Panel at FT Lausanne commodities conference predicts continuing high oil prices
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The United States is where the world’s next economic and industrial boom may occur, says Daniel Jaeggi, co-founder of Geneva-based energy trading firm Mercuria.
Jaeggi was speaking at a two-day commodities conference in Lausanne 24 April. His privately held firm trades approximately one million barrels of crude oil a day. Jaeggi encouraged investors to look at the US for the start of a new “industrial renaissance” driven by factors including the cheapest energy resources, such as oil, gas and coal, cheap and flexible labour, and a “positive population dynamic, which certainly cannot be said for Europe”.
“We have had the BRIC story since 2001, and by now you would’ve had to have been asleep for the past decade not to know what BRIC stands for”, he told GenevaLunch, referring to rapidly developing economies Brazil, Russia, India and China. “Some tectonic plates are shifting and certain things are changing. The story of the West is that the industrial manufacturing base disappearing from the West has been going on since the 1970s. You can now ask yourself seriously if we are not at the dawn of something very significant.”
Europe’s outlook negative, oil prices to remain high, say traders
A panel of energy trading executives generally agreed on a negative economic forecast for Europe at the Financial Times conference. The panel: Glencore chief of oil Alex Beard, Pierre Barbé, president at Total Oil Trading and Törbjörn Törnqvist, chairman of Gunvor.
Top oil traders handed consumers gloomy news, telling the conference that three-digit prices for oil are here to stay. The price of Brent oil, the benchmark crude, by April had remained above $100 a barrel for a record 200 consecutive days. And oil traders don’t see it slipping, thanks to growing demand and continuing tight supplies.
Ten years ago the price of Brent was $20 a barrel.
The US Department of Energy, in a 2011 report called “What drives the price of crude oil” includes the activities of the financial markets in its seven key factors.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The KOF, the economic research institute at the University of Zurich has upgraded its forecast for the Swiss economy in 2012, noting that the 0.8 percent rise hides a stronger upward swing towards the end of the year.
The group notes in a press release: “Private consumption will make the biggest contribution to growth. Exports will come out weaker due to the effects of the strong franc and stagnation in Europe. The labour market looks robust, unemployment figures will remain at 3.2 percent, a very low level by international standards.”
The outlook for exports is more negative than figures released Thursday by the federal statistical office imply. “The outlook for the export economy is mixed,” reports the KOF.
“The companies involved–foremost in the tourism industry–have to live with a strong currency that will squeeze margins.
Tourism (–1.4%) and other service exports (–0.7%) will shrink again this year. Growth in exported goods (1.5%) will be lower than last year (6.2%). The overall result is a growth in exports of 0.8%.“Imports will grow faster, 3.7%, whereby the trade balance with the GDP will be negative in 2012. Stronger growth in exports (4.7%) is also expected for the next year in the wake of the upswing, but the rate will still lag behind imports (7.9%).”
Swiss economy, 2012 forecast, source: KOF economic research institute in Zurich
CS bank bosses find pay deals down
Credit Suisse is cutting the pay packages of senior managers, with chief executive Brady Dougan receiving CHF5.8 million, less than half of what he earned the previous year. Overall, compensation packages at the bank are down from CHF14.6 million in 2010 to CHF13.2m in 2011, with the bank saying in February that it was cutting its bonus pool by 41 percent after seeing profits fall 62 percent last year. The Group issued its annual report 23 March.
Unemployment improvement will lag, rising to 3.7% before turnaround
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss economy, after sliding at the end of 2011, is showing signs of stability and growth should be 0.8 percent in 2012, rising to 1.8 percent in 2013, says the Swiss federal government’s Group of Experts who assess the economic outlook on a quarterly basis. An improvement in the jobless rate will take longer, probably starting in 2013 but after first worsening.
The Group cites a slightly better economic picture in Europe in the first weeks of 2012, thanks in part to stability provided by liquidity injected into markets by the European Central Bank, which have eased the tensions there. Some of Switzerland’s neighbours, notably Italy and Spain, are in recession, but Switzerland itself is unlikely to slide into recession.
Other regions in the world are showing more strength, with the US economy looking brighter, says the Group, although fallout from the mortgage crisis will make a rebound relatively slow. Emerging market economies continue to show good growth. Heavy indebtedness in OECD countries will continue to weight them down.
