Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The prospect of more stimulus from Mario Draghi has been boosting most European stock markets. Switzerland has been lagging behind. Hurt by a strengthening franc, the Swiss Market Index has largely missed out on the rally that has added about $6 trillion to equities since the September lows of […]
Swiss unemployment up in October
Swiss unemployment crept up in October 2015. The industries with the highest unemployment were hotel and restaurant workers at 9.4% and watch makers at 8.3%. Marked differences across cantons remained. The three highest were Geneva (5.6%), Neuchatel (5.4%) and Vaud (4.8%). Of these three, only Vaud changed from September, registering a decline of 0.1. The […]
Switzerland’s ambition for a weaker franc seen as a forlorn hope
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Currency markets just won’t cooperate with Thomas Jordan. When the Swiss National Bank president repeated a warning for buyers to steer clear of the “significantly overvalued” franc last week, the impact of his words was blunted by a European Central Bank pledge to reassess its stimulus plan. Switzerland’s currency […]
SMI breaks 9,000 despite disappointing results
6 November 2015 – Weekly Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI broke through the 9,000 barrier for the first time since August this week, despite weak company news, after the Swiss franc fell sharply against the dollar and pan-European cyclical stocks outperformed on expectations that the European Central […]
The Swiss National Bank’s growing stakes in US companies
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss National Bank owned more shares of Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. in the third quarter, taking its U.S. equity portfolio to $38.95 billion. Switzerland’s central bank held 10.3 million shares in the iPhone maker on Sept. 30, according to a regulatory filing made to […]
Bubble risk in Swiss property market stays elevated, UBS says
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Risks to the Swiss real estate market remained “practically unchanged” at a risky level in the third quarter, kept in check by stagnant nominal owner-occupied home prices and declining investment demand for condominiums. The UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index rose to 1.38 points in the three months through […]
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 […]
Huge losses for Swiss National Bank
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss National Bank reported a loss of 33.9 billion francs ($34 billion) for the first nine months of the year, blighted by its foreign-currency holdings. The franc has rallied this year due to the SNB’s decision to remove its currency cap, resulting in exchange-rate related losses of 31.4 […]
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 […]
