20 Minutes. During the first week of July, Swiss immigration officers witnessed a rise in the number of people illegally entering Switzerland. A record number of more than 1,300 people were stopped at the border in Ticino after illegally entering the country between 4 and 10 July. The majority, 665, were from Eritrea. According to […]
QE and stress tests could cause a state of emergency for some insurers
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. European insurers, whose profits are being eroded by Mario Draghi’s quantitative-easing program, face a stress-test headache that risks requiring them to set aside more capital, further hurting their ability to make money. The timing of the regulator’s “stress test couldn’t be worse as the results will be rather negative,” […]
Could foreigners be required to do Swiss military service?
Requiring foreign residents to undertake military service is one option explored in a government sponsored report published last week. The current system requires all able young male Swiss citizens to do military service. In 1985 there were around 45,000 eligible men. By 2014 this number had dropped to about 37,000. Estimates for 2035 are between 36,000 […]
Swiss health insurance premiums could rise 4 to 5 percent
24 Heures. Spokesperson Verena Nold from Santesuisse, an organisation representing many of Switzerland’s health insurers, told Swiss public radio last Friday that the organisation expects Swiss health insurance premiums to go up by a similar percentage in 2017 as they have in recent years. According to Ms Nold, people are going to the doctor more often, and […]
10 km traffic jams predicted at Gothard tunnel
The beginning of the summer holidays got off to a slow start for those heading south via the Gotthard tunnel. On Saturday the queue at the northern end of the tunnel stretched seven kilometres according to 20 minutes. Seven kilometres is almost three quarters of the distance from central Zurich to the airport. Most holiday […]
The Chinese city with the same life expectancy as Switzerland
For many, modern China evokes images of smog. A study published in the Lancet last week, shows that despite the negative health impacts of this pollution, life expectancy in China has shot up hugely since 1990. So much so that some provinces are close to global life expectancy leaders Switzerland and Japan. Nationally, China’s average […]
4 key risks for UBS
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. UBS Group AG’s decision three years ago to close debt-trading desks, slash risky assets at its investment bank and concentrate on managing money for the wealthy helped make it a favorite among investors. Since then, its stock outperformed global peers including Deutsche Bank AG, Barclays Plc and Credit Suisse […]
Loose talk by central banks and positive earnings fuel markets
30 October 2015 – Weekly Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss financial market news Swiss stocks beat global stocks The SMI outperformed global stocks again this week driven by earnings releases and positive market sentiment for equities after central banks from Europe and Japan indicated further potential stimulus to […]
Nestlé profits plunge after Maggi noodle scare
Swiss company news brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Nestlé India Ltd. reported a 60% drop in its net profit for the July to September period as its sales fell sharply after a scare over the safety of its Maggi instant noodles. The Indian arm of Nestlé SA said its profit slipped to 1.24 billion […]
Lemanus Lacus or Lac de Genève – take your pick
Much breath is expended on discussions about Lake Geneva’s true French name. Is it Lac Léman or Lac de Genève? Discussions can become quite heated the further you go from Geneva. Many in Lausanne recoil at the idea of the lake’s name deriving from a certain town at the far and thinner end of Switzerland’s […]
