Thread: Prepare for Your Swiss Overlords

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Switzerland pushed the United States out of the top spot as theplanet's most competitive economy while Canada moved up one to ninth,according to rankings released Tuesday.



The World Economic Forum said the tiny landlocked European countryreceived high marks for its banking system, established infrastructureand stable inflation and growth policies in the group's "globalcompetitiveness rankings."



As a result, Switzerland, the 39th largest economy in the worldaccording to the Central Intelligence Agency, beat out the UnitedStates in the forum's 2009 list of most competitive economies.



"Switzerland tops the overall ranking.…The United States falls oneplace to second position, with weakening in its financial markets andmacroeconomic stability," said the Swiss-based Economic Forum in apress release.



The United States ranked as the top economy in terms of innovationand efficiency but slumped badly to 28th out of 133 nations surveyed interms of physical infrastructure and financial institutions.

I'm not a macro guy. Be interesting to hear what a few of you more global folks have to say about this.

is this a bad time to mention that a pretty big chunk of them speak French?





If Canada is the ninth most competative economy on the globe I feel sorry for the sad sacks from 10th down. Yikes.

[quote name='Blueneck' date='08 September 2009 - 10:10 PM' timestamp='1252440625' post='18640']

Aren't they being forced to turn over the names of banking clients?[/quote]



No one can force them to do anything. The EU's currently got a big thing going on financial transaprency, and so is trying to make Switzerland agree to more open banking policies. The Swiss are big fans of their banking secrecy, though, it being one of the major selling points of the banking sector, and so an agreement is proving difficult to reach. Unlike Liechtenstein, Switzerland isn't even in the European Economic Area, let alone the EU, so can't be held to the same market rules. I think there was talk of financial sanctions, but in realism I think it's just a matter of ongoing cajoling.

yeah caff - this is an internet chat site. If a little old lady in bumhump North Dakota looks at a pot hole and says "someone should do something about that" the incident is translated on internet chat sites as "socialist liberal demands FORCED nanny state/ cradle to grave coddling, Obama clearly at root of chidish whinging and disgusting shitting on Constitution: when are these filthy lying slut whores going to be murdered?"

[quote name='Dr.Knuckles' date='13 September 2009 - 12:00 PM' timestamp='1252857632' post='20872']

yeah caff - this is an internet chat site. If a little old lady in bumhump North Dakota looks at a pot hole and says "someone should do something about that" the incident is translated on internet chat sites as "socialist liberal demands FORCED nanny state/ cradle to grave coddling, Obama clearly at root of chidish whinging and disgusting shitting on Constitution: when are these filthy lying slut whores going to be murdered?"

[/quote]





Whats the population of Bumhump, North Dakota?

Don't fall in love with me/





I told you all in the beginning that this was just a fling.







Sigh.... I thought we'd agreed this wouldn't get weird.