One of Ochsner Sport’s customers was surprised by what they found when they peeled off a discount price sticker. According to the consumer watchdog, Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC), a customer who bought a headlamp from the Ochsner Sport store in Nyon in December 2015, discovered an old price label under the one showing the discounted […]
Swiss stocks drop on volatility spike
16 September 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss Market Index is set to finish the week notably weaker along with global equity markets as fears around global monetary policy hit sentiment ahead of key meetings by the Bank of Japan and US Federal Reserve next week. The […]
Europe’s highest dam opened in Switzerland
Switzerland’s longest dam was opened last week. In addition to being Switzerland’s longest it is also Europe’s highest. Situated in the Alpine region of the canton of Glarus the dam is only the tip of a technological iceberg, the visible part of a vast network of tunnels, pumps and underground turbines. The video below shows […]
Some Swiss schools ban mobile phones in the playground
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