The Swiss economy is currently benefitting notably from its mixed base of industries, strong internal demand with construction growth playing a key role, and some recovery in industries such as tourism that have been hurt by the strong franc.
Unemployment, which has remained relatively stable at 3.1 percent at the end of February, will likely rise to 3.4 by the end of the year, then to 3.7 percent in 2013 before falling.
Max began the mating season with a visit to her old nest from 2003-2004 near Tüfingen, Germany, close the Swiss border (photo ©2012 Heidi Buergermeister).
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Max the stork, the world’s longest tracked wild bird, is settling down to have a new family on the edges of Lake Constance, reports the Museum of Natural History in Fribourg, which tracks the bird.
She returned from her winter home in Spain the last week of February and she was seen a couple of times with the father of her 2003 and 2004 families, but the next day her most recent mate, who fathered last year’s offspring, reappeared and he and Max have been a pair since then.
Skiing in Switzerland: waiting for the bus near Lake Geneva, to head up to the slopes
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Schools in Vaud are on vacation starting this afternoon, and the weather forecast promises us some of the warmest temperatures since early January. Expect the slopes to be busy.
Snow cover is still excellent everywhere, so no matter where you head, you can’t go wrong, but don’t sleep in: the best snow will be waiting for you in the mornings.
This is a shaping up to be a big and busy weekend in the Swiss Alps, with the men’s World Cup downhill races on in Crans-Montana.
Weather and avalanche risk forecast
MeteoSwiss is telling us to get out the sun cream. Temperatures in the Alps will be 1-3C on the low end with highs of 7 to 11C. Geneva and Lausanne can expect sunny skies initially but with some cloud cover as the weekend wears on, and the sharp cold bise wind blowing by Monday. Mountain areas will have only light winds.
The wet avalanche risk will rise as the temperatures climb. The danger of dry snow avalanches is 2/5 but for wet snow avalanches it rises to 3, throughout the Alps, for Friday.
Alpine resorts
The Norwegian (shown here) and Swiss ski teams trained in Anzeres this week, in the run-up to the World Cup races in Crans-Montana
The Crans-Montana men’s downhill World Cup ski races are the big weekend event. It is the last time that Didier Cuchewill race in Switzerland before his retirement, and Saturday night at the ice rink in Montana he will be given the trophy for “Swiss man of the year”, an honor he was given last month.
The races are open to the public. Tickets are CHF20-60 and the two towns of Crans and Montana have plenty of activities lined up.
Zermatt For those who would rather be racing themselves, Zermatt has a great event Saturday 25 February, a nighttime race from 17:00-22:00 that ends with a spaghetti dinner at Sunnegga.
Verbier A wild ride for anyone who loves sledding: Sunday 26 February the resort is hosting the final of the Valais Sled Trophy, “the legendary 10km La Tzoumaz ski run,” it says on its site. “Over a 4km long stretch, between pastures and forests, the 540 m drop will get everyone’s skates on! Families, amateurs, and USO (Unidentified sliding object) owners alike are invited to take part in this popular event – it’s a veritable sled party!” Take along some medical gel for bruises, for afterwards.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Slightly warmer weather has arrived but snow conditions remain excellent in the resorts in the Jura mountains.All are boasting over a metre and a half of snow at the higher levels. At the moment, with the French holidays continuing, crowds are developing from 10:00 onwards, but our large capacity lifts seem to cope and all runs have been open this week.
Ghetto-blasting snowboards and other things you might find on the slopes
And now a word about the people on the slopes you might want to avoid, if you’re not part of their group: Signal Snowboards, a US company, makes snowboards that do more than just move you on the snow and in the air, reports Wired. Take, for instance, their snowboards that shoot paintballs. Or blast music.
What you’re more likely to find on Swiss slopes this weekend is strange creatures, skiers in costume as they prepare to head off for Carnival.
Carnival time!
Basel Fasnacht
If you’re willing to go down from the mountains for a bit, Bern’s Carnival is on this weekend, worth a detour en route to the Bernese Alps resorts.
And one of Switzerland’s best shows starts Monday in Basel, the city’s famed Fasnacht, which starts in the wee hours and goes until late for three days and nights. The entire city turns out, well disguised and ready for some serious play, while the 30,000 visitors who pour into the city for the fun enjoy the show.
