24 Heures. Several schools in central Switzerland have banned the use of mobile phones during school breaks. A number of schools in the cantons Zug, Nidwalden and Luzern introduced the ban at the beginning of the school year, according to 20 Minuten. Peter Hörler, director of schools in the canton of Zug, told the newspaper Zentralschweiz am […]
Archives for September 2016
Swiss central bank keeps rates on hold as Brexit fallout clouds outlook
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss National Bank maintained its ultra-loose negative interest-rate policy and pledged to intervene in currency markets if needed, saying the Brexit vote has clouded its view of the global economy. Switzerland’s central bank, which for years has been combating an overvalued currency, left its deposit rate at a […]
Swiss to vote on state pension increases
On 25 September 2016, Swiss will vote on a plan to increase state pensions. Vote initiator, Switzerland’s Socialist Party, wants basic state pensions to go up by 10 percent. It argues that because costs have gone up, and returns on savings have declined, an increase is required to make up the difference. In Switzerland, everyone is entitled to an […]
Swiss to vote on a plan to cut ecological footprint by two thirds
On 25 September 2016, the Swiss electorate will vote on the ‘Green Economy’ initiative, the work of the Green party. Switzerland’s per capita consumption of the earth is far from sustainable. The Green party says three earths would be required if everyone on the planet consumed natural resources, such as water, air, soil or raw materials, […]
Traffic alert: flower-covered cows take to Swiss streets – the event’s history and where to see it
By Bill Harby What exactly is the alpine descent or désalpe / alpabzug? In Switzerland, we know the clock will soon strike autumn when processions of cows crowned with flowers and hung with huge clanging bells, descend from summer alpine pastures to their winter barns before the snows come. Led by cowherds and children dressed […]
Richemont, Hermes slump as gloom deepens for luxury-goods makers
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The crisis in the global luxury-goods industry deepened after Hermes International SCA abandoned a long-standing forecast and Richemont predicted a profit plunge that Chairman Johann Rupert deemed unacceptable. Richemont, the maker of Cartier jewelry, said first-half operating profit will probably decline about 45 percent and warned it may have […]
Seven years of inaction on SNB rates day won’t end this week
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Anyone feeling let down that the European Central Bank didn’t do much last week might just want to skip the Swiss rate decision on Thursday to avoid more disappointment. While the Swiss National Bank may be infamous for some seismic policy changes in the last few years, those bombshells […]
Deadline for overseas US voter registration fast approaching
The US presidential election is on 8 November 2016. Overseas voters from some US states have only until 8 October to register. A full list of state registration dates can be found here. Most recent polls put Democratic contender Hillary Clinton in the lead, however a 12 September poll by the Los Angeles Times shows Clinton […]
Swiss startup doubles solar panel efficiency
Because roof space is limited, the amount of the sun’s energy that can be extracted per square metre matters. Plants typically extract 5% of the sun’s energy, and most roof solar panels on the market extract between 14% and 22%, although figures vary. Last October, the website Mashable reported that SolarCity, whose chairman is Elon Musk, had […]
Swiss home vacancy rate climbs to 15-year high
Switzerland has around 4.4 million homes. In 2000, 52,608 (1.49%) of them were vacant. By 2003, this number had dropped to 33,039, a vacancy rate of 0.91%. After fluctuating between this level and 1.07%, the rate started to climb in 2014 to its current rate of 1.30%, its highest level in 15 years. Before home hunters […]