It has taken me the best part of 6 months to get around to
writing this. On the one hand I’ve been distracted by other projects and
events, or perhaps it is because I find it hard to get a grip on the elements
that make up the Swiss economy. But the main reason is probably that
Switzerland is just not very interesting- I hasten to add, so any Swiss readers
are not offended, that what I mean is that the country’s stability means there
are few dramatic events to write about! Anyway, whatever the reason, I struggle
to motivate myself to write about it and don’t feel I do it justice when I
finally put fingers to keyboard.
There were some tricky events during the 2008-12 period,
albeit with less dramatic results for the nation than elsewhere, but much of
the conditions that contributed to those has now past. We are in a calmer
environment, indeed there is some evidence that things are not just calm but
also rather rose tinted.
August brought some agreement with the US over the tax
evasion issue. And September is also expected to be trouble free
October might see some curtailment of the optimism however.
There may be some appreciation that perhaps the good times cannot continue
forever, especially when external events impinge as they must.
November and December don’t seem to suggest much change to
the environment though.
January 2014 might see the picture shifting though, even
though the rose coloured specs are still on.
There is a new feeling of restriction as the country seems
isolated, although that is probably something the Swiss rather embrace.
March in particular has a feeling of entering new territory
and perhaps a taste of the longer term issues. Perhaps overseas events will
create some concern now.
The concerns of the first quarter return, however, in
September and October, although more can be done to resolve them now that
earlier in the year. Indeed there is a positive feeling that the country is
starting a new cycle with decks cleared. But there is still a need to be aware
of that there are long term issues which will have to addressed at some point.
November and December is a time of shifting in the
background environment, setting the country up for 2015
It is notable that the tentative dates for completing the final
settlement of the tax issues with the USA are set for 2015.
2015
The situation does start to change in 2015. The picture
becomes more mixed, with some unexpected upsets in the first two months which
might cause some re-evaluation.
But it is really by March that a change becomes apparent.
There is evidence that things have been built on weak foundations. There are
the beginnings of potentially unsettling questions over property but also over
some of the key industries such as pharmaceuticals and banking.
May brings a shake-up, possibly including the government.
However it must be emphasised that any disruption in the country is relative to
the benign conditions that have preceded it and is not on the scale of events
that have happened in other nations – Switzerland remains dull on balance
June through August see some reprieve. With the effect of
the wealth in the country seemingly balancing out other problems
January 2016 sees some quite extraordinary conditions. These
certainly indicate change but are not necessarily negative. There is relative
concord between government and people but there is also a need to re-establish
some of the foundations of the constitution. There may be communications
implications (either electronic or possibly ground ones such as railways).
In April and May there is somewhat of a lull in the process,
as the emphasis moves to elsewhere in the world.
June and July see a leap forward that is likely to be
positive.
2017 will see another shift, breaking the patterns of a 50
year phase, as there is a change in the status of financial assets.
Chart note:
I wasn’t entirely happy with my previous choice of chart for
Switzerland. The results with the old chart weren’t terrible but they weren’t
awe inspiringly good either. The real problem for me was the lack of an exact
time for a country which is all about precision timekeeping and clocks. So I have switched to the more modern but
precisely timed chart. This also has the advantage of given Switzerland a Virgo
Sun (which is difficult to contest!) and a secretive Scorpio ascendant. But the final confirmation for me was that I
finally, after many abortive attempts sat down to write this on 12th
September- when I opened the book and saw the date for the later Swiss chart
there was no longer any doubt; the universe had spoken.
12 Sept 1848, 11.12 am local time Berne (Book of World
Horoscopes)
Comments