More en route, so don't put the shovels away yet (Valais, January 2012)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weather people have given it a name already: winter storm Andrea is en route and we can expect snow down to 400 metres in the Jura and Lake Geneva regions.
Snow should fall down to the plain in canton Valais, with high winds in mountain areas.
The Jura can expect gusts of up to 180kph from Thursday morning to Friday.
Ski slopes are likely to be closed for much of Thursday and Friday due to high winds; check local conditions and openings. Alpine areas are likely to have 40-60cm of fresh snow before the weekend.
Val d'Isere in France was the winner for snowfalls this week!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Winter has definitely arrived, and if you are up for skiing, the slopes are ready for you!
We are kicking off GenevaLunch’s winter season weekly snow and sports reports, a Friday morning roundup from Swiss and some French resorts with weather forecasts, snow conditions, avalanche reports , travel news, competition results and more.
Shirley Curran once again reports every weekend from the Jura and Ellen Wallace from the Alps, with others occasionally contributing videos or special reports from the slopes.
Weather forecast
Wednesday and Thursday the Alps had very strong winds, adding some instability to snow on the slopes: MeteoSwiss measured 149.8 km/h at Chasseral, 148 km/h at the Titlis and 130 km/h at Diablerets. Chasseral was particularly affected with the average speed of the wind over 10 minutes more than 100 km/h for more than three hours.
For the weekend: temperatures hovering between 2 and 8-9C throughout the region this weekend, with some rain in the Jura and generally dry in the Alps, but temperatures below zero at altitude will allow the fresh snow to remain. More snow is expected Tuesday, but then the snow line should rise to 2000 m before falling next Friday to 1,000m, as schools break up for the holidays.
Snow conditions
This slope in the centre of Val d'Isere was technically closed Thursday, but skiers decided otherwise
Variable is the best word, with the snow that fell at the start of the week falling heavily in some resorts, less so in others.
Valais police are warning caution, with the snow base unstable. A six-year-old child caught by an avalanche Wednesday died during the night after being hospitalized.
Snow levels in Alpine stations Thursday: see the SLF snow depth map for Friday, showing all of Switzerland. Crans-Montana opens this weekend, with powder, but the base is still only 20-50cm. Verbier, Les Ruinettes has 44cm. Central Valais had more snow early in the week than lower Valais, closer to Lake Geneva, and Zermatt has snow down to the village, with virtually all lifts operating. Vaud Alps also received heavier snowfalls, so Gstaad has 20-65cm.
Switzerland’s most reliable and richest source of information on snow conditions is the daily Avalanche Bulletin published in English and other languages by SLF, the Swiss Snow and Avalanche Research Institute.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Things are looking very promising for our Jura resorts – better than last year when we had a magnificent dump of snow at the start of December that was all washed away during the second week. There is already snow on our summits and the official opening of Crozet-Lélex, and La Faucille-Mijoux and, of course Menthières and Le
Vattey is 17 December. The higher resorts will, exceptionally, be running this weekend if they deem that there is sufficient snow. You can see the state of snow coverage for yourself if you visit the official website and click on ‘Webcams’.
The plan at the momentis to run the Telecombi at the Col de la Faucille and two other lifts during the weekend. Of course, that depends on the weather.
France Voisine, Val d’Isère
If you want to remind yourself what glorious winter snow is like, head for the French resort, just under three hours from Geneva Airport by car or shuttle bus. The peaks had 1.7 metres in just three days at the start of the week and the village itself, at 1,850 metres, is heavily covered and charmingly wintry. Temperatures are hovering around zero on the slopes, so the snow is in good condition.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A “superstorm” is advancing on Alaska and expected to arrive Wednesday night 9 November, according to the US National Weather Service: “Damaging winds, coastal flooding, and blizzard conditions are among the expected impacts of a Bering Sea “superstorm” expected to slam into Alaska this evening.” Residents are being warned to take precautions, with most of the western edge of the state affected.
Source: US Weather Service, Alaska division
screen shots, new "my weather" worldwide service (source: Apple iTunes)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Hong Kong Observatory launched a new mobile app, “my weather”, Monday 10 October, designed to help travellers quickly find the official weather report for their area, anywhere in the world.
