at a recent Investec #BusinessMatters event, leading economist Mike Schüssler looked at the impact of President Ramaphosa’s appointment on business confidence. Get all #BusinessMatters insights here: http://bit.ly/2FI1ZqE

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Advocate Thuli Madonsela on getting South Africa back on track

2018-05-21

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Advocate Thuli Madonsela and Investec CEO Stephen Koseff on how to put South Africa on a path of inclusive growth. Read more here: https://invest.ec/2wZfQEJ

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Swiss Rail drops plan to put Wi-Fi in trains

2018-05-20

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2018-05-20

Swiss Rail wifi
Swiss Rail has dropped plans to install Wi-Fi in its trains, according to the newspaper Le Matin. After a survey revealed that customers would only use on-board Wi-Fi it was free, the company decided there was no justifiable way to cover the cost, according the the newspaper. Swiss Rail is not prepared to bear the costs the mobile operators would charge them for the service and cannot not justify adding the cost to ticket prices.

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Disability welfare – fraud investigations expected to save 170 million

2018-05-19

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2018-05-19

By January 2018, the number receiving disability welfare in Switzerland had dropped to 217,200, 40,300 fewer than in 2006 when the number reached a record 257,500. Switzerland’s Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) attributes the reduction to an occupational rehabilitation programme started in 2008, and disability welfare fraud investigations.

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Median Swiss salary rises

2018-05-18

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2018-05-18

Swiss salaries have risen according to a recently published report by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. The median gross monthly salary was CHF 6,5021 in 2016, CHF 313 higher than in 2014. 50% of Swiss workers earned more than this and 50% earned less.

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Child care tax deductions set to rise in Switzerland

2018-05-17

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2018-05-17

Switzerland’s Federal Council, or cabinet, plans to increase the maximum annual deduction for child care costs to CHF 25,000 per child, up from CHF 12,100. This would allow parents to deduct up to this amount from their income for federal tax purposes but would not affect canton and commune taxes. Deductions could not exceed the amount spent.

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Internships – Switzerland’s Young Socialists caught preaching one thing and practicing another

2018-05-15

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2018-05-15

Intern Young Socialists
In collaboration with the Swiss union Unia, Switzerland’s Young Socialists have launched a protest against the exploitation of interns. To get on the career ladder, many young people feel compelled to take internships offering little or no pay. The Young Socialists are demanding interns be better paid. Recent data from the Federal Statistical Office shows that 23% of young workers (15-24) are on short-term contracts, 41% of them interns.

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Late trains – Switzerland’s delay hotspots

2018-05-13

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2018-05-13

Train Delays
The cliché of Swiss trains always being on time is challenged by data published on the website opentransportdata.swiss. Analysis of this data by 20 Minuten, shows the most frequently delayed trains arrive from Italy. Mendrisio, near the Italian border in the canton of Ticino, was the worst performing station with 30% of trains delayed by 3 minutes or more. Italian delays also affect Swiss trains from Domodossola and Brig.

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Switzerland most expensive for meat

2018-05-09

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2018-05-09

Chicken
Switzerland has the world’s most expensive meat according to a survey compiled by Caterwings in Germany. The survey, which looks at meat prices in 52 countries, ranks Swiss prices at the top across all meat categories. On average, Swiss shoppers pay 142% more than the average across all meat categories.

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Aidan and Joseph O’Brien on partnerships, preparation and performance.

2018-05-08

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Watch our exclusive interview with Aidan and Joseph O’Brien as they reflect on their recent success in the Investec Derby. Values and stories like that of this father and son partnership underpin our sponsorship of the world’s greatest flat race.

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Is Swiss inflation back to stay?

2018-05-08

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2018-05-08

Swiss inflation
Swiss inflation reappeared in February 2018 and has continued. According to the Federal Statistical Office, inflation was 0.2% in April. Since the beginning of 2018, prices have risen 0.9%. Jan-Egbert Sturm of the KOF Swiss Economic Institute says it shows the Swiss economy is doing well, and that inflation is close to what is “normal” in Switzerland.

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Some Swiss train fares to fall in June

2018-05-02

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2018-05-02

Swiss Rail
This week, ch-direct, an association of public transport providers that sets ticket prices, announced there would be no ticket price rises in 2019. Instead the prices of some tickets will fall slightly on 1 June 2018. The price small cuts on standard fares in June relate to the shift from 8.0% to 7.7% VAT at the beginning of the year.

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