Switzerland Today

Greetings from Zurich!

Inhabitants of this city are doubtless making New Year’s Resolutions to cut down on caffeine consumption following the shocking news that it’s the most expensive place to buy a cup of café crème.

But first, news of the day.

This content was published on December 4, 2023 - 18:00

2 minutes

When not covering fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, banks and trade, swissinfo.ch's business correspondent can be found playing cricket on various grounds in Switzerland - including the frozen lake of St Moritz. 

Léonard Gianadda — © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

In the news: NATO boss pays a visit to Switzerland, UBS has big ambitions in the US and Roche’s obesity-busting takeover.

Art patron and architect Léonard Gianadda, creator of the Fondation Gianadda, has passed away at the age of 88.
UBS bank has grand plans to take on the top wealth management giants in the United States.
The Chair of NATO, Admiral Rob Bauer, is in Switzerland to discuss increased cooperation in times of geopolitical upheaval.
Pharma firm Roche is entering the fight against obesitywith the $2.7 billion takeover of US company Carmot Therapeutics.

Inflation falls – except for coffee

Good news: the price of Swiss consumer goods rose by a mere 1.4% in November, a bit less than the 1.7% expected rise. Bad news: this doesn’t apply to café crème – especially in Zurich.

Even during the worst days of inflating inflation, Switzerland escaped the worst ravages of consumer price hikes.

If you want to know why spaghetti prices rose less violently in Switzerland than the land of pasta, Italy, last year, we’ve put together this handy explainer.

But this has not stopped the Swiss bistro association, CafetierSuisse, from warning about a 5-15% rise in the price of café crèmenext year in German-speaking Switzerland.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Zurich, the city of bankers, are expected to put up their prices more than any other part of the region.

It seems that bistros must pass on rising costs in coffee beans, wage bills and other inflating expenses to consumers.

Don’t forget about our advent calendar

Enjoy 24 films selected by SWI swissinfo.ch from the Swiss streaming platform Play Suisse. They have been subtitled in English and curated for our international audience.

The films are productions or co-productions of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the parent company of SWI swissinfo.ch.

Here’s the film we’ve hand-picked for you today!

Günther Tschanun – the silent neighbour

This content was published on Nov 10, 2023 A documentary by Swiss public television RSI retells the story of Günther Tschanun, an architect who brutally killed four colleagues in Zurich.