The new app features the World Weather Information Service (WWIS) and is the world’s first-ever location-specific weather service providing official city weather forecasts around the world for people on the move, says Geneva-based WMO.
The free app has location-based technology that detects the user’s location and it automatically displays the latest official weather forecasts and climatological information of the city nearest to the user.
“It provides a quick search function that allows users to obtain the latest official weather information from over 1,400 cities around the world. The application also enables users to create bookmarks for easy access to weather forecasts for cities of their choice in the future,” according to WMO.
The new app can be downloaded at http://itunes.apple.com/
Ed. note: I just downloaded and used it – up came Swiss, Italian and German cities, since it uses cities in a 200km range. Weather forecast is equally gloomy in all areas.
Swiss Alps downpour: the birds were happy
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Happy worm-hunting birds were the rare creatures outside Monday morning in Switzerland as rain, rain and more rain fell.
Traffic on a number of highways early Monday was slowed down by the soggy start to the week.
Switzerland was drenched, with the exception of parts of Ticino; the central and eastern parts of the country were given an orange alert Monday morning by the national weather service, MeteoSwiss, for heavy rainfall.
Some areas received up to 60mm of rain between Sunday night and Monday noon, with most areas getting 25-35mm.
The new downpour, the result of a cold front from the north, followed 80-110mm in some regions from Thursday to Sunday, ending a long dry spell in many areas, particularly in the Alps.
Another 10 to 20mm is likely to fall Monday afternoon on northern Alpine slopes, especially along the eastern stretch and northern Graubuenden.
The snowline, which was down to 1,200 metres Saturday, rose to 2,600 metres Monday as temperatures warmed up.
All parts of the country should see rain end by Monday evening.
Forecast is for more of the same
Update 14 July 10:00 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Thunderstorms and heavy rains are taking their toll in central and eastern Switzerland, with emergency services taking calls for pleasure craft in trouble on the lakes, trees down on roads, cellars flooded.
Torrential rains in parts of Valais are prompting fears of flooding in Zermatt (video, 20 Minutes) and the A2 autoroute in Ticino was cut off between Lugano and Mendrisio by a mudslide late Wednesday.
In the Bernese Oberland the Schynige Platte rail line was cut off by fallen trees and 64 passengers had to be evacuated by helicopters.
Zurich has had the most rain, according to TSR, with 40cm/m2 at the airport.
MeteoSwiss is predicting more of the same until at least mid-day Thursday in western Switzerland and Saturday in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Photos below, taken from the same spot in Valais during one hour, show the rapidly changing weather in the Alps. Click on images to view larger.
Swiss Alpine storm pummels garden 13 July
Heavy sheets of rain swept across the Alps Wednesday
Val d'Anniviers, storms come to an end
Val d'Anniviers, end of storm 13 July 2011
Not a cloud in the sky - storms have moved on to eastern Switzerland
The clouds are not quite ready to call it a day! Hikers, beware.
Swiss green economy's fastest growing area is construction, says WWF (photo, ©2011 iStockphoto)
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The green economy is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy in Switzerland, figures published Tuesday 21 June by WWF Switzerland show. The green economy accounts for turnover of CHF29 billion and 116,000 jobs. It is expected to add another 53,000 jobs by 2020, with turnover reaching CHF57b.
The figures, compared to 2001, show an annual growth rate of 6.3 percent, compared to 3.2 percent for the Swiss economy as a whole in the past 10 years, according to “Environmental markets in Switzerland – outlook for the economy and jobs”, a report issued by the WWF training centre. “This level of growth requires developing matching environmental competences in professional fields,” says Helene Sironi, head of continuing education for the WWF.
The numbers look even more impressive, says the organization, when federal figures from a study on the Cleantech economy are added: CHF49b in turnover and 260,000 jobs, or 6.2 percent of the Swiss labour market.
The fastest growing green area is environmental construction, at 47 percent a year. Sustainable mobility is one of the weaker areas, growing at only 3 percent a year.
Report summary in French, WWF (3.9MB pdf)
vines ripening above Sierre, in late summer
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A note to GenevaLunch visitors: the four-day Ascension weekend taken by many Swiss businesses has begun. The cold rainy weather will give way to warmer temperatures and partly sunny skies starting Thursday 2 June. This is a popular holiday for travelling inside Switzerland, so traffic will be heavy frequently, not just during the peak travel times for European’s who are crossing the country as they take the long weekend.
