30 December 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. In the last week of the year, the Swiss Market Index deepened its loss for the year as banks continued lower on low trading volumes. The SMI is set to end 2016 with an annual loss of 6.8% as banking and […]
Archives for December 2016
50 percent of Swiss sleep with their pets, estimates vet
20 Minutes. Is it OK to sleep with your cat or dog? There appears to be no evidence that the practice presents any dangers to human health. According to vet Gabrielle Brunner, from Basel, the phenomenon is widespread in Switzerland. “I estimate that half of Swiss do it” she told 20 Minutes. From a sanitary perspective […]
Swiss fact: more than 40% of the population is not religious in some Swiss cantons
Recent figures show that nearly one in four Swiss follows no religion. In 2014, 1.9 million people in Switzerland stated that they belonged to no religious group. In some cantons the percentage in this category was above 40%. Religion has had a hand in shaping Switzerland. For example, in the 16th century, the canton of […]
Film: The Founder – from failed salesman to the Golden Arches – the McDonald’s story
30 December 2016. THE FOUNDER ***1/2 Everyone knows the McDonald’s name, the mass-produced, fast food hamburgers that have conquered the world, for better or for worse. The original idea came from two McDonald brothers in California who were proud of their innovative success. That was in the mid-1950s, and it was like a “symphony in hamburger […]
Young Swiss living at home for longer
24 Heures. Young Swiss are taking longer and longer to leave the family home according to a census study by Switzerland’s statistics office. During the 1970s and 1980s, the average age for making a break was between 20 and 21, now it’s around 24 or 25. One of the key drivers of the shift is […]
Miners, including Swiss-based Glencore, unearth a profit bonanza with rally set to last into 2017
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Miners had been digging in one of Australia’s oldest collieries for almost a century until operations wound down a year ago, the victim of plunging global commodity prices. Now owner Glencore Plc is resuming output at the Queensland site, the latest sign of a profit bonanza bringing the world’s […]
Unseasonal high-pressure system keeping snow away from Switzerland
According to Swiss Meteo, an unseasonal high pressure system is currently passing over Switzerland. Not good news for those hoping for snow, the system is likely to affect the weather between now and 1 January 2017. The last three winters have brought strong anticyclones during Christmas. While this weather pattern is unusual compared to the […]
Alpine panoramas, fondue and snowballs at Europe’s highest railway station
On top of the Jungfrau, the alpine views (and elevation) will take your breath away. By Bill Harby The two-plus-hour train ride up, up, up from Interlaken is at least half the fun of going to the Jungfraujoch visitors center, 3,454 meters above sea level. Traveling slowly on winding mountain tracks, you’re suddenly surrounded by […]
Swiss fact: Switzerland sends no urban waste to landfill
According to the Swiss Federal office for the environment, no Swiss urban waste ends up in landfill. Around 50% is recycled and the rest is used to produce energy. In 2013, Switzerland produced 5.7 tonnes of urban waste, around 700kgs per person. Half of this was recycled, while the other half was incinerated to produce […]
Sentiment appears positive as investors close their books for the year
23 December 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Ahead of the Christmas break, trading volumes were thin this week amid a lack of new market catalysts. Swiss and European equities were generally unchanged through the week, tracking global stock markets. Overall, sentiment appears to be positive as investors close […]