Natixis sees worrying signals
“We haven’t had a recession without a yield curve inversion, but we have had inversions without a recession,” says Esty Dwek, senior investment strategist at Natixis Investment Managers. U.S.-China trade tensions have led to a further decline in government debt yields.
UBS on trade war: We will see a resolution
Despite the ongoing trade tensions and the inverted yield curve, Evan Brown, head of macro asset allocation strategy at UBS Asset Management, doesn’t see panic in the market. In his view, pressure coming from the stock market could lead to a faster trade agreement: “It will probably take that market weakness to bring China and the U.S. to the table.”
Swiss consumers keep on spending
The Swiss economy expanded more than expected in the first quarter of the year. According to Marc Brütsch, chief economist of Swiss Life, there were a lot of one-off factors, such as the rise of government spending, which contributed to the upswing.
How debt markets react after elections
Luc D’hooge, head of emerging markets bonds at Vontobel Asset Management, looks at the outcome of the European elections on the debt markets.
A new mega-merger is about to take off
French carmaker Renault is weighing a proposal by Fiat Chrysler to merge. An alliance of this size could have profound implications for the auto industry and Swiss suppliers, says Rolf Ganter, head European equities at UBS.
Ken Fisher: “Central Banks, as a rule, aren’t very smart”
Analyst Ken Fisher tells Hannah Wise why he thinks negative interest rates are “stupid” and also gives his opinion on the Swiss National Bank’s policy.
UBS justifies decision to stop paying interest on savings accounts
Axel Lehmann, president of UBS Switzerland, encourages Swiss clients to “invest in something that yields” following the banking giant’s decision to cease paying interest on money in saving accounts. When questioned at the Swiss Economic Forum, Lehmann explained the move as a “clear reaction” to the negative rates put in place by the Swiss National Bank.
PXL Vision is growing its share in the Swiss telecommunication market
ETH spin-off PXL Vision wants to teach machines to see and identify objects and faces. The Swiss start-up, which won the Swiss Economic Award in the high-tech/biotech category, was customer-financed since its inception. But now the company has decided to seek investment to fund its global expansion. Founder and CEO Michael Born tells us more.
Corporate tax vote brings wind of optimism to the SEF
Reporting from the Swiss Economic Forum, CNNMoney Switzerland’s Hannah Wise explains how the recent approval of the corporate tax reform is a big relief for Swiss companies. She also says that the SEF could be more open and why it should do more to improve women’s participation.
How New Roots wants to disrupt the dairy industry
The vegan cheese market has a lot of potential, says Alice Fauconnet, co-founder of New Roots, a food start-up in Switzerland that is looking to expand throughout Europe. She and her partner Freddy Hunziker believed in the idea of vegan cheese and now it’s paying off. Meet the company that’s been nominated for a Swiss Economic Award this week.
Swiss start-ups can benefit from the recent corporate tax vote
The recent tax vote in Switzerland aims at leveling the playing field for big multinationals, but, according to PwC’s Jürg Niederbacher, it could also benefit start-ups.
A tree for every product sold
Robin Gnehm and Nicholas Hänny founded the sustainable clothing start-up Nikin in 2016 without any funding from investors. They’ve grown to a team of 17 employees and are especially popular among the millennial set. Their promise? They plant a tree for every product sold. And now they’ve been nominated for a Swiss Economic Award.
Why Swiss start-ups shouldn’t compete on price
Sure, you need smarts to succeed, but you don’t need to be a genius. So says leadership professor Ingo Stolz from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He also tells us that Swiss start-ups shouldn’t compete on price.
How start-up Astrocast is writing a new page to Swiss space history
Astrocast’s first satellite was launched from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and now the Swiss start-up is developing a nanosatellite network for the Internet of Things. The EPFL spin-off has been nominated for a Swiss Economic Award this week, and its founder Fabien Jordan tells Tanya König about the worldwide potential of its low-cost technology.