Temperatures are expected to rise to 20-23C for the highs in western Switzerland, with lows of 8-9C.
A reminder for air travellers: Wednesday 1 June is the first day of the new Swiss rules on duty free: you can now purchase duty free goods on arrival as well as when leaving the country. You can order your goods online, in advance, and the shops are open from 06:00 to 23:00 seven days a week. Details on Genève Aéroport‘s duty free pages.
Canton Valais, Switzerland’s largest wine-producing region, is holding its open days 2-4 June. The canton is noted for its spectacular Alpine vineyards along the banks of the Rhone and the rich variety of its wine grapes. Details in French; GenevaLunch will provide suggestions and more information Thursday.
Swiss barbecue, with weekend sunshine and temperatures just right for grilling (photo: flickr.com/photos/celestialpilgrim)
GENEVA / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The weather forecast for the weekend in the Lake Geneva area is better than you might think if you’re currently sitting in a downpour (your editor is watching a snow shower at 2,400 metres, above me). Showers will clear by morning, with just a few clouds left along mountain ridges.
Expect lows of 7 to 8C and highs of 21-23C Saturday, rising to 24C Sunday, with sunshine throughout Switzerland.
Geneva toasts its 2010 wines Saturday
The sunny spell is almost guaranteed, with Geneva holding its traditional and hugely popular wine open day Saturday: it’s hard to remember one when the sun wasn’t shining.
Geneva's wine open days are designed to introduce the public to the new vintage, but the canton has also been developing some beautiful wines that age well, several of which are part of the vintage wines collection of the Memoire des vins suisses
The Caves Ouvertes, as the day is called in French, sends thousands to Geneva’s wineries, almost of which are participating in the event, one of Geneva’s most popular. It was started in 1987, the first one in Switzerland.
The idea has spread and Valais will hold its cantonal open days the weekend of 2, 3 and 4 June (the Ascension long weekend), with canton Vaud having its – with several new surprise features – 11 and 12 June.
How to visit Geneva’s wine open day
The open days are designed to bring in the public to sample the new vintage, with white wines from 2010 recently bottled and the 2009 reds ready to drink.
Geneva’s cantonal wine office, Opage, has published its Terrific Terroir 2011 (pdf), with pages 19-20 giving you details about how it works, public transportation options, and a list of the wineries.
It is also available in printed form from Geneva Tourism, the Pont-de-la-Machine Information Arcade, the Geneva Welcome Centre, the UN kiosk and OffTheShelf English Bookshop, as well as hotels and eateries, clubs and associations, and several multinational companies and international organizations.
Vines in Satigny, Geneva, shortly after the harvest
If you’re looking for a guide to some of Geneva’s top wineries, and what to expect from them, you can start by reviewing the August 2010 winners of the cantonal wine competition (pdf).
The GenevaLunch wine blog, Among the Vines, offered tips for how best to visit the wineries in 2010, and it’s still valid, the advice of GL editor and Swiss wine expert Ellen Wallace.
Tour de Romandie finishes with glorious weather as partner
Weather forecast: brief rain, spot of frost, then warmer and sunny again
Sunny finish for Tour de Romandie winner (photo ©2011 Samuel Jacquet, flickr.com/photos/sam-s-place/with/5681965676/ )
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The rain is finally falling Tuesday morning 3 May, giving a reprieve after the spectacularly dry April in the Lake Geneva region, but weather forecasters warn it will be shortlived: expect showers to end late Tuesday, with only occasional rain along mountain ridges in the next two days. Some areas will be hit by ground frost Thursday, then temperatures will climb to highs of 24-25C with sunshine for the weekend.
Australian cyclist wins Tour, with Brit taking the day in Geneva
The Tour de Romandie finished in Geneva Sunday in a burst of fine weather, with Australian Cadel Evans taking the title for the second time, while British cyclist Ben Swift won Sunday’s leg of the race.
Lausanne’s popular 10 and 20-km runs celebrated their 30th anniversary Saturday. The evening run pulled in an estimated crowd of 18,000 participants. One of the corporate groups that took part did, not surprisingly, unusually well: the Lausanne-based governing body of athletics on the continent, European Athletics, sent a team of seven, who “finished high in the rankings”.
