SNB & CHF

In order to benefit from the free internet service on the trains, travellers must have a mobile phone, download the “FreeSurf SBB” application and have a Swiss SIM card from Salt or Sunrise. - Click to enlarge The Swiss Federal Railways has started testing free mobile internet based on 3G/4G coverage on the main train routes. However, it does not cover all Swiss operators. The state-owