I can't seem to find any information on buying swiss gov't bonds. Canadian? Simple. Swiss? Can't find a thing for some reason ... it must be trickier than it looks. Anyone have some info on this?
There must be a way. Have you spoken to a broker? Go to another one if you're really interested. But I would be cautious right now. The reason: Although interest rates on Swiss bonds may be attractive now, the value of the dollar is very low right now. The dollar is likely to go up in value some time in the next few years, and that increase in the dollar value versus the Swiss franc will hurt your overall return.
It might be better to consider a broadly diversified international bond fund that invests in bonds from many countries other than the US. Some of these funds also have a policy of "hedging" that enables them to reduce the effect of currency exchange rate changes on the overall return, which sometimes works and sometimes fails. Some funds don't do that.
I would not rule out a position in Swiss bonds, provided it is a small portion of your overall portfolio and you have decided precisely the reason for doing it. In that case, if you cannot find a broker in the US who will acquire them for you, take a trip to Zurich and buy them yourself, but make sure you inquire in advance how you will need to pay for them, so you go prepared to do the transaction. And have some fun while you're in Switzerland.
