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Syngenta profits boosted by demand

This content was published on Feb 8, 2012 Sales were also up by the same margin, reaching $13.3 billion last year. Farmers, especially in the United States and Latin America, have been seeking to boost yields and offset inflation on the back of higher wheat, corn and soybean prices. As a result they have been buying more products from Syngenta and its rivals,…

Slight increase reported in unemployment

This content was published on Feb 8, 2012 According to figures released on Wednesday by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, 134,317 people were getting unemployment benefit at the end of January, 3,655 more than in December. The jobless rate for the 15-24 age bracket was also slightly higher at 3.5 per cent and concerned 19,417 people. Compared with January 2011, however, overall…

Important fossil find in Ticino

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 The cantonal environment office described it as “one of the most important finds at the site in the last 150 years”. The wingless insect, which has been given the Latin name Dasyleptus triassicus, measures about 15 millimetres in length. Palaeontologist Rudolf Stockar of the Ticino natural history museum told the Swiss News Agency that the…

Switzerland still Europe’s innovation leader

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 Switzerland is a long way ahead even of top-ranking EU members Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland. At a presentation in Brussels on Tuesday, the specialists who carried out the survey pointed out that EU members had a long road ahead before catching up with the Swiss, the United States, South Korea or Japan. Antonio Tajani, European…

Plummeting profits reinforce UBS caution

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 The bank predicted a tough year ahead as fourth-quarter profits tumbled 76 per cent to SFr393 million. A poor investment banking performance led the decline, in common with other financial institutions. Chief executive Sergio Ermotti put a gloss on the disappointing results by insisting that a restructuring programme at UBS would make it one of…

SNB interim chief warns of eurozone risk

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 In a speech to the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Jordan said the bank would enforce its minimum exchange rate of SFr1.2 per euro with “utmost determination” to shield the economy from deflation risks and damage to the industrial base. The SNB capped the franc on September 6, 2011 to prevent Switzerland from tipping into…

Merger to create commodities colossus

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 The new entity, spanning mining, agriculture and trading, would have a market value of $90 billion (SFr82.5 billion). Under the terms of the agreement, each Xstrata shareholder will receive 2.8 Glencore shares. The announcement of the terms of the deal comes just a few days after the first public acknowledgment that the two companies were…

Asian consumers fuel Swatch Group profits

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 Net income rose to SFr1.27 billion ($1.4 billion) from SFr1.07 billion a year earlier, the Biel-based company said. “Swatch Group is well prepared for the future,” according to a company statement. “We expect growth to continue in 2012, although this is more and more challenging due to the high benchmark.” Swiss watch exports rose 19…

UBS reports massive drop in profit

This content was published on Feb 7, 2012 The net profit at the Zurich-based bank fell by 76 per cent from the same quarter in 2010 when net profits totaled SFr1.66 billion due to tax gains. UBS says it foresees “headwinds” for growth and gains in early 2012 due to Europe’s debt crisis and continued uncertainty about the global economic outlook. Earnings were…

Benefits of extra holiday debated ahead of vote

This content was published on Feb 6, 2012 Voters will have the final say on the initiative in a nationwide ballot on March 11. The Travail Suisse umbrella group is supported by the Trade Union Federation and centre-left parties. Increased productivity and more stress at the workplace justify more holidays for employees to recover, according to the unions. “Working life is a marathon,…

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Syngenta profits boosted by demand

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Slight increase reported in unemployment

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Important fossil find in Ticino

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Switzerland still Europe’s innovation leader

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Plummeting profits reinforce UBS caution

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SNB interim chief warns of eurozone risk

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Merger to create commodities colossus

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Asian consumers fuel Swatch Group profits

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UBS reports massive drop in profit

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Benefits of extra holiday debated ahead of vote

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