Switzerland Plays for Time in Stock Market Standoff With EU

  • Government announced consultation process on framework deal
  • Swiss stock market risks losing equivalence under MiFID II

The Six Swiss Exchange AG in Zurich, Switzerland.

Photographer: Michele Limina/Bloomberg

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In its game of brinkmanship with the European Union, Switzerland is playing for time.

Bern didn’t say yes to a hotly contested agreement with Brussels on Friday, taking the gamble that its equity market won’t get cut off from EU investors. The government didn’t say no either, announcing a national debate on the draft of the treaty instead.