A number of European governments, including Spain, Italy, and France, have stepped up spending this year to spur economic growth, says Kevin Thozet, portfolio adviser at Carmignac. With Germany on the brink of a recession, he believes Chancellor Angela Merkel can’t hold out much longer
Negative interest rates benefit robo-advisers, says Decartes Finance
In recent months, there has been a backlash against robo-advising. But Adriano Lucatelli, co-founder and CEO of Descartes Finance, sees the current negative-interest-rate environment as being advantageous to robo-advisers since saving costs is crucial for consumers.
Smile aims to become the Netflix of insurance industry
Smile, the direct insurance arm of Helvetia, says it benchmarks itself against tech companies like Netflix, as it looks to shake-up the industry with its monthly subscription model and mobile-first approach. CEO Pierangelo Campopiano is targeting premium volumes of CHF 100 million in the next year.
SNB was right to refrain, says Safra’s chief economist
The Swiss franc is still trading at roughly the same level against the euro as a month ago, when the Swiss National Bank refrained from cutting rates. “That’s a surprise,” says Karsten Junius, chief economist of Bank J. Safra Sarasin, adding that it shows the Swiss economy didn’t need another round of easing.
Everything you need to know about the Swiss A220 fleet grounding
The latest grounding of the Swiss A220 fleet over engine concerns has impacted 100 flights and roughly 10,000 passengers. It’s the third incident for this aircraft since July. CNNMoney Switzerland’s Olivia Chang reports on the latest details.
Why the IMF may need to cut its growth forecasts even more
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for the global economy to 3 percent this year and 3.4 percent in 2020. Patrice Gautry, chief economist at UBP, says the outlook for next year is still “very, very ambitious,” even assuming an imminent pickup in global trade.
Swiss property market facing “systemic problem,” says Bestag
The key to a successful property sale is transparency, says Patrice Choffat, whose proptech start-up Bestag matches home sellers with property brokers. He warns that systemic problems in the Swiss property transaction market is costing sellers.
AMS says battle for Osram isn’t over yet
Armed with a 20 percent stake, AMS is refusing to admit defeat after its takeover offer for Osram fell through last week. Reto Huber, senior analyst at Research Partners, predicts the Swiss-listed sensor maker will ultimately succeed in its quest for control of the German lighting group.
