Global markets have retreated amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with investors fleeing to safe-haven assets. But Alastair McCaig, Fern Wealth’s director of Investment Management, argues that if the markets were seriously worried about it, we would have seen more aggressive reactions.IBM announces blockchain-based app to trace coffee
Coffee lovers will soon be able to trace their daily brew back to the farmer by using a Swiss-made mobile app based on blockchain technology. Tatjana Meier, senior managing consultant at IBM in Switzerland, is leading development of the “Thank My Farmer” app. She says consumers, especially young adults, want to know that their coffee has been processed “in a sustainable way and in a fair way.”
Middle East tensions shake markets, but investors hold their nerve
Global markets have retreated amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with investors fleeing to safe-haven assets. But Alastair McCaig, Fern Wealth’s director of Investment Management, argues that if the markets were seriously worried about it, we would have seen more aggressive reactions.
The unresolved relationship between Switzerland and the EU
Whether the sticking point is migration or sovereignty, the relationship status between Switzerland and the EU remains complicated. And according to economists Cornelia Meyer, Stefan Gerlach and Marie Owens Thomsen, it’s a “very difficult situation” that shows no signs of clarity in 2020.
The far-reaching consequences of uncertainty on trade, Brexit
The “power struggle” of ongoing trade tensions. The “up and down and sideways” of the upcoming—and potentially rocky—Brexit trade negotiations. One thing is for certain in 2020: Nothing is certain. Hannah Wise sits down with a panel of economists who paint a wary picture for the year ahead.
The biggest threats and opportunities for economies in 2020
Trade and Brexit were a big part of the story in 2019, but populism and austerity will go down as the defining issues of the decade according to our panel of economists. Cornelia Meyer, Stefan Gerlach and Marie Owens Thomsen on the issues that will define the coming year.
Year in Review: Are we too focused on central banks?
Central banks stood defensively by their low-interest policies in 2019, creating a headache throughout Switzerland and Europe. Hannah Wise sits down with economists to discuss the importance of monetary policy versus fiscal policy in the years ahead.
Year in Review: No longer just a trend? A look at ESG investing in 2020
“It’s not just doing good at the cost of good investments,” says Esty Dwek, head of global market strategy at Natixis IM Solutions. Sustainable investing is moving well beyond hype and into the mainstream as we head into 2020. In part two, market experts Dwek, Norman Villamin and Lars Kalbreier weigh in on the new normal.
