Business

Fibre optic lines at Swisscom telephone exchange in Zurich ©Keystone

Swisscom ordered to lower leased line prices

by Malcolm Curtis

March 11, 2010 | 17:00

A federal regulator orders Swisscom to roll back prices for leased lines and Ethernet services offered to other providers, with retroactive reductions ranging up to 30 percent going back to 2007. The telecom company is contesting Thursday’s decision, which it says will cost around 30 million francs, and is mulling its options after winning a legal decision on other alleged anti-competitive activity earlier this week.

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Business
	Single-family homes lose appeal in Swiss countryside
	March 10, 2010 \| 09:30	by Malcolm Curtis

Single-family homes in the Swiss countryside are no longer selling as a demographic shift sees the baby boomer generation moving closer to city centres after their children leave the nest, a Credit Suisse...Full story

Business
	Retailer blames job picture for dismal outlook
	March 9, 2010 \| 12:02	by Giles Broom

Swiss fashion chain Charles Voegele cancels shareholder dividends and casts itself as a victim of unemployment stemming from the economic crisis after posting a net loss for 2009, which falls short of...Full story

Business
	Improved job figures trigger revised Swiss outlook
	March 8, 2010 \| 16:16	by Giles Bloom

Economists are scrambling to decipher the latest surprising unemployment numbers for Switzerland that show a better than expected improvement in February, raising hopes for consumer spending that was expected...Full story

Business
	Raiffeisen poised for more growth after record year
	March 5, 2010 \| 11:16	by Malcolm Curtis

The recession has little effect on Raiffeisen, Switzerland’s third largest banking group, which posts record results for 2009, while attracting new customers, boosting its revenues and hiring new staff....Full story

Business
	British chemicals giant eyes Switzerland for new HQ
	March 4, 2010 \| 12:07	by Giles Broom

In another blow to the UK exchequer, Britain’s largest private company intends to relocate its headquarters to Switzerland for tax reasons. INEOS Group, the world’s third-largest chemicals company,...Full story

Business
	Adecco results mask Swiss unemployment problem
	March 3, 2010 \| 11:27	by Giles Broom

Reports on western labour markets are upbeat on Wednesday as global recruiter Adecco tops analyst expectations for 2009 fourth quarter profits at the end of a dismal year for the staffing industry. Switzerland...Full story

FINMA urges more collateral for big banks
Patrick Raaflaub, the boss of Switzerland’s financial market authority, is renewing a call for the country’s biggest banks to hold more liquidity to reduce risks to clients. His comments follow the...

Full storyMarch 3, 2010 | 11:06by Malcolm Curtis

Nestlé aims for larger slice of global pizza pie
Vevey-based food giant Nestlé completes the 4 billion franc purchase of a frozen pizza business from US-based Kraft Foods, in what company officials describe as “an excellent strategic match”. Speculation...

Full storyMarch 2, 2010 | 12:23by Giles Broom

Depeche Mode and Hublot unite against teenage cancer
Depeche Mode, one of the most influential and longest lived English electronic rock bands, joins forces with the phenomenally successful Swiss watchmaker Hublot to fight teenage cancer. During a ceremony...

Full storyMarch 1, 2010 | 10:52by Michèle Laird

Swisscom weathers wireless data surge, say experts
Industry leaders urge telecoms operators to pull back usage to prevent network collapses as the volume of data traffic increases across mobile wireless networks. Switzerland is not immune to the problem...

Full storyFebruary 25, 2010 | 16:49by Giles Broom

Good times continue to roll for construction industry
Switzerland’s construction industry is weathering the economic downturn better than other sectors, as an index released by the Swiss contractors’ association and Credit Suisse shows. It indicates activity...

Full storyFebruary 25, 2010 | 15:12by Malcolm Curtis

Green trend hogs the limelight at Geneva car show
More than 60 green vehicles developed to use energies other than petroleum are on view at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show (March 4-14). The event’s “Green Pavilion” also provides an opportunity...

Full storyFebruary 25, 2010 | 09:48by Marcus Berry

Swiss consumer spending signs turn upward
UBS sees optimistic signs from the Swiss consumer underpinning an expected recovery in the Swiss economy this year, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the country's biggest financial institution....

Full storyFebruary 23, 2010 | 12:23by Malcolm Curtis

WTO delays bring no comfort to Swiss exporters
Industry leaders are not impressed by the World Trade Organisation’s latest announcement on the progress of its Doha round of negotiations. The chemicals and pharma industry association tells Swisster...

Full storyFebruary 23, 2010 | 11:48by Giles Broom

UK launches tax reforms to lure firms from Switzerland
A Swiss business representative is confident that the country’s tax regime and way of welcoming businesses will keep companies interested in setting up in Switzerland. Competition with London to attract...

Full storyFebruary 22, 2010 | 12:13by Giles Broom

Nestlé beats expectations and rewards shareholders
Swiss food giant Nestlé posts strong 2009 results on Friday showing 4.1 per cent organic growth in spite of the tough economic climate and low consumer confidence. Listed in Zurich, the stock climbs 3.5...

Full storyFebruary 19, 2010 | 11:34by Giles Broom

Swiss Re and ABB paint rosier economic picture
The Swiss Market Index (SMI) climbs on Thursday morning as financial giant Swiss Re reports positive annual results. Improved market sentiment is a relief after the SMI hit 6244 points earlier this month...

Full storyFebruary 18, 2010 | 13:16by Giles Broom

Reports bolster evidence of Swiss economic recovery
After suffering the worst recession in decades last year, Switzerland could be poised to see a modest economic recovery, according to reports issued on Thursday. The turnaround may be “fragile” based...

Full storyFebruary 18, 2010 | 11:26by Malcolm Curtis

Bern monitors Google’s Buzz privacy problem
Technology giant Google faces ongoing criticism over its new Buzz social networking product launched last week. The company set up a ‘war room’ at its Mountain View headquarters in California to deal...

Full storyFebruary 17, 2010 | 14:46by Giles Broom