13 May 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss stocks are set to close higher this week, outperforming global equities on positive earnings releases and brighter inflation signals. Stock markets around experienced a mixed week as investors weighed Federal Reserve rate hike expectations against gloomy economic data out of the […]
Free legal advice for asylum seekers. Naive or sensible?
With amendments to asylum law, the Swiss government aims to speed up the asylum process, cut costs and ensure a fairer process for asylum seekers. Current asylum claims can last up to 400 days. The revision sets to cap this at a maximum of 100 days and 140 days in exceptional cases. During this period, asylum […]
Zurich Insurance shares up sharply after beating estimates
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Shares of Zurich Insurance Group AG headed for the biggest gain in more than four years after Switzerland’s biggest insurer posted a first-quarter profit that beat analyst expectations. The stock rose as much as 5.6 percent, and was trading 5.4 percent higher at 228 francs as of 11:24 a.m. […]
Swiss architect takes client to court to stop home alteration
24 Heures. In 2011, the owners of a home designed by EPFL trained Swiss architect Vincent Mangeat, decided to make some alterations. The modernist masterpiece has a large open terrace at the front, and the owners decided to close the opening to keep out the weather and reduce noise from the nearby road. The proposed change drawn up by another […]
Fraudsters use foreign coins to steal from Geneva’s transport operator
20 Minutes. Since the beginning of the year fraudsters armed with foreign coins have stolen CHF 38,000 francs from TPG, Geneva’s public transport operator, a problem that has been increasing this year. TPG ticket machines cannot tell the difference and think they are swallowing five franc coins. Instead, when converted, they are only receiving a […]
Grim numbers show dramatic changes required to Swiss pension system
The Swiss statistics office has just published some striking numbers. The number of retirees as a percentage of those of working age is expected to rise by 66% over the next 30 years across all of Switzerland. Known as the dependency ratio(1), this percentage will more than double in three Swiss cantons: Uri, Schwytz and Obwalden. In […]
When cartooning can land you in prison or worse
The granting last week of the shared 2016 Cartooning for Peace award in Geneva to Tanzanian caricaturist Gado and Malaysian artist Zunar is not just in recognition of their talent, but also their willingness to risk loss of employment, prison and other forms of persecution. Journalist and author Edward Girardet explores the role these artists […]
Should Swiss families get CHF 75,000 a year to do nothing?
A mixed group of intellectuals, artists and activists are behind the initiative to give an unconditional basic income to every Swiss resident, regardless of whether they work. Supporters say monthly payments of CHF 2,500 CHF for each adult and CHF 625 per child, would enable us to cover our basic living costs and allow us to live […]
Mercury passes in front of the sun today – timing in Switzerland
Today, planet Mercury will pass across the sun. Not everyone will be able to see it. Those in Australia, New Zealand and Japan will miss it. The event occurs 13 to 14 times a century. The last time our solar system’s smallest planet passed between the earth and the sun was in 2006. The next […]
Nestlé wants to sell you both sugary snacks and diabetes pills
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Nestlé is by far the largest food company in the world. Its 335,000 employees produce more than 2,000 brands, manufactured in 436 factories across 85 countries. It’s Europe’s most valuable corporation, worth $240 billion, comfortably more than oil giant Royal Dutch Shell. Among the world’s 195 nations, it sells […]
