Paying back public debt in a low interest rate environment is inefficient, says Cédric Tille, economics professor at The Graduate Institute Geneva. In a new research report, he argues that Switzerland could run a deficit and finance a sovereign wealth fund instead. “We have an asset ‘the brand of Switzerland’: Why not use it,” he says.WATCH MORE
Repaying public debt “a waste,” create sovereign fund instead, says report
Paying back public debt in a low interest rate environment is inefficient, says Cédric Tille, economics professor at The Graduate Institute Geneva. In a new research report, he argues that Switzerland could run a deficit and finance a sovereign wealth fund instead. “We have an asset ‘the brand of Switzerland’: Why not use it,” he says.
Market rally shows global economy growth trumps geopolitics, says energy expert
Hopes of a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade talks propelled stock markets higher by the close of European trading on Friday, with investors dumping safer assets like government bonds. Coinciding with a missile attack on an Iranian tanker, the rally shows that concern about the global economy continues to trump geopolitics, says economist and energy expert Cornelia Meyer.
Is there a fair compensation system for managers?
According to a new report published by the Swiss Institute of Directors, the pharma giant Novartis and industrial group Georg Fischer were cited as the best examples of fair compensation systems among large Swiss companies. Philippe Waty, group head compensation and benefits at Novartis, and Eveline Saupper, president of Georg Fischer’s compensation committee, explain why they have adapted their renumeration systems.
Braving China’s social media mavens
The Dolce & Gabbana marketing disaster last year drew attention to one of the biggest challenges of doing business in China, where social media mavens are quick to call out brands for ads deemed offensive. “You have to understand the local market, and you have to be sensitive toward the culture,’’ says Tom Hanan, founder and CEO of Webrepublic, a Zurich-based digital marketing agency that helps Western brands reach consumers on Tencent’s WeChat.
Economic growth: quantity vs quality
The new head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, says the U.S.-China trade war could cost the global economy around $700 billion by 2020—a loss equivalent to the size of the Swiss economy. Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, co-head of Swiss and global equity at UBP, questions the need for growth at a high level, saying the world should start thinking about the quality of expansion.
SNB takes first steps toward digital central bank money
The SNB has long been wary in its approach to digital assets. But now the national bank is teaming up with the Swiss SIX Exchange to explore a digital central bank money that could be used to settle trades of tokenized assets. Martin Liebi, director at PwC, welcomes the move, saying it would further cement the country’s status as a crypto nation.
Swiss rank last in WEF report when it comes to tariffs
The World Economic Forum just released its annual global competitiveness index, and Switzerland has dropped down one place to fifth in the report. But the WEF’s Saadia Zahidi says what’s really holding the country back is that its tariff regime is far too complex, placing it last in that category.
