Tag Archives: Editor’s Choice

Investec Switzerland. The SMI is set to close modestly higher this week, although lagging behind gains of global equity markets. Stock markets around the world benefited from a substantial rebound in the price of crude oil this week which has been a key driver of investor sentiment recently. The limited exposure of the SMI to the oil and energy sector explains some of the indexes underperformance against the MSCI World lately. © Solarseven | Dreamstime.com This week’s...

Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Once again, Switzerland is getting saddled with unwanted currency appreciation due to other nations’ struggles. The franc posted its biggest gain since August against the euro as concern that the U.K. may exit the European Union dragged down the pound and with it the 19-nation shared currency. China’s decision to cut its daily yuan fixing by the most in six weeks also spurred demand for the safest assets. The franc jumped against all of its Group-of-10...

Swiss money is about to change. On 12 April 2016, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will put a new 50-franc note into circulation. The new 20-franc note will be released the following year, and the other four denominations – 10, 100, 200 and 1,000, at half-yearly or yearly intervals after this date, with the last hitting the streets in 2019. © Peter Kim | Dreamstime.com The release of these new Swiss notes is the end of more than 10 years work. At the beginning of 2005, twelve designers were...

Investec Switzerland. The SMI is set to close higher this week tracking gains of global equity markets. The SMI recovered almost a third of its year to date losses this week on higher oil prices, hopes of new Chinese economic stimulus and a lower than previously expected pace of US rate hikes. © Naiyanab | Dreamstime.com While turbulence in financial markets eased in this week, investors are still monitoring the global glut in crude oil and whether Chinese leaders will...

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...