The top 250 global retailers generated aggregated revenues of US$ 4.5 trillion in 2014, up 4.3% on 2013, according to Deloitte. US retailer Wal-mart with sales of US$ 486 billion was the global leader by a wide margin. Tesco PLC from the UK and France’s Carrefour each generated a bit under US$ 100 billion ranking 5th […]
Zurich insurance hit hard by storms
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group AG expects its biggest unit to record a second straight quarterly loss after estimating it will pay out $275 million to cover damage claims from storms in the U.K and Ireland. The general insurance unit is expected to post an operating loss of about $100 million […]
Switzerland right to scrap franc cap, economists say
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss National Bank’s surprise decision a year ago to remove its ceiling on the franc was justified, according to the vast majority of economists in Bloomberg’s monthly survey. The SNB abandoned the cap on Jan. 15 of last year, saying interventions to sustain it would have been out […]
Business elite meet to discuss inequality in Davos
The World Economic Forum’s annual event for 2016 starts today in Davos, Switzerland. While the topics appear well chosen and at a glance the speakers well matched to the issues, some criticise the event for being an elitist get-together that excludes some of the very people at the heart of some discussions. This year’s topics Key themes for 2016 are: how to cope with the challenges of rising […]
The Swiss destination on the 2016 New York Times list
Every year the New York times simplifies life and picks 52 destinations to visit over the course of the year. 2016’s list includes a Swiss destination, which ought to reduce air miles a little for locals attempting the list. At the top is Mexico city, described as a metropolis that has it all. If this […]
Swiss prefer to live in villages
Le Matin. According to a recent survey, Swiss prefer to live in villages. For most, living in a small commune with good transport links is more attractive than living in a big city. Of the 1,200 people surveyed, 72% prefer village life and 67% life in a small town. For 37% living in a small […]
Winter chill arrives in Switzerland, but not for long
After a sharp temperature drop, Switzerland experienced this winter’s coldest night on Sunday evening reported the newspaper 20 Minutes. The usual places led the race for coldest. MeteoNews reported temperatures of -30 degrees in La Brévine in the canton of Neuchatel, and -29.5 degrees in Buffalora in mountainous Graubunden. The coldest temperature of -36 degrees was recorded […]
Guides are no guarantee of avalanche safety
The avalanche season is now well underway in Switzerland. Until 9 January 2016, there had been only one victim for the season, which officially started on 1 October 2015. Now after the weekend there are five. The average death toll per season is around 25. Last season was worse than normal and claimed 35 lives in Switzerland. The […]
Swiss avalanche deaths
On Saturday 16 January 2016, two free riders died in an avalanche in Riddes/La Tzoumaz, one of the valleys in “Four Valleys” ski domain that includes Verbier. According to Valais police, a call for help was made at 14:30 by a third party who reported that four people had been swept away in an avalanche. Several helicopters […]
Another horrible week: SMI follows global market down
15 January 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Despite Swiss stocks holding up slightly better than other global equity markets this week, the SMI followed the sell-off in US and Chinese equities as investors sought safe haven assets amid anxiety over the state of the global economy and collapse […]
