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Investec Switzerland. The Swiss Market Index, along with other European markets, is trading slightly higher this week after financials rallied on merger and acquisition rumors and hopes for improved growth. European banks, the industry group battered the most so far this year, lead gains after it emerged that Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG executives held talks about a potential merger in early August this year. Bank rally – © Valeriia Arnaud | Dreamstime.com US...

According to reinsurer, Swiss Re, over three quarters of private buildings in Switzerland have no earthquake coverage. Because earthquakes are rare and are quickly forgotten, public risk perception is low. Even Switzerland, with its well developed insurance culture is no exception. Earthquake in Abruzzo Italy – © Walter Graneri | Dreamstime.com Swiss Re describes Switzerland as a country with a medium seismic hazard. The strongest and most destructive earthquake recorded in Switzerland...

24 Heures. After the tragic earthquake in Italy, some are wondering if something similar could happen in Switzerland. Speaking to the newspaper 24 Heures, geologist Raphaël Mayoraz, says “People tend to forget, but our country has already experienced earthquakes of 6 or more.” © Cristian Andriana | Dreamstime.com The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich completed ten years of earthquake research in 2015. Their new model shows that earthquakes are a serious hazard for Switzerland...

Investec Switzerland. The Swiss Market Index along with global stocks are trading flat this week ahead of Federal Reserve’s Janet Yellen’s Friday speech at the central bank’s annual Jackson Hole Summit. All eyes on Jackson Hole – © Dan Bannister | Dreamstime.com The Federal Chairwoman’s speech at the meeting of central bank governors in Wyoming is expected to provide clues about when to expect the next rise in US interest rates. While it is unlikely that Janet Yellen will...

Switzerland’s budget for 2016 is looking better than expected. Instead of a shortfall of CHF 0.5 billion, the latest figures forecast a surplus of CHF 1.7 billion. © Zestmarina | Dreamstime.com Overall income was up CHF 1.2 billion and costs were down CHF 1.0 billion. This CHF 2.2 billion shift took the annual forecast from CHF -0.5 billion to CHF 1.7 billion. The biggest driver of the change was the effect of negative interest rates. Since last year the Swiss government has been issuing...

Submitted by Valentin Schmid via The Epoch Times, Warren Buffett claims that gold is worthless because it doesn’t produce anything. Fair point, but what if the other sectors of the economy also stop producing? “If you think of gold, the only way gold loses is if normal business and private sector cycles come back. If that is the case, gold goes back 100 dollars per ounce. The other outcomes, deflation, stagflation, hyperinflation are good for gold,” said Viktor Shvets,...

Investec Switzerland. The pendulum for Britain has swung back to positive, and it’s tourists who’ve pushed it there.Britain was one of the few bright spots for Swiss watch exports in July, rising 13.4 percent from a year earlier and counteracting a massive 26 percent drop in June, according to data published by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry on Tuesday. Overall exports dropped for a 13th consecutive month.Richemont and Swatch, whose shares fluctuated after the...

Investec Switzerland. The Swiss Market Index is set to close lower this week underperforming global equities as US stocks reached new record highs and emerging markets outperformed on a weaker dollar. © Aleksandar Milosevic | Dreamstime.com The week began with some gloomy economic data after reports showed on Monday that Japan’s second quarter GDP growth slowed more than forecast to 0.2%, reflecting a drag on exports from a stronger JPY and a drop in business investment....

Investec Switzerland. Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan keeps saying the franc is “significantly overvalued.” And that’s despite the central bank’s record-low deposit rate and occasional currency market interventions. © Dariusz Kopestynski | Dreamstime.com While the franc is typically a top choice for foreign investors looking for a safe place to park their money, anxieties about the euro area’s debt burden or Brexit aren’t the only factor. The residents of...

Deposit bail-in risks are slowly being realised in Ireland, after it emerged overnight that FBD, one of Ireland's largest insurance companies, have been moving cash out of Irish bank deposits and into bonds. Revelations regarding deposit bail-in risks came in the wake of warnings of a new property crash centred on the housing market in Ireland. The former deputy governor of the Central Bank warned in an op-ed in a leading international financial publication, Project...