Tag Archive: Business

London Property Bubble Bursting? UK In Unchartered Territory On Brexit and Election Mess

2017-06-30

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2017-06-30

UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index
Is the London property market heading for tough times? The most recent housing figures and a new Bank of England report suggest it may well be. Recent figures show that 77% of London houses sold in May went at below asking price, up from 72% in April.

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Shrinkflation – Real Inflation Much Higher Than Reported

2017-06-29

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2017-06-29

Shrinkflation
600 new words entered our official lexicon this week as the Oxford English Dictionary announced the latest new additions to their online records.

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Government considers easing off on traffic offenders

2017-06-29

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2017-06-29

The decision came in response to a parliamentary demand that cabinet reconsider the terms of a road safety program called Via Sicura, introduced in 2013 in a bit to tackle road accidents.

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Swiss companies’ computers held for ransom in global hack attack

2017-06-28

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2017-06-28

Swiss advertising conglomerate Admeira and six other Swiss companies are among those who fell victim to the latest global cyberattack demanding payment in Bitcoin in exchange for the return of hacked files and computer systems. According to Admeira Head of Communications Romi Hofer, the first sign that something was wrong was when “screens went blank” at the company on Tuesday afternoon.

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Goldman, Citi Turn Positive On Gold – Despite “Mysterious” Flash Crash

2017-06-28

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2017-06-28

Gold in USD, June 2017
Gold in USD - 1 Week - Massive selling at 0400 EST when U.S. markets closed and thin trading amid holidays in Muslim countries including Turkey, Singapore and Malaysia. - Mystery is that "fat fingers" in gold market are always sell trades that push prices lower

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Central Banks Buying Stocks Have Rigged US Stock Market Beyond Recovery

2017-06-27

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2017-06-27

Central banks buying stocks are effectively nationalizing US corporations just to maintain the illusion that their “recovery” plan is working because they have become the banks that are too big to fail. At first, their novel entry into the stock market was only intended to rescue imperiled corporations, such as General Motors during the first plunge into the Great Recession, but recently their efforts have shifted to propping up the entire stock...

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Activist fund aims to spur ‘staid’ Nestle into action

2017-06-27

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2017-06-27

Mark Schneider, Nestlé chief executive, addressed a conference in Berlin last week. "Size alone won't protect you from change," he told the Consumer Goods Forum and, after listing the challenges facing the industry, added that "status quo is not an option".

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Traffic noise increases risks of heart illnesses and diabetes

2017-06-21

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2017-06-21

Traffic noise from cars, lorries, trains and planes can have negative health consequences, such as increased risk of heart-related illnesses and diabetes, according to a long-term study of the impact of noise pollution on the Swiss population. Researchers taking part in the SiRENE study, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), found that road noise had the greatest impact on cardio-vascular illnesses.

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Novartis chief cools on US after visa crackdown

2017-06-21

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2017-06-21

Novartis has rejected overtures from United States President Donald Trump to increase jobs in the US, citing work visa restrictions as a reason. In a newspaper interview, chief executive Joe Jimenez said Switzerland and Europe were more attractive for the pharmaceutical firm.

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Swiss rail experiments with first-class upgrades

2017-06-20

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2017-06-20

Should second-class travellers be upgraded to first for less than cost-price?(KEYSTONE/Urs Flueeler) A trial project on Swiss trains has allowed passengers to enjoy cheap upgrades while relieving congestion in crowded carriages. Debates about fairness have already begun. class='lead-text'>First-class tickets on Swiss trains often cost about twice as much as their second-class equivalents. For example, while a full-price,...

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New Actelion CEO feels adrenaline rush

2017-06-20

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2017-06-20

The American pharmaceutical multinational, which operates more than 250 companies and paid $30 billion to take over the relatively small Actelion, put Jane Griffiths of Britain in charge of running its newest Swiss acquisition.

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Concern over pesticides in drinking supplies

2017-06-19

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2017-06-19

Higher-than-normal levels of pesticides have been found in 20% of the nation’s drinking water supplies from groundwater, prompting industry calls for tougher action to cut the costs of treating the water.class='lead-text'>A fifth of the samples seen in national monitoring data contained pesticide levels higher than the acceptable limit of 0.1 microgram (0.001 milligram) per liter. Some measurement points even exceeded 70%, Swiss newspaper NZZ am...

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UberPop drivers in Zurich operating outside the law

2017-06-18

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2017-06-18

UberPop drivers who do not hold an official professional taxi licence are operating illegally, according to the government in Zurich. They need to get a permit or risk facing punishment. Even if they readily meet the conditions set by Uber – having a four-door car, being at least 21 years old – not having a taxi licence means they are operating outside Swiss law, said the Zurich executive, responding to a parliamentary question.

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Parking clampdown in Zurich yields windfall

2017-06-18

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2017-06-18

Traffic police issued 21% more parking tickets in Zurich last year as the city dropped its ten-minute grace period for tardy motorists. The policy change was largely responsible for a CHF3.3 million ($3.4 million) penalty bonus that seems to have taken the authorities by surprise.

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Swiss remain top of world innovation ranking

2017-06-17

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2017-06-17

Switzerland is the leading nation for innovation for the seventh year in a row, according to the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The other countries in the top five for 2017 were Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States and Britain, the WIPO Global Innovation Indexexternal link said on Thursday. Switzerland has held the top spot since 2011.

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“It’s A Perfect Storm Of Negativity” – Veteran Trader Rejoins The Dark Side

2017-06-16

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2017-06-16

After many months of fighting all the naysayers predicting the next big stock market crash, I am finally succumbing to the seductive story of the dark side, and getting negative on equities. I am often early, so maybe this means the rally is about to accelerate to the upside.

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Swiss state pension fund stops investing in arms firms

2017-06-16

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2017-06-16

The leading Swiss state pension fund, Publica, has announced that it plans to disinvest from five weapons companies. This follows a national campaign by a responsible investment pension group to blacklist 15 international arms firms.

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Swiss holiday homes becoming cheaper to buy

2017-06-14

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2017-06-14

The cost of owning a holiday home in the Swiss Alps has declined appreciably in many towns and villages in the last five years. The biggest falls in property prices have been observed in the last 12 months, according to UBS bank researchers. Prices have dipped anywhere from 3% to 9 % year-on-year in some of the best-known Swiss tourist destinations, such as St Moritz and Verbier.

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Key Events In The Coming Busy Week: Fed, BOJ, BOE, SNB, US Inflation And Retail Sales

2017-06-13

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2017-06-13

Known Unknowns
After a tumultous week in the world of politics, with non-stop Trump drama in the US, a disastrous for Theresa May general election in the UK, and pro-establishment results in France and Italy, this is shaping up as another busy week ahead with multiple CB meetings, a full data calendar and even another important Eurogroup meeting for Greece.

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New Gold Pool at the BIS Switzerland: A Who’s Who of Central Bankers

2017-06-13

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2017-06-13

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Headquarters
A central bank Gold Pool which many people will be familiar with operated in the gold market between November 1961 and March 1968. That Gold Pool was known as the London Gold Pool.

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