Credit Suisse

How will the interaction between humans and machines develop? We are at the very beginning. Look at past achievements, agriculture being a good example. The plow, the combine and the tractor made us stronger. We could say that the human spirit was paired with the physical strength of the machine. The same applied later to cars and airplanes. Today we have come to the point where machines no longer simply supplement the muscle power or motor abilities we lack; they can take over...

The report's analysis continues to demonstrate that the higher the percentage of women in top management, the greater the excess returns for shareholders. Financial performance metrics verify this superior stock market performance. From YE13 through mid-16, companies where women accounted for 25 percent of senior leadership outperformed at a compound annual growth rate of 2.8 percent; this increased to 4.7 percent at companies where women comprised 33 percent of senior...

Why Robots? Robots are present not only where strength or precision is needed. With shrinking farmland, growing populations and the need to increase food supplies, agriculture is another field likely to benefit from robot use, such as driverless tractors, drones, or swarm robots for the harvest season. They could cut costs and be suitable even for indoor farming. According to the "Agricultural Robots" report by Tractica, by 2024 annual shipments of these robots are likely to...

What politicians say and what presidents do often have little to do with one another. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, implemented the New Deal a year after the Democratic Party pledged to slash government spending. Still, with the U.S. presidential election fast approaching, the economists on Credit Suisse’s Global Markets team analyzed the campaign promises made to date in the hope of giving investors some sense of what the future might hold.   They determined that if...

"If you understand what the world is about, you will have opportunities to create wealth," says Shih Wing Ching. To Shih, wealth is merely “worldly possession” to give one the financial freedom to be able to enjoy free will. “Leave Your Mark” connects and engages likeminded individuals who are dedicated to driving positive social impact and transformation with passion, business savvy, and courage. Although these individuals come from a variety of backgrounds, they all share the same...

Will the recent upheaval in Brazil’s political leadership lead to a stronger economy? Investors certainly think so. Fueled by anticipation of embattled president Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and economic reforms by her replacement, Michael Temer, the Bovespa has jumped more than 50 percent since late January. In the week after Rousseff’s official ouster on August 31, the index rose a full 4 percent, and Brazilian consumer confidence reached its highest level since January...

We think about building a successful life. We think about creating a good life for ourselves and our loved ones. But a legacy? Building a legacy is something that should be at the forefront of everything we do. Instead of focusing on building a good life today, create a life that will leave its fingerprint on this world for years to come. “Leave Your Mark” connects and engages likeminded individuals who are dedicated to driving positive social impact and transformation with passion,...

There are numerous reasons to be optimistic about global equities in the coming year. Capital is plentiful; central banks in Europe, the United Kingdom, and some Asian economies have an easing bias; and the equity strategists on Credit Suisse’s Global Markets team believe the equity risk premium is higher than warranted. But there are risks, too, including heightened political risk, slowing Chinese growth, and threats to existing business models from technological disruption and Chinese...

With volatility spiking after the summer lull, watch the look ahead video blog with Michael O’Sullivan, CIO IWM.

In their golden fields in Italy’s Piedmont region, winemakers Renato and Milva Giacone Fenocchio do things they way they were done in simpler times. They forego chemical pesticides and herbicides, pick their grapes by hand, and eschew fancy machinery that can alter a wine during and after fermentation. And they’ve been doing so since 2001, long before organic and sustainable farming were anything like the buzzwords they are today.   The Fenocchios produce about 28,000 bottles of Dolcetto...