Army continues to fight Visp fire
Visp, Valais forest fire 1 May (click on imge to view larger)
The forest fire in Visp in canton Valais, at the edge of a vast Alpine forest area that stretches to Zermatt and beyond, was still smoldering Sunday 1 May, despite continual flyovers by helicopters dumping buckets of water on embers.
The army Monday morning sent in a Super Puma to step up the fight against the fire, after unrolling 2,700 metres of hosepipe to help local firefighters and dumping 400 tons of water on the area by the end of the week. The army also kept traffic and the curious moving Sunday, on the busy stretch of road, but by Tuesday the army presence was down from 120 soldiers to 70 in the area.
The forest rises steeply behind the body shop on the cantonal highway where the fire started, and much of the area cannot be easily accessed on foot.
The fire was caught early enough to prevent total destruction to the forest, but the full damage is likely to be apparent only later in the year, as some of the trees and plant life die off due to damage.
Authorities are concerned that the fire will be sparked anew by the extremely dry conditions.
Source: Swiss National Bank, 17 March 2010 (click on image to view larger)
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland’s GDP has been revised upward for 2011, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced 17 March, in a relatively upbeat forecast with summary of economic conditions.
Swiss economic recovery “more dynamic” than anticipated
“In spite of the marked appreciation of the Swiss franc, the economic recovery in Switzerland recently proved to be more dynamic than anticipated. GDP growth again exceeded potential growth and was broad based,” the SNB notes in a press release. “Demand for labour has firmed, resulting in a renewed drop in unemployment and short-time work. Despite the noticeable dampening effect of the Swiss franc appreciation, the continued positive business expectations suggest favourable developments in the coming months.”
Interest rates to remain low
Interest rates will remain at their low level, with the SNB noting that it is “leaving the target range for the three-month Libor rate [the rate charged to prime banks] unchanged at 0.0–0.75 percent, and intends to keep the Libor within the lower part of the target range at around 0.25%.”
Global outlook, impact
The SNB’s forecasts are based on prospects for the Swiss economy that “have improved since the last quarter” thanks to a stronger than predicted global economic recovery. “However, continuing debt problems in Europe and the possible dampening effects of high oil prices on economic activity pose considerable downside risks. In addition, the consequences of the earthquake catastrophe in Japan are, at this stage, difficult to assess.”
Geopolitical tensions and rising commodity and food prices will “lead to upside risks to inflation across the globe. Survey data show however that inflation expectations in Switzerland remain stable.”
The impact of the current strong Swiss franc will have a “moderating” impact on the inflation forecast in mid-2012, the SNB says.
Source: Swiss National Bank, 17 March 2010
Expect rain, snow, wind and the occasional ray of sunshine in the Lake Geneva region, 7-12 December
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Expect warmer weather, then rain, then a sudden cold spell followed by snow down to the plain in the next five days: the forecast is for Lake Geneva area weather is changeable, according to MeteoSwiss, with a bit of everything. Check GenevaLunch for daily updates from the national weather service.
The region is, at least briefly, mostly back to normal after snow turned to rain, causing icy conditions everywhere. Hardest hit were the mountain areas where roads turned very slippery, with several accidents in the Jura-Neuchatel hills. The St Bernard tunnel and Simplon, two main north-south truck traffic routes that generally remain open, were closed Sunday night and Monday morning due to heavy snowfalls followed by icy conditions.
Wintry winds will blow in Jura, Alps
Strong winds will pick up and are likely to be around 100 kph in the Jura and Alps starting Tuesday afternoon, reaching their height Wednesday.
Take care with your umbrella Thursday if you’re near Lake Geneva. Strong winds will blow around the lake Thursday, from 50-100 kph.
Temperatures will fall Thursday
Geneva and Lausanne will have a temperature range of 4-9C Tuesday 7 December, while in Sion, where temperatures are often slightly higher in winter, the forecast is for 1-7C. Temperatures will drop rapidly Thursday and remain cold, with -1C to 2C in Geneva and -3C to 2C in Sion, with temperatures in main Alpine resorts colder: Zermatt is expected to have -7C with highs of -1C.
Rain, then snow again
Rain or snow are forecast in western Switzerland up to the weekend, but with warm temperatures until Thursday the snow line has moved up to 1900m. When the cold front moves in Thursday, snow could fall on the plains, although Valais is expected to have little or no snow Thursday and Friday, with cloudiness alternating with sunshine.
