Brightbridge Wealth Management Zurich

The euro recently fell for the first time below the minimum limit of SFr1.20 ($1.31 ) set by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in September 2011.

However, currency experts agree that the temporary slip that occurred during Easter week does not require a change in exchange rate policy.

Thomas Jordan, vice-president and interim president of the SNB, defended his institution at the start of this week and said that doubts about the exchange rate policy were “unfounded”.

Jordan repeated the central bank’s willingness “to buy foreign currency in unlimited amounts” in order to keep the franc within the specified limits. He also confirmed that the Swiss currency “remained overvalued”.

His explanation came after a few financial transactions on April 5 jolted the Easter-time lack of currency movement, causing the euro to trade at SFr1.19. It was the first time the franc had fallen below the minimum limit established by the SNB seven months ago.

According to industry analysts, the volatility was caused partly by economic problems in Spain. Last weekend, Swiss publications such as the “Finanz und Wirtschaft” newspaper criticised the SNB for “going on holiday” when the going got tough.

While some consider the policy of the central bank insufficient, others consider it to be exaggerated.

Although the strong franc has not ruined Switzerland as an industrial centre, the situation is s...

The euro recently fell for the first time below the minimum limit of SFr1.20 ($1.31 ) set by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in September 2011.

However, currency experts agree that the temporary slip that occurred during Easter week does not require a change in exchange rate policy.

Thomas Jordan, vice-president and interim president of the SNB, defended his institution at the start of this week and said that doubts about the exchange rate policy were “unfounded”.

Jordan repeated the central bank’s willingness “to buy foreign currency in unlimited amounts” in order to keep the franc within the specified limits. He also confirmed that the Swiss currency “remained overvalued”.

His explanation came after a few financial transactions on April 5 jolted the Easter-time lack of currency movement, causing the euro to trade at SFr1.19. It was the first time the franc had fallen below the minimum limit established by the SNB seven months ago.

Asia’s fast-rising economies set their sights on securing key IMF appointments under newly named chief Chistine Lagarde Wednesday, hopeful she would be the one to make good on oft-heard pledges to swing more power to emerging markets.



Lagarde said all the right things on her recent campaign-trail tour of Asia. She acknowledged that countries such as China and India deserve increased IMF voting power commensurate with their growing economic clout, and a fair shot at the emergency lending institution’s top decision-making posts.

“Lagarde is a friend of India,” a senior Indian government source said. “We can’t get the IMF managing director’s chair for now but at least India can get some high-level appointments in the IMF during her tenure and we will work toward that.”

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles. While Greece plunged deeper into chaos, the U.S. Commerce Department released data showing U.S. imports surged at the end of 2011, the latest signal that the world’s largest economy finally is on track for a lasting recovery.

Brightbridge is a world-wide private equity firm with the resources and expertise to source, evaluate, and manage private investments globally in both developed and developing markets and across many industrial and commercial sectors.
Brightbridge is manager of -- or principal advisor to -- private equity funds covering Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Islamic countries that span the globe from North Africa through the Middle East and into Asia. These funds represent aggregate capital commitments of nearly $6.0 billion and several are the largest of their kind in their particular region.
Brightbridge's initial focus and one of its continuing core strengths has been investments in "infrastructure" in emerging market economies. Over time, however, Brightbridge has expanded this focus, allowing us to accumulate investment experience in a wide range of sectors from heavy industry, mining, oil and gas to basic materials and even restaurants.
Brightbridge's broad global experience and the large size of its funds has allowed it to become a prime choice as an investment partner for regional companies and local entrepreneurs. Brightbridge is also a pioneer in structuring innovative partnerships with international corporate strategic investors. Brightbridge has partnered with leading international corporations, including Vivendi, Marubeni, and AES in the power sector, AT&T, Orange, and Bell Canada in the telecommunications sector, and Pilkington in the gla...

As financial advisors and investment consultants, we believe in the following fundamental principals with regard to designing an investment portfolio and making specific recommendations. The purpose of a client's investment portfolio is to fund current and/or future financial objectives. The design of the portfolio must take into account the client's financial objectives, tolerance for risk, needs for current income or liquidity, and special considerations such as income and estate taxes. The appropriate allocation of investment assets for your goals and risk tolerance is the most important component in developing an investment portfolio. We believe that having a diversified, well-balanced portfolio, following long-term buy-and-hold strategies, and having patience, increases the likelihood that one will achieve their long-term financial objectives.
Diversification, dollar cost averaging, comprehensive portfolio reviews and analysis are beneficial methods of managing assets. Dollar-cost averaging has some advantages in a declining market--or, more precisely, in a market whose general direction may be downward but still has ups and downs. An investor who bought the Dow in 1929 and held it until 1939 would have seen a -46% return; but an investor dollar-cost averaging would have been able to take advantage, for example, of all the months in 1932-1934 in which the Dow closed at less than 100. In these months, that investor would have gotten a lot more for his money. This ef...

The euro recently fell for the first time below the minimum limit of SFr1.20 ($1.31 ) set by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in September 2011.

However, currency experts agree that the temporary slip that occurred during Easter week does not require a change in exchange rate policy.

Thomas Jordan, vice-president and interim president of the SNB, defended his institution at the start of this week and said that doubts about the exchange rate policy were “unfounded”.

Jordan repeated the central bank’s willingness “to buy foreign currency in unlimited amounts” in order to keep the franc within the specified limits. He also confirmed that the Swiss currency “remained overvalued”.

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles.

Zurich Financial Services AG, Switzerland’s largest insurer, said fourth-quarter profit declined 46 percent after losses from Thai floods and other natural catastrophes.

Net income fell to $557 million from $1.04 billion a year earlier, the Zurich-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. This missed the $729.1 million average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

The company booked insured losses after reinsurance of $225 million in the quarter, said Chief Financial Officer Pierre Wauthier, adding that earnings were also crimped by a higher tax rate and a donation to charity. Zurich Financial said it will keep its dividend unchanged after increasing its 2010 payout to an 11-year high of 17 Swiss francs ($18.53) per share.

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles. While Greece plunged deeper into chaos, the U.S. Commerce Department released data showing U.S. imports surged at the end of 2011, the latest signal that the world’s largest economy finally is on track for a lasting recovery. Canada, Mexico and China were among the beneficiaries, as the U.S. trade deficit with its largest trading partners widened. U.S. imports jumped 1.3 per cent in December, to $227.6-billion (U.S.), the biggest one-month increase since July, 2008. Consumption accounts for about 70 per cent of U.S. gross domestic product, making imports an important barometer of economic health. Demand was strong across industries, including capital equipment such as machinery and semiconductors, which climbed to a record. The trade numbers follow stronger-than-expected hiring figures, including a report earlier this week that showed...