Tag Archives: Business & Economy

According to a new study by Deloitte, one in four people in Switzerland works as a freelancer and another 25% would like to next year. Technology and the internet are the main drivers behind the trend. The shift to knowledge intensive careers is allowing greater mobility. Why not work from here? – © Grantotufo | Dreamstime.com 28% already work at least half a day a week from home, a percentage that is likely to rise as companies adapt and create cowering spaces. The study surveyed 1,000...

Investec Switzerland. Swiss watch exports slid for the seventh consecutive month as plummeting stocks and slowing economies damped demand for luxury timepieces in their main markets. One bright spot – Omega store at Tokyo’s Narita airport – © Naruto4836 | Dreamstime.com The two biggest destinations for Swiss watch exports — Hong Kong and the U.S. — were almost exclusively responsible for the global downturn, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said in a statement...

Investec Switzerland. Nestle SA forecasts 2016 sales below analyst estimates, increasing pressure on Chief Executive Officer Paul Bulcke to find new areas of growth as he enters the home stretch of his tenure. © Zhukovsky | Dreamstime.com Revenue growth will be similar to last year’s 4.2 percent on an organic basis, itself the slowest pace in six years, the Vevey, Switzerland-based maker of Nespresso coffee and Gerber baby food said Thursday. Nestle also reported full-year...

Some political parties say Switzerland needs to save, but not at the expense of farmers, reports 20 Minutes. Parties upset by planned cuts include the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the PDC/CVP and PBD/BDP. The Swiss People’s Party in particular, has a long history of defending farmers’ interests. Some in French-speaking Switzerland still refer to it as the “parti agrarien”. Other parties such as the PLR/FDP and Socialists support the government’s plan to trim agricultural subsidies. ©...

Investec Switzerland. The SMI is expected to underperform global markets again this week after stocks lost further ground on rapidly declining global investor sentiment. Equity markets around the world tumbled as Japan, Europe and emerging Asia suffered heavy losses with global banking stocks leading falls. The Chinese year of the Monkey began with a difficult start as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng suffered the worst lunar New Year opening since 1994. © Minipig5188 |...

Investec Switzerland. European shares declined for a sixth day as investors fretted over global growth prospects. © Audiohead | Dreamstime.com For European investors trying to assess just how bad sentiment is right now, consider this: the last time stocks were this low, the region had just suffered its longest-ever recession and corporate profits were about to shrink a third year. Signs of an improving economy haven’t deterred bears from punishing the Euro Stoxx 50 Index...

Every year in the Chinese lunar calendar is associated with one of 12 animals combined with one of five elements: metal (gold), earth, water, wood or fire. This year is the year of the fire monkey and celebrations to mark the new year take place on 8 February 2016. What will the monkey do next? © Marigo20 | Dreamstime.com Fire monkeys have large personalities but are prone to irritability. Smart, courageous, ambitious, adventurous but unpredictable. The last such year was in 1956. What...

Investec Switzerland. The SMI is set to underperform global markets this week after stocks lost ground on disappointing earnings reports and gloomy economic data releases. Stock markets around the world are also set to finish the week mostly lower as the fluctuating oil price, global growth concerns and deflationary pressures continue to rattle investor confidence. © Patrick Poendl | Dreamstime.com A Bad week for Swiss banks The underperformance from Swiss equities this...

Investec Switzerland. Last October, Credit Suisse Group AG Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam called two of his bank’s businesses the “ugly ducklings that no one likes.” He’s just been reminded why. © Simon Zenger | Dreamstime.com The Zurich-based lender’s units that trade corporate bonds and securitized products contributed about $500 million in so- called mark-to-market losses in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the bank’s presentation to investors. That...

Investec Switzerland. Switzerland is welcoming ChemChina’s $43 billion takeover of Syngenta SA, the Alpine nation’s biggest-ever deal, with open arms. © Dusan Kostic | Dreamstime.com The only continental European country to strike a free-trade agreement with China, Switzerland has long been an attractive hunting ground for companies from the Asian giant. Unlike the U.S., which has blocked Chinese deals and where the ChemChina’s Syngenta purchase may face regulatory...