Ulrich Kohli, the chief economist of the Central Bank, said Swiss wealth was augmented by returns on capital invested abroad.
This is because the fraction of total income represented by returns from ownership of corporate stock and other capital assets rises with income.
The commissions paid to sales representatives at Macy's can be affected by returns made within six months, while returns at Nordstrom affect workers for up to a year.
Maria Miller used her first public speech as culture secretary last month to insist that funding for the arts will have to be justified by returns.
Banks, attracted by returns guaranteed by the combination of repayment rates of up to 98% and compound interest rates of between 25% and 50%, poured in cash.
Major insurers posted mixed results on Wednesday as the Allstate Corporation fell short of estimates because of catastrophe-related losses, while the life insurers MetLife and Prudential Financial had stronger results, helped by returns on their annuity businesses.
