Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Swiss tax spy avoids jail time as Frankfurt trial ends

A Swiss man on trial in Frankfurt has been found guilty of spying on the tax authorities of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). ‘Daniel M.’ was handed a suspended sentence of 22 months and a fine of €40,000 (CHF46,600). The verdict brings to a premature end the twists and turns of a case that brought scrutiny on Swiss-German diplomatic relations since the arrest of the 54-year-old in April this year.

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BMW must pay multimillion-franc fine, Swiss court rules

Switzerland's highest court has confirmed a CHF157 million ($158 million) fine against German luxury carmaker BMW for blocking car shipments to Switzerland. The fine was originally levied on BMWexternal link by Switzerland’s Competition Commissionexternal link (COMCO) in May 2012 for preventing Swiss residents from buying BMW cars from the European Economic Area (EEA) and importing them to Switzerland, after the strong francexternal link made...

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Switzerland moves closer to female board quotas

This week, Switzerland moved closer to requiring minimum percentages of women on company boards and management teams. A parliamentary commission came out in support of the Federal Council’s plan to require greater gender balance in the boardrooms of Switzerland’s large listed companies.

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Trust in online content takes a big hit

Internet users in Switzerland rate their computer skills as good, but trust in online news content has dropped significantly, according to a survey by the University of Zurich. An overwhelming majority (83%) of users stated they can easily distinguish between important and unimportant online activities.

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Health insurance rise in 2018 even higher, according to new calculation

At the end of September the Swiss government announced an average nationwide health premium rise of 4% in 2018. This government calculation is rather narrow. It only looks at the price of standard compulsory insurance, including accident cover, for an adult with a CHF 300 deductible. Price comparison site bonus.ch calculates that this policy configuration only applies to 18.3% of residents.

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Swiss Industries Announce Series of Offshoring Moves

The ABB electronics group announced on Monday the offshoring of up to 150 positions from its Geneva production centre, while Roche is cutting 235 people in canton Aargau. Employees and trade unions reacted angrily.

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Big Swiss names surface in ‘Paradise Papers’

Politicians, business directors and companies in Switzerland are among those connected to the so-called Paradise Papers, a massive trove of leaked offshore investment documents. There is currently no evidence of any legal wrongdoing.

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Swiss wind power at a standstill

Following the vote in favour of Energy Strategy 2050, the government announced its target of building up to 800 wind turbines. To reach this goal, twenty new wind turbines would need to go up each year until 2050. Yet not a single wind farm was built this year. What’s behind this lack of progress? (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of …

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If American Federalism Were Like Swiss Federalism, There Would Be 1,300 States

In a recent interview with Mises Weekends, Claudio Grass examined some of the advantages of the Swiss political system, and how highly decentralized politics can bring with it great economic prosperity, more political stability, and a greater respect for property rights. Since the Swiss political system of federalism is itself partially inspired by 19th-century American federalism, the average American can usually imagine in broad terms what the...

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Börsen-Talk vom 3. November 2017

Kleinkapitalisierte Aktien aus den USA gelten als Fiebermesser für die Weltwirtschaft. Welches sind ihre Perspektiven? Amerika-Experte Thorsten Becker gibt Auskunft und nennt seine Lieblingsaktien.

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Polish economic hub: a threat to Swiss jobs?

Over the past ten years, Wroclaw in Poland has become such an important economic hub that direct flights there are now offered from Zurich. (RTS/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 perspective on international events. For more articles, …

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Hip-Hop: a migrant thing?

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she talks to Ugi, an ethnic Kurd born in Switzerland, about the links between Hip-Hop and migration. (SRF Kulturplatz/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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Markus Gygax, CEO der Valiant Bank

Die Neunmonatszahlen der Valiant Bank überzeugen die Anleger. Im Video-Interview sagt CEO Markus Gygax, ob er sich Negativzinsen für Sparer vorstellen kann und wieso er im Immobilienmarkt nicht mehr Marktanteile sucht.

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When Health Insurance Works: A Look Inside Switzerland’s Healthcare System

The enigmatic independence of Switzerland is perhaps best demonstrated in the fact that its healthcare system manages to satisfy both free marketers and the statist-socialists in the country. It is a giant social safety net woven by individual responsibility and self-made wealth. Health insurance is almost entirely consumer-based, though there are strict cantonal regulations and some governing federal laws.

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Lausanne cancels artist’s appearance over security fears 

A book festival in Lausanne has cancelled an invitation to Marsault, a controversial French comic book artist, after the organisers said they received threats from activists.The organisers of the Lausan'noir crime thriller book festivalexternal link say they will not be welcoming the French comic book artist Marsault to their event, which takes place in the Swiss city from October 27-29.

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Caccia al tesoro di Natale con Topsy e i suoi amici | UBS Topsy

Caccia al tesoro di Natale con Topsy e i suoi amici. Un cartone animato YouTube di UBS Svizzera: https://www.ubs.com/ch/it UBS Svizzera – La vostra banca da oltre 150 anni. Una divertente caccia al tesoro nel periodo natalizio. Sissi la scoiattolina, Timmi il tasso e Pixi il picchio sono sulle tracce di Topsy. Chissà se riusciranno …

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Jeu de piste de Noël avec Topsy et ses amis | UBS Topsy

Jeu de piste de Noël avec Topsy et ses amis. Un dessin animé d’UBS Suisse sur YouTube: https://www.ubs.com/ch/fr UBS Suisse – votre banque depuis plus de 150 ans. Jeu de piste de l’Avent. Eva l’écureuil, Bobby le blaireau et Pic-Pic le pivert sont sur les traces de Topsy. Mais réussiront-ils à le trouver? Jouer et …

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Weihnachts-Schnitzeljagd mit Topsy und seinen Freunden | UBS Topsy

Weihnachts-Schnitzeljagd mit Topsy und seinen Freunden. Ein YouTube-Trickfilm von UBS Schweiz: https://www.ubs.com/ch/de UBS Schweiz – Ihre Bank seit über 150 Jahren. Schnitzeljagd während der Weihnachtszeit. Hanna Hörnchen, Dani Dachs und Sigi Specht sind Topsy dicht auf der Spur. Ob sie ihn wohl auch finden? Spiel und Spass mit dem Sparfuchs Topsy – der Kinderwelt von …

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Swiss government says it has a plan to contain healthcare costs

As next year’s health premium bills find their way into Swiss mail or email boxes, the reality of another round of price increases starts to bite. Earlier this week, Switzerland’s Federal Council unveiled 38 measures that will be considered as part of a plan to tackle Switzerland’s rising health costs. A final plan will be presented next spring, according to 20 Minutes.

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Simon Brown and Japie Lubbe unpack the Investec Offshore Protected Share

Simon Brown and Japie Lubbe of Investec discuss the Investec Offshore Protected Share.

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