One could argue that the actions of any single small business may not have a big effect on the country or the economy, but how small-business owners or managers make decisions about employees can and will affect a great many lives.

FORBES: Small Biz Can Save Retirement

First, because Switzerland is a small country in terms of global trade, depreciation of the franc will not have a big effect on the competitive position of other countries.

ECONOMIST: The terrible temptation to depreciate

The pick of the bunch has been shares in the country's big banks, whose loan portfolios are so huge that they are, in effect, a leveraged play on the whole economy.

ECONOMIST: Buttonwood: Eastward ho! | The