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Falling unemployment raises recovery hopes

This content was published on May 7, 2004 But experts remain cautious about whether this – along with a rise in consumer confidence – indicates that the country is really on the road to recovery. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said on Friday that the jobless rate was down 0.2 per cent to 3.9 per cent last month – more than…

Pure Electronic Works 1 / Marco Repetto

This content was published on May 7, 2004

Cantons join the Left in opposing tax cuts

This content was published on May 7, 2004 While some see economic benefits from an easing of the fiscal burden on families, property owners and shareholders, others consider the move will mainly benefit the rich. “Over the past 30 years government spending in relation to Gross Domestic Product has more than doubled. The package of tax cuts is a first step towards stopping…

Surging oil price threatens Swiss economic growth

This content was published on May 6, 2004 In Switzerland, as in other countries, consumers and businesses are having to fork out more for fuel. But the rising oil price could also slow Switzerland’s nascent economic recovery. Hardest hit are likely to be energy-sensitive businesses such as the national carrier, Swiss, which recently sold hedges it purchased to protect itself against rising oil…

Cash prizes sweeten wake-up call to the Swiss

This content was published on May 5, 2004 It is just this kind of juxtaposition that the Swiss Economic Forum hopes will serve as a wake up call to the country’s business community. Backed by UBS, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Swisscom, among others, the Swiss Economic Forum each year awards finalists tens of thousands of francs in prize money in a two day conference. Along…

Profit soars at Credit Suisse

This content was published on May 5, 2004 The rise was attributed to strong gains in wealth management fees and trading income. Chief financial officer Phil Ryan commented that the first quarter had marked the bank’s strongest operating performance since 2000, adding that it was “a great start to the year”. Its larger rival, UBS, on Tuesday reported that its first-quarter net profit…

Switzerland’s clean image rubbished

This content was published on May 5, 2004 Garbage-strewn streets in many town centres cast doubt on the clean and tidy image of Switzerland. Fast food is largely to blame. According to the survey, people eating on the streets throw away a third of all the resulting rubbish. The study was carried out by the University of Basel in five cities, including Basel,…

Economy loses competitive edge

This content was published on May 4, 2004 A study by the Lausanne-based business school, IMD, blamed the poor performance on the country’s failure to implement economic reforms fast enough. The United States has again been ranked number one – a position it has held since 1994 – in this year’s World Competitiveness Yearbook. The US was followed by Singapore and Canada. To…

Farmers win ruling in bid for BSE compensation

This content was published on May 4, 2004 More than 2,200 farmers are demanding SFr300 million ($234 million) in damages. The appeals commission found in favour of the farmers who – in a claim dating back to 1997 – accused the government of failing to implement a ban on meat and bone meal in cattle feed between 1988 and 1990. The commission said…

Protesters campaign for immigrant rights

This content was published on May 4, 2004 The demonstrations came as parliament prepared to debate controversial measures to curb illegal immigration and crack down on abuse in the labour market. This week the House of Representatives discusses new legislation on immigration and the status of foreign residents to replace the present law dating back to 1931. But protesters claim parliamentarians are not…

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