One is landlocked, the other is an island. Both are famous for their banking sectors, but for different reasons. One’s economic woes are sending the European currency sharply lower, the other has seen its currency rise 15% since the start of financial crisis as investors seek refuge. So what do Ireland and Switzerland have in common? High quality exports.

Philipp Hildebrand, chairman of the Swiss National Bank, spoke at the Swiss Mission to the EU in Brussels today. His presentation included a breakdown of Swiss and EU exports by unit value, the average price per kilogram for goods sent abroad and one of the best available measures for that hard-to-define quality: quality. Read More »