OECD

Corporate bond issuers face having to roll over a record amount of debt in the coming years amid declining investor risk appetite and falling credit quality, the OECD said on […]

Switzerland’s environment may not be doing as well as perceived, according to the latest report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released, which suggests that the swiss country should do more to address threats to biodiversity.

Altough one of the greenest OECD countries, Switzerland still needs to try to reduce threats to biodiversity and seek more sustainable consumption patterns, as high levels of waste generation and road traffic are putting pressure on the densely populated Central Plateau, according to the OECD’s third environmental performance review of Switzerland.

The latest OCED “Health at a Glance” report 2017 has found that countries that have a higher national income that spend more on health have longer life expectancies compared to those who do not. However many other factors also contribute to life expectancy, the report finds.

The U.S. is set for steady economic growth, while the U.K. and Russia appear to be heading for slowdowns, according to leading indicators released Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The leading indicator for the U.S. was unchanged at 99.7 for the third straight month, signaling that its growth outlook has steadied, albeit at a weaker rate than normal. This is an improvement on indicators published in July, which hinted at a U.S. slowdown, and implies global economic prospects could be boosted as U.S. trade flows pick up.

International tax systems are making progress in becoming fairer and more effective, a report led by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría has concluded.
In the report compiled ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg this weekend, Gurria said the improvement of tax systems in global economies has been a major achievement of the group of states.

Trinidad & Tobago is the last remaining tax haven in the world, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Paris-based body said the caribbean state is the sole "non-compliant" tax jurisdiction of a list of 15 regions it has complied, a statement many will view as controversial. It said that compared to last year, 13 jurisdictions have now become "largely compliant". Precisely, they are: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, the Federated States of Micronesia, Lebanon, Nauru, Panama, Samoa, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu. According to the report, the Marshall Islands are "partially compliant".

Switzerland on Friday ratified the automatic exchange of financial account information with 40 other jurisdictions, among which are several emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico and Russia, to facilitate immediate sharing of details of suspected black money, even as it sought strict adherence to confidentiality and data security.

But before the exchange takes place, the government will now prepare a "situation report", it said in a statement.

"In the process, it will be checked whether the states and territories concerned effectively meet the requirements under the standard, especially those concerning confidentiality and data security," the government said.

On Wednesday OECD released the global economic outlook in Paris. According to its forecasts over Switzerland, GDP growth is projected to rise gradually, which will reduce unemployment. The low interest rate environment is set to continue, helping to revive domestic demand. Deflation seems to have been overcome, but inflation is projected to remain low through 2018. The large current account surplus will persist.