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Strong franc doesn’t deter investment

Switzerland is said to have become more attractive for investment Keystone

Despite the strong Swiss franc Switzerland has become more attractive for foreign investment. That’s according to a survey of top managers at the world’s thousand biggest companies.

According to consultancy firm A.T.Kearney, Switzerland is now ranked 11th in their list of the top countries in which to invest. They moved Switzerland up three spots in the Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, saying that at a time when many regions are affected by crises, investors are looking for safe havens.

The most important investment incentives are still the size of the market and workforce. After this, factors such as political and economic stability, as well as a transparent regulatory environment, all play a role.

The United States and China are still the most attractive locations for direct investment, according to the survey. The respondents said that the US would become less attractive if a populist president, such as Donald Trump, were elected.

The companies saw the biggest opportunity for growth in Europe, 13 of the 25 most attractive countries were in Europe. Germany took 4th place behind Canada.

The survey said there had been a significant upturn in foreign direct investment in 2015, with growth of more than a third, it had reached pre-financial crisis levels.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR