Tag Archives: 3) Swiss Markets and News

Even with big sales, prices on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse are still some of the highest in the world © Keystone / Walter Bieri Three Swiss cities – Zurich, Bern and Geneva – are among the ten most expensive in the world for expatriates, according to the annual Cost of Living survey by consultants Mercer. Hong Kong remains at the top of the list of 209 countries for the third year in a row. Six of the top ten are in Asia, three in Switzerland and one in the United...

The controversial issue of e-voting is back: Swiss Post, which had halted the development of a project in July 2019, has bought a Spanish-owned system and plans to propose a platform ready for testing by 2021. Opposition to the plans of Swiss Post remains strong. The purchase was reported on May 17 by the SonntagsBlick newspaper, who wrote that the deal between Swiss Post and Spanish firm Scytl had been settled for an unspecified amount. The deal follows the...

Restrictions imposed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, such as store closures, will have a major impact on Swiss GDP in 2020, the OECD predicts. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron Even though restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19 were less strict than in other countries, Switzerland will still see its GDP fall by 7.7%, if the pandemic is contained by summer. Gross domestic product will not rebound until 2021, according to the forecast published by the...

The transparent HelloMask allows non-verbal communication between patients and nursing staff Visualisation: EPFL A fully transparent surgical mask that filters out germs but allows facial expressions to be seen has been developed by Swiss scientists. Caregivers should be able to wear them from the summer of 2021. “For some segments of the population – like children, the elderly and the hearing impaired – the [current] masks are a major obstacle to communication,”...

© Haris Mulaosmanovic | Dreamstime.com The World Health Organization (WHO) recently changed its advice on face masks. It now recommends healthy people wear them in public when social distancing is not possible, stating that they could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets. The WHO had previously said there was not enough evidence to recommend healthy people should wear them, although it has always advised that medical face masks should be worn by...

© Denis Linine | Dreamstime.com Switzerland recently announced that it will lift existing entry restrictions with all EU and EFTA nations and the UK on 15 June 2020. In mid-May the Swiss government announced plans to fully reopen borders with France, Germany and Austria. On 2 June 2020, it decided to hold off on a full reopening of borders with Italy despite Italy’s decision to fully reopen its borders with Switzerland on 3 June 2020. However, on 5 June 2020, Federal...

Home office: more or less efficient? (© Keystone / Christian Beutler) Thanks to more focus and flexibility, productivity per worker increased by up to 16% during the Covid-19 lockdown in Switzerland, a study has calculated. The study by the Swiss Trade Association (SGV), reported in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, found that while hours worked dropped by 10% in the first quarter of 2020, GDP sank by just 2.6%. This translates to a productivity jump of up to 16%. And if...

The WEF Davos meeting will be rebuilt differently next year. (Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle) The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual conference in Davos will take place in January with fewer physical participants – but with a new “virtual” connection to more than 400 cities around the world. The introduction of a “powerful virtual hub network” at the 51st edition of WEF’s flagship event will allow a younger generation of “global shapers” to dial into the conference...

© Colicaranica _ Dreamstime.com Over two days last week, Thailand reported a score of new coronavirus cases. All were Thai nationals returning by air from the Middle East. Otherwise, there have been almost no new community or ‘inside country’ cases since mid-May. Thai Airways (as with a growing number of other airlines) requires a “fit-to-fly” medical certificate for all passengers; it also obliges passengers to wear face masks throughout the entire flight. Such...

Like guests at this restaurant in canton Lucerne, government debt analysts will also have a lot on their plate  (Keystone) A further CHF14.9 billion ($15.5 billion) has been agreed by parliament to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Most of it will go towards unemployment insurance, which finances short-time work compensation. With the new credit package approved in the Senate on Thursday, coronavirus costs for the government will almost double. In an extraordinary...