le News

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, have signed a new agreement on how SNB profits can be distributed. Source: Swiss National BankThe new agreement, which applies until 2025, allows for the SNB to make an annual payment of up to CHF 6 billion to the government, should central bank finances permit. Previously, the maximum payment was CHF 4 billion. The CHF 6 billion payment is made up of a base amount of CHF 2...

Despite on and off closures of Swiss retailers last year, total 2020 retail sales figures rose by 0.1% compared to 2019. © Marlon Trottmann | Dreamstime.comSwitzerland’s backdrop of negative inflation, meant real total year-on-year retail sales rose by 0.8%. However, headline sales numbers masks significant variations by retail sector. While e-commerce (+14.1%), sales of technology (+13.8%) and food, drink and tobacco sales (+8.5%) rose substantially, retail sectors such as shoes and...

During 2020, average annual inflation was –0.7%, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). © Dmitri Maruta | Dreamstime.comIn December 2020, Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.1% compared with November 2020. Compared to December 2019, prices in December 2020 were 0.8% lower. Annual inflation reached -0.7% across the full year. The main drivers of a falling CPI were lower travel prices and fuel costs. The price declines on these items were more...

Today, figures on Swiss unemployment at the end of 2020 were published. © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.comAt the end of December 2020, there were 163,545 people registered as unemployed in Switzerland, a figure 39.5% higher than at the end of 2019. At 31 December 2020, the number of job seekers was 260,318, a number 34.9% above the same figure at the end of 2019. The last time the number of job seekers was close to this high in Switzerland was at the end of February 1997, when it...

The pandemic had a significant impact on Swiss real estate prices in 2020, according to industry experts. © Bogdan Lazar | Dreamstime.comContrary to initial fears that property prices would fall, prices have risen over the period. Over the year, the offer prices of stand alone houses rose by 5.6% while apartment prices jumped by 5.5% across Switzerland as a whole, according to the Swiss Real Estate Offer Index compiled by ImmoScout24. 2020 has shown once more that safe assets rise in...

Despite the economic impacts of the coronavirus, significantly fewer Swiss companies went bankrupt in 2020 than the year before, according to the business data company Bisnode. © Sylvain Robin | Dreamstime.comDuring 2020, 3,811 Swiss companies filed for bankruptcy, 19% fewer than in 2019. Sectors that experienced the greatest fall in bankruptcies include artisans (-174 bankruptcies), hotels and restaurants (-124), retailers (-68) and wholesalers (-66). The slowdown in company failures...

18% of Swiss adults are convinced their financial situation will worsen in 2021, according to a survey. © Photosbypanda | Dreamstime.comThis percentage is markedly higher than at the end of 2019 when the same figure was 13%. The rise in pessimism is largely linked to job insecurity. 68% are concerned they will face full or partial unemployment, while the self-employed worry they will get less business. In addition, 46% fear continued rises in health insurance premiums. More...

On 1 January 2021, Swiss pump prices are set to rise by 3.7 cents per litre. © Frischschoggi | Dreamstime.comFrom 1 January 2021, the total taxes on a litre of petrol and diesel in Switzerland will be 77 and 80 cents respectively. At a price of CHF 1.50 litre, taxes will make up over half the price of a litre of fuel in Switzerland. The 3.7 cent tax hike, which is set to run until 2028, was adopted by the Federal Council on 1 July 2020. The increase aims to allow the government to...

Normally Geneva airport is overrun with passengers during the Christmas period. This year there were 84% fewer passengers than last year, according to RTS. © Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.comBetween 23 and 27 December 2020, there were around 47,000 passengers, down from the 300,000 that passed through the airport during the same period in 2019. The largest number of passengers typically depart for Portugal, followed by France, Spain, Italy, the UAE and the Netherlands. The flow in the...

This week, the US Treasury reviewed and assessed the currency policies of 20 major U.S. trading partners during the four quarters ending June 2020. © Marekusz | Dreamstime.comThe report concluded that both Vietnam and Switzerland met all three criteria for currency manipulation under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. The three tests include a significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States, a material current account surplus of at least 2% of GDP over...