The EU is tightening regulations on hedge fund managers, who have begun looking for friendlier places to do business. More and more are turning to a new refuge in the old financial-friendly confines of Switzerland.
Category: Economy
Exclusive: Things haven’t been the same for Germany’s E.ON since the March 11 nuclear catastrophe in Japan. The subsequent phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany is costing the company billions. E.ON is now planning radical cost-cutting measures that are
With the lingering threat of violence from Islamists and groups seeking independence from Moscow, Russia has turned to French firms to create a safe and lucrative winter sports business in the Caucasus.
A pair of city councilors is urging Zurich to cut its decades-old ties with FIFA, soccer’s worldwide governing association. Not only do they say scandals have made FIFA bad for the city’s image, it’s also a waste of money.
The top German luxury car brands are taking their longstanding showdown to Chinese showrooms. Mercedes, the best-known brand, has found itself playing catch-up behind BMW and Audi.
China’s CCTV recently exposed a company called Da Vinci Furniture for putting fake “foreign-made” labels on its domestically-manufactured goods. The case says as much about Chinese consumer habits as it does about the questionable ethics of a single compa
Breast enlargement? Botox alternative? Nestlé is expanding investment in anti-wrinkle creams, injectible gels and a breast augmentation product Macrolane that is a source of profit – but also controversy – for the Swiss food giant.
After all these years, are people still suspicious of the quality of products Made in China? Shi Jihongof the Xinxiu group luggage makers says the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’.
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Is Russia Really Such A Solid Investment?
Op-Ed: Right now, Russia is ‘in’ with investors. But the giant economy is both less dynamic and more risky than many realize.
Op-Ed: Deeply indebted euro zone countries are hoarding significant quantities of gold reserves: Greece has 4 million ounces, Portugal’s stash is worth 13 billion. But instead of selling it to pay off their creditors, they’d rather ask t
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‘It’s Day One’- Jeff Bezos Takes Stock
In a sit-down with France’s top business daily Les Echos, Amazon founder Bezos reflects on the pure speed of innovation on the Internet, and why the “posture” of consumption can change everything.
Yuan Jiang has struck gold with his B2C wine business. Through his website, the Chinese entrepreneur is already moving about 10,000 bottles of wine per day and chalking up annual sales of more than 20 million euros.
Op-Ed: Germany is doing itself no favors by sticking with the euro. Instead of bailing out the hapless likes of Greece and Portugal, Germany should join other countries that share a similar economic culture and create a new hard currency: the “nordeuro.’’
Europe’s consumer electronics industry is already reeling from the recent disastrous showing of Nokia. Now Philips has announced it would stop making televisions, another sign that the historic brand is struggling to compete.
As a potential place to invest, Berlin ranks high. At least that’s what the polls say. But when it comes to putting its money where its mouth is, big business is shying away from launching into a long-term relationship with the attractive German capital.
Tunisia’s recent “Jasmine revolution” has brought much of the country’s economy to a standstill. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight right now, but long-established Italian companies are eager to reignite old economic ties.
Designer Giorgio Armani gave reporters an earful Tuesday following a fashion event in Milan, Italy.
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Turkey’s Airlines Are Flying High
Business in booming for Turkey’s commercial aviation industry. Led by Turkish Airlines, the industry has already ordered some 5.3 billion dollars worth of new aircraft.
Though thousands of Chinese immigrants work as laborers in and around Florence, Suping Liu is the first Chinese to open shop on the city’s famously fashionalbe Via Tornabuoi in Florence. Hers is a story of determination and an east-meets-west eye
In an effort to reinforce the ‘Swiss made” label, watch makers have decided to add more locally-manufactured parts to their time pieces.
The clothing factories of Shenzhen have been hit by a perfect storm, battered by rising labor costs, unstable prices for raw materials, currency appreciation and dipping demand. By year’s end, more than half of the once bustling businesses could be shutte
OpEd: It’s time for European leaders to stop playing for time. Taxpayers alone cannot foot the bill for Greece’s debt disaster, and private creditors must quickly become a part of the equation.
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A Deadly Year For Union Leaders Worldwide
According to the International Trade Union Confederation, some 100 union members were killed in 2010. A bleak picture that shows no sign of improvement.
Opinion: More and more, poor African countries are throwing their lot in with emerging economic powers like China, India and Brazil. In many cases, these new trade relationships are less one-sided than observers might expect.
Polish authorities are giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up to shale gas, a controversial yet potentially lucrative source of fuel that could free the country from relying on historical rival Russia for its gas needs.
Changes are afoot along the Champs-Elysées, where big-name clothing brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Marks & Spencer are occupying more and more commercial space. Critics say soaring rents and new business regulations threaten to turn t
Editorial: As concerns about the economy deepen, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has blocked publication of the IMF’s latest report on Turkey. It’s the latest sign of a lack of professionalism.
This week’s Africa-India Forum Summit in Ethiopia shows how hungry India is for Africa’s energy resources and minerals. Twenty years after China began to arrive on the continent, this reportage shows how large Indian companies are eager
Situated at the heart of the Xinjiang region, Karamay is rich in oil and increasingly vital to China’s energy strategy. The ‘black gold’ has fueled local development, and transformed this sleepy backwater. But ethnic splits could create conflict.
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Switzerland Warming To Solar Power
A Swiss energy company has just begun construction on what will be by far the country’s largest solar energy producer, as a rooftop project in Geneva will overtake a sun-absorbing stadium in Bern.
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Bayer’s Big Bet On China
Drug giant Bayer has rarely seen risk-taking as a cure for its ills. But next month’s relocation of its general medicine headquarters from Germany to Beijing will make Bayer AG the first multinational pharmaceutical company to open a global corporate cent
Cosmetics that have become iconic have three things in common: a strong character, useable on face, hands and body, and they never leave celebrities’ make-up bags. Here are the secret of creams passed down from mother to daughter.
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Suspicious Cash Returns To Switzerland
Criticism of current Swiss banking practices is mounting following recent revelations that funds from corrupt foreign leaders are being stored in Swiss banks. Experts and politicians are calling for money laundering laws to be tightened.
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Quebec Sets Off To Conquer Far North
Canada’s vast northern territories are to be opened up in a plan to exploit its rich natural resources. Some environmentalists are skeptical about the long-term effects.
Times have changed for the world’s carmakers. Renault is investing in aeronautics, while Audi promotes alpine research and water sports. For today’s auto advertisers, preaching a good cause may be every bit as important as pitching the product itself.
In keeping with their country’s world famous culinary heritage, Italy’s top corporations have abandoned standard team-building activities in favor of group cooking classes.
While Bavaria leaps forward, Berlin languishes. Germany’s south is on the rise, thanks in large part to tech investments and shifting migration patterns.
Rolex hopes its associations with classical music and charitable events can recast the Swiss watch brand in China from a symbol of gaudy power to a mark of refined class.
Best known for its preppy polo shirts, fashion giant Lacoste is diversifying: targeting women, children and branché (hip) youth in an effort to push yearly earnings toward the 1.5 billion euro mark.
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A Tale Of Two Capitalisms
The French government’s plans to force companies to pay employee bonuses whenever they raise dividends to shareholders has prompted controversy in France. Is there any right way to divide the profit pie between workers and shareholders?