Swiss snow forecast, road alerts, Anzere traffic change, kids’ competitions this winter
La Loge at Crozet, Jura, 24 November 2010 (photo, Jean Charles and Pauline Cusin)
Update 13:20 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - It’s official: time to pull out those skis and head for the Jura slopes, or tuck up inside and light a fire, because this weekend will be cold and wintry. MeteoSwiss (see GenevaLunch weather pages) is predicting highs of 1 to 2C throughout central and western Switzerland, with sun alternating with snow.
New booklet helps winter sports fans shift to public transport
Leisure time activities account for a hefty part of road use in Switzerland. ATE, Association Transport & Environnement, has just published an excellent guide to using public transport for winter sports, with details for the time it takes, how to best get there, equipment rental and more for each Swiss resort. The guide is an excellent resource and good addition to the information available about winter sports (Fre, Ger, Ita).
Winter roads: reminder from Vaud that conditions can dictate legal speed
If you don’t yet have your winter tires on the car, don’t delay, as snow as low as the plains makes for slippery driving, Canton Vaud’s highway department reminds drivers they are legally obliged to drive at lower speeds when road conditions, such as ice and snow, call for it.
Cantonal road authorities say they replenished their stock of salt this summer, but if the winter is a tough one, supplies in Europe are likely to run short.
Road clearing times, list of Vaud closed roads
The IMF (International Monetary Fund), in a regularly scheduled report on the state of the global economy, warned Thursday 8 July that there is a growing risk of the global recovery slowing down due to turmoil in financial markets. The warning came as the IMF nevertheless raised its forecast for growth in 2010 from 4.2 to 4.26 percent.
Links to other sites: Bloomberg, Financial Times, IMF World Economic Outlook reports
Swiss Post, sorting for international shipping
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The federal government’s Expert Group on Economic Forecasts has raised the country’s growth prospects to 1.8 percent from 1.4 percent in its summer 2010 report, issued Tuesday 8 June. At the same time, it lowered GDP growth expectations from 2.0 to 1.6 percent, citing continuing risks. Unemployment will fall, but only slowly: the jobs outlook is nevertheless brighter, the group says.
Asian economies and the US have picked up, but risk remains closer to home. “In contrast, the eurozone and Great Britain noticeably lag behind with only moderate growth rates. An additional burden was added in the past few months with the rapidly intensifying national debt crisis in the eurozone.”
Sixty percent of Swiss exports go to the eurozone, and while growth overall in the region is likely to be positive, this is the average created by strong economies such as Germany balancing out weak one such as Greece and Spain.
Growth in the Swiss economy slowed down in the first quarter of 2010, compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, but it still qualifies as solid growth, says the Expert Group. Even better: “growth remained broadly supported thanks to continuing export recovery on one hand and sustained robust private consumer demand on the other hand. Even the latest economic indicators still reveal no signs of weakening whatsoever. The business climate among companies has thus significantly improved once again in May; the consumer sentiment index as well (in April) and recent data hint at a further increase in retail sales.”
The strength of the Swiss franc against the euro is a risk factor, but a smaller one than current government policies. “The present global economic recovery is substantially based on the momentum of an extremely expansive monetary and fiscal policy which, however, cannot be continued indefinitely.”
The world according to Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Runners in this weekend’s Geneva Marathon won’t get overheated, with highs of 15-16C and some rain Saturday, with more rain predicted on Sunday, says MeteoSwiss.
At least they won’t be sneezing from the pollen count, which is relatively low.
The Alps will generally have more sunshine and warmer temperatures, but the snowline will remain at about 1,600 metres until Tuesday, when it rises to 2,000m.
The European economy will grow by 1 percent in 2010 and the 16–country Eurozone economy by 0.9 percent, according to new forecasts released by the European Commission Wednesday 5 May. The figures are higher than previous forecasts and show that Europe is recovering, Olli Rehn, finance commissioner told a press conference in Brussels. Rehn, in addressing problems of individual European countries, said that Britain’s new government must focus on reducing its high budget deficit and the national debt. He encouraged Ireland to increase its austerity measures, while nevertheless agreeing with Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan that Ireland’s economy is over the worst.
Links to other sites: Business Week, Irish Times, Xinhua
Expect more wind and plenty of rain in Lake Geneva region
Wisteria in Bernex, still on the vines, but not for long with Tuesday's wind
Wind, egg out of nest, fly into egg to eat supper: nature at work on a windy Geneva day
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The wind blew and blew in the Lake Geneva region Tuesday 4 May, with the national weather service predicting slightly less wind Wednesday on the plains and near the lake.
Rain is forecast to continue for the rest of the week, but alternating with sunny spells starting Thursday. Temperatures in the range of 6-12C, up to 15C in canton Valais, with the snow line remaining at 2,000 metres.
The Tribune de Geneve reports that the high winds are taking their toll on birds’ nest in Geneva, including a pair of swans nesting near the Hotel Wilson, whose seven eggs spilled out when waves hit the nest.
Geneva’s bird centre has been busy accepting calls for help with stranded or injured birds, according to the Tribune. The phone number: +41 79 624 33 07.
Morges tulips began to open this week: some 100,000 are on display
Morges, tulip festival (photo Friday 16 April)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If you had planes to fly and now find yourself grounded, check out the weekend events on GenevaLunch’s events page.
The tulip festival in Morges is a great place to go with the family, and the nearby Arvinis wine fair, next to the train station, is a good outing for those age 16 and over, for a starting point that takes you out of the cities.
Swiss rail customers made nearly 97.4 percent of their connections and nearly 90 percent of trains arrived on time or within three minutes in 2009, so forget about planes for a few hours and take the train somewhere pleasant.
Weather forecast:
Northern England and Scotland are expecting to have a foot of snow dumped on them in the pre-Easter holidays period. Northern Ireland was hit Tuesday night and the Met Office in the UK says unconfirmed reports of 20-30 cm of snow on the ground are coming in from that area. Meanwhile, the BBC reports the death of a teenager when her school bus crashed on icy roads, and thousands without electricity in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Strong winds are causing drifting and generally treacherous conditions in the northern British Isles.
Latest on Jura and Swiss ski conditions, weather forecast, avalanche courses, winter vineyards walk
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Let it snow, let it snow! City dwellers might have had enough of the white stuff in the past week, with the airport closed and cantons scrambling to find enough salt for their slippery streets. But on the slopes, it’s been good news, especially in the Jura resorts close to Geneva. Swiss resorts report that the holidays were good, with enough snow to keep most visitors happy. The Christmas-New Year’s period was one of the five best in the past 15 years.
Wintry sunrise, Rhone valley, canton Valais, Saturday 7 November 2009
Val d'anniviers, Valais, fresh snow 7 November 2009
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Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – There is one day every year when you know that winter has arrived: it can’t be defined clearly by a drop in the temperature or all the leaves suddenly disappearing or even by snow arriving, but it is tangible. Saturday 7 November, winter settled in, in the Swiss Alps.
We're all connected: Swiss economic health depends on the world, says SNB
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLUnch) - The Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) is guardedly more optimistic than in June about the outlook for the Swiss economy, it said Thursday afternoon 17 September in its quarterly report, but monetary policy will remain loose in order to stimulate the economy. The central bank revised its GDP (gross domestic product) forecast, saying it expects this to fall by between 1.5 and 2 percent, less steeply than forecast in June (2.5 to 3 percent). The key interest rate range remains unchanged at 0.0-0.75, “still aiming to keep the Libor within the lower end of this range, that is, at approximately 0.25%.” The Libor serves as an indicator of shifts in bank lending rates.
The SNB says it will continue to intervene in currency markets to keep the Swiss franc competitive internationally.
Butterflies in Swiss Alps, soaking up the sun
Saint Prex, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Summer weather forecasts don’t get much better than this: sunshine for the next five days, highs of 30-32C and night-time lows of 18-20C. Soak it up! And if you don’t like the heat, head for the hills: temperatures are generally about 5-6C cooler at 1,000 metres.
Swiss Alps: cold and wind create clouds on west side of peaks at sunset, 28 December 2008
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Temperatures remain frigid for Switzerland, with Bern registering -10C for the coldest temperature in the country at the end of 2008. Geneva was close behind with -7C and temperatures are expected to stay below 0 at night throughout the country, barely above 0 even during the day. MeteoSwiss forecast and current temperatures
