Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss National Bank Vice President Fritz Zurbruegg said the economic backdrop remains far from normal and kept alive policy makers’ ongoing threat of currency interventions to tackle the “overvalued” franc. “Under certain conditions, however, the SNB is prepared to intervene directly in the foreign exchange market,” Zurbruegg said in […]
Around 30 Geneva airport staff banned from the tarmac for security reasons
Tribune de Genève. Around 30 people have been banned from the tarmac at Geneva airport. Just before Christmas a number of airport staff had their access passes revoked for security reasons. Angry, some have called on the SSP union and a lawyer. Bag handlers were among the employees affected. Removing tarmac access means these staff have […]
Gender related work inequality persists in Switzerland
24 Heures. In the Swiss canton of Vaud more and more mothers work. The traditional model, where dad worked and mum looked after the home and the kids, now feels like it’s from another time. In Vaud, 77% of mothers with young children worked in 2014. This figure hides something though: only a minority were the […]
80% of 12-year-olds in Switzerland told they can’t go to university
Relatively few qualify for university in Switzerland. To apply you need to score well in school exams at the age of 11 or 12, enter the academic stream and graduate from it, normally at the age of 19. In 2015, only 20.8% of Swiss-based school leavers gained the chance to apply for entry to a Swiss […]
David Bowie’s life in Switzerland
David Bowie died on 10 January 2016 two days after his 69th birthday. His death was announced on his Facebook page. January 10 2016 – David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with… Posted by David Bowie on Sunday, 10 January 2016 Tributes to the artist have flooded […]
Swiss People’s Party (UDC) leaders quit one after the other
Le Matin. Yesterday, Toni Brunner, president of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), announced he would quit as the party’s president on 23 April 2016. Then today the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick, reported that Christoph Blocher also plans to resign from his post as one of the party’s several vice presidents at the same time as its president. Brunner, who described Blocher […]
Swiss stocks hit by China fears
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. SMI stocks, along with markets around the world, started 2016 in a state of chaos this week as weak economic data from China, heightened tensions in the Middle East and crude oil prices tumbling to multi-year lows wreaked havoc on investor sentiment. Markets slumped around the globe after Chinese […]
Can your neighbours make you fat? Swiss research suggests they could.
A recent study from Lausanne’s EPFL published in the British Medical Journal Open shows that not all city addresses are equal when it comes to waistlines. Those living in west Lausanne are much more likely to be obese than those in the east. Even after controlling for differences in wealth, education, age and other factors, belt lengths […]
The Swiss bank of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ pays big to avoid US prosecution
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss bank used by the convicted con man known as “The Wolf of Wall Street” agreed to pay almost $188 million to avoid prosecution for helping U.S. clients avoid taxes through such methods as providing untraceable gold bars and cash. Union Bancaire Privée helped hide assets from the […]
Is Switzerland the world’s most expensive country? It is for Big Macs.
On 5 January 2016, the Economist came out with its latest Big Mac index. Also known as the burger benchmark, the index compares the price of a Big Mac around the world. This catchy, if highly incomplete means of comparing the relative purchasing power of different currencies, uses the United States and the US$ as its base. Countries where Big Macs cost less than […]
