Internal: Archive

Swiss Life doubles profits in 2010

This content was published on Mar 2, 2011 Reporting full-year results for 2010, the company said turnover grew four per cent to SFr20.2 billion after foreign exchange rates had been taken into account. The company credited operational improvements, cost cutting measures and a successful investment programme with the results. “An important factor here, in addition to the improvements at operational level, continuing disciplined…

NZ earthquake to cost Swiss Re $800 million

This content was published on Mar 2, 2011 The total insured claims for the insurance sector caused by the February 22 disaster are estimated to be between $6 billion and $12 billion, Swiss Re said. The magnitude 6.3 earthquake which struck the Christchurch region of the South Island of New Zealand last month caused fatalities and widespread damage, particularly in the business district…

Switzerland cautioned over taxation transparency

This content was published on Mar 2, 2011 In an interview with swissinfo.ch, Pascal Saint-Amans, head of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information of Tax Purposes, praised Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf for her recent moves to relax conditions for the release of data on foreign bank account holders. “The Swiss should not make a minor point of serious questions of…

Tropical House

This content was published on Mar 1, 2011 Orchids, bananas, papayas and fish farming in the heart of the Bernese Oberland! You can see this and much more at the Tropic House which uses warm mountain water taken from the Lötschberg Tunnel to make the desired conditions. With special exhibitions, restaurants and guided tours.

Swatch creates more jobs as sales boom

This content was published on Mar 1, 2011 Nick Hayek also said the world’s largest watchmaking concern was aiming for record sales of more than SFr7 billion ($7.5 billion) this year. In an interview published on Tuesday, Hayek said that January had been the fourth-best month in the group’s history and spoke of an “incredible dynamism”. Annual sales at high-end Omega would approach…

Foreign firms look beyond low Swiss taxes

This content was published on Mar 1, 2011 Two of the best examples are internet search company Google, which in Zurich created its largest engineering lab outside the United States, and online auction website eBay that has its international headquarters in Bern. Low taxes are often cited as the main reason why foreign companies are attracted by Switzerland as a business location but…

Economy gains ground at the end of 2010

This content was published on Mar 1, 2011 Gross Domestic Product grew by 0.9 per cent compared with the previous quarter, according to a statement on Tuesday from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. The Swiss National Bank, which has forecast a slowdown of growth to about 1.5 per cent this year from the 2.6 per cent in 2010, holds its next policy…

Raw material prices pose corporate challenges

This content was published on Mar 1, 2011 The world of commodity risk management involves far more than keeping tabs on the price fluctuations of raw materials. It also encapsulates logistics, politics, currency exchange rates and weather forecasting. In February, Swiss food giant Nestlé said it expected rising commodity prices to add SFr2.5 to SFr3 billion ($2.7 to $3.2 billion) in additional costs…

Tax evasion glare turned on Credit Suisse

This content was published on Feb 27, 2011 Efforts by the Swiss authorities to purge the financial centre of ill-gotten gains, following the UBS debacle, have failed to deter countries from pursuing aggressive legal measures against other banks. The US indictments on Thursday follow the arrest of another Credit Suisse employee and – in a separate case – another raid by the German…

SNB head says European stability key for franc

This content was published on Feb 27, 2011 The turmoil in the Middle East has pushed the franc up – it reached a record high against the dollar on February 24. But the question is how long this will last, said Hildebrand. “I am convinced that an independent currency is possible in the long term if the environment is as focused on stability…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Sign in and personalize Swissinfo

Internal: Archive

More

Swiss Life doubles profits in 2010

More

NZ earthquake to cost Swiss Re $800 million

More

Switzerland cautioned over taxation transparency

More

Tropical House

More

Swatch creates more jobs as sales boom

More

Foreign firms look beyond low Swiss taxes

More

Economy gains ground at the end of 2010

More

Raw material prices pose corporate challenges

More

Tax evasion glare turned on Credit Suisse

More

SNB head says European stability key for franc

Popular Stories

Most Discussed