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© David Moreno | Dreamstime.com On 18 October 2020, after an extraordinary meeting, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced masks would become mandatory across all of Switzerland. In addition, certain gatherings of more than 15 people are to be banned and employers are required to follow recommendations for staff to work from home. Since 19 June 2020, the governments of Switzerland’s cantons have played the lead role in combating the COVID-19 epidemic. Today, the...

© Marekusz | Dreamstime.com An updated forecast published this week by the Switzerland’s federal government is less negative than forecasters feared in the middle of the year. The new forecast expects Swiss GDP adjusted for sporting events to fall by 3.8% in 2020 and unemployment to average 3.2% across the year. The forecast in June 2020, predicted a 6.2% fall in GDP and average unemployment of 3.8%. After the relaxation of health policy measures, the Swiss economy...

Risk assets are coming off a tough week. The dollar was bid across the board except for the yen, which outperformed slightly. The only EM currencies to gain against the dollar were KRW and CLP. The major US equity indices somehow managed to eke out very modest gains but stock markets across Europe sank as the viral spread threatens to slam economic activity again. Yet we have seen time and time again that the safe haven bid for the dollar eventually gives way to...

Bob offers his commentary on the movies “The Hunt” and “The Purge”—both produced by Blumhouse Productions—and focuses on whether The Purge storyline offers a challenge to Rothbard’s depiction of anarcho-capitalism. For more information, see BobMurphyShow.com. The Bob Murphy Show is also available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and via RSS. You Might Also Like The “Old” vs. the “New” Liberalism It is not...

Today’s Western institutions have long been deemed to be sacrosanct. As a matter of fact, though, nation-states are increasingly met with reservation or even outright resentment. Public trust in government is near historic lows, and pillars like the media or democracy are suffering from a loss of confidence. But one modern institution seems to be standing as strong as ever: central banks. Although their role has changed significantly over the course of a few decades...

The home to the European headquarters of the United Nations jumped ten spots up the ranking thanks to its fiscal attractiveness. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi Canton Geneva has made the biggest jump in the annual Credit Suisse ranking of attractive business locations, moving up ten spots to sit just behind Zurich. According to the Credit Suisse location quality survey published on Tuesday, canton Zug, home to big multinationals like Glencore, took back its top spot...

You spend a lifetime earning, saving, acquiring. But the old adage is true—you can’t take it with you. So, what do you do with your assets when you’re gone? How do you want them distributed? That’s where a good estate plan comes in. However, some estate plans are based on ideas that just aren’t true. Plans are made based on emotion rather than logic, and that’s where the best-laid estate plans can go wrong. Christopher D. Wright, JD is a CPA at Marks Paneth LLP. In...

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA empfiehlt den von der LIBOR-Ablösung betroffenen Beaufsichtigten, das neue Rückfallprotokoll der International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) frühestmöglich zu unterschreiben. Der Wegfall des LIBOR rückt näher. Der volumenmässig grösste Anteil der weiterhin an den LIBOR gebundenen Verträge sind Over-the-Counter-Derivate (OTC-Derivate). Die FINMA hat im Juni 2020 in einer Erhebung bei Schweizer Instituten hierzu...

The rapid testing will be done by health workers from nose or mouth swabs. Keystone / Denis Balibouse Swiss drug firm Roche says it is to launch a new Covid-19 antigen test before the end of the year, allowing faster, higher-volume testing. One of the most potent use cases could be at airports to ease the severe restrictions on air transport. “These fully automated systems can provide test results in 18 minutes for a single test, with a throughput of up to 300 tests...

Surgical masks © Belish | Dreamstime.com Only 4 out of the 16 masks sold in Switzerland that were tested passed all three tests conducted by a textile testing company, according to RTS. The testing, which included tests for air permeability, splash resistance and filtration, was conducted in laboratories run by Testex in Zurich and Vienna at the behest of RTS. Testing followed the standards recommended by the Swiss National Covid-19 Science Taskforce. There are...