Tag Archive: Business

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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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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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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Chinese companies choose Switzerland over US and UK to raise money overseas

Chinese companies are flocking to Switzerland to raise capital after being discouraged from listing in the US by geopolitical tensions and in Britain by tougher audit standards.

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Former top Credit Suisse shareholder Harris Associates sells out of bank

One of Credit Suisse’s longest-standing shareholders has sold its entire stake in the scandal-hit Swiss bank after losing patience with its strategy amid persistent losses and a client exodus.

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Six numbers that show why Credit Suisse has little leeway

Disappointing results leave no more room for accidents as the bank carries out restructuring. It has been a year since Axel Lehmann took over as chair of accident-prone Credit Suisse and about half that since Ulrich Körner became chief executive. But they have yet to stem the problems at Switzerland’s second-biggest bank, caused by a succession of historic scandals and mismanaged risk – from the blow-up of the Archegos family office to the...

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Switzerland’s ‘cash initiative’ – what’s at stake?

Swiss citizens look set to vote on a people’s initiative to try to ensure their economy never becomes cashless. What do the campaigners behind the idea really want?

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Where did it all go wrong for Credit Suisse?

Widespread analysis of what went wrong at Credit Suisse converges on a constant theme: an international bank that lost touch with its Swiss roots, led by people who put profits ahead of prudence. 

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Public sector workers strike in western Switzerland for higher wages

Around 3,500 public sector workers in the western Swiss canton of Vaud took part in a strike on Thursday. They are calling for wage indexation to keep up with inflation and rising living costs.

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Not enough clarity in recycling sector, Swiss oversight body says

The Federal Audit Office says there needs to be more transparency around the various fees and taxes which fund Switzerland’s recycling system. The auditors wrote on Wednesday that CHF176 million ($192 million) in recycling taxes and fees were collected in 2019: these included state-organised prepaid disposal fees on glass and batteries, and voluntary, private sector-run contributions on PET packaging, aluminium, tin cans, electrical appliances and...

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SWISS to resume regular passenger flights to China

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) says it will resume passenger flights to the Chinese city of Shanghai early next month following an easing of travel restrictions.

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The most critical questions about the Swiss central bank’s huge losses

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) booked a CHF132 billion ($143 billion) loss in 2022 and suspended profit-sharing transfers to the Confederation and cantons. What does that mean exactly? And how does the SNB fare in international comparison?  Fabio Canetg More from this author Last year, the SNB lost more money than ever before. And it is not alone: central banks around the world also recorded heavy losses. As a...

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Banking secrecy exception proposed for Swiss media

Swiss journalists could in future receive leaked bank data without fear of criminal prosecution if a parliamentary motion is incorporated in banking secrecy legislation.

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Switzerland looks to safeguard gas supplies for winter 2023-2024

With an eye on possible shortages next winter, the government plans to repeat this year’s mitigation strategy of buying reserve stocks. The decision is a repeat of what the government already outlined in May 2022: to head off possible winter gas shortages, authorities want to ensure that the country has six terawatt hours’ worth of gas in reserve stocks in neighbouring countries.

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UBS profits rise after Credit Suisse client defections

UBS enjoyed a 23% rise in pre-tax profits in the final quarter as it benefited from clients switching from rival Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank on Tuesday reported $1.7 billion (CHF1.58 billion) of net profit in the final three months of 2022, comfortably ahead of analyst estimates of $1.3 billion, bringing the group’s profit for the year to $7.6 billion.

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Covid: 140 million masks set to expire this year

The Swiss government is sitting on a mountain of hygiene masks, bought for the Covid-19 pandemic, and is now desperately looking for alternative uses so they don’t have to be destroyed, according to the SonntagsZeitung.

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