»Ten years is a long time... there is so much doubt in the markets over USD, GBP and EUR that serious money is going into SGD and CHF, ... «

I agree that an increase in interest rates does not seem feasible or likely at the moment, but beliefs and ideologies may yet, in the medium term, triumph over reality in the EU and the US and curtail the flight to apparently safe havens. It looks like it well take a few years though. Ten years, as you say, is quite a long time and this reminds me to at least try to leverage a cost-effective exit agreement before proceeding. Even if i don´t succeed I think 2.8% seems on the whole almost resonable for 10 years of stability.

»Let it be said, though, that I don't give out investment advice for free or otherwise. The foregoing is for amusement purposes only.«

Thank you - that is, if anything, reassuring to know. The advice I´ve received in return for consideration in the past has usually been less intelligent, albeit on the whole perhaps just a bit more amusing

»BTW, as for Raiffeisen, isn't that the bank that got all those Hungarians into Swiss franc mortgages? http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...headwinds.html«

Did not know about that. I have seen something somewhere about a similar problem in Poland, but I don`t think the RB is involved. It would not surprise me, though. They have recommended equities in the past which, happily, I declined to pursue. Our experience with banks has generally been almost farcical, most dramatically when our star investment manager at a Cantonal bank was arrested. He had been on honeymoon in NY (after marrying an adult enternainment artiste) and sadly was unable to obtain a flight back to CH in the immediate wake of 9/11. The trail of his embezzlement and mis-management only became apparent to the directors of the bank because of 9/11, since it delayed his return and he was not back in time to cover his tracks. These antonal bank directors had, however, never previously questioned how he had managed to indulge simultaneouly in the offerings of Bentley, Porsche and Ferrari. They later continued to affectionately describe him as a "Paradiesvogel".

Our subsequent experience with a non-Swiss bank within Swtzerland was almost as bad, and after observing the gOsple of the then highly-regarded UBS in a social setting several years ago, we were quickly put off for life. We have stayed with the Raiffeisen for everyday banking not because they are particularly competent, but precisely because they seem to employ fewer brilliant whizzkidds and **appear** to be honest and trustworthy.
At least to the extent that anything that is subject to Swiss law can be regarded as trustworhy. But that is just my opinion - and of course I know that similar things happen elsewhere.

F

PS
I wuld like apologize for posting the above twice. The previous post had too many quoting and fomatting mistakes. My hidden agenda is, of course, to post ten (?) messages so that I will eventually be able to correct some of the terrible typos and spelling mistakes I´ve made in my postings. thank you for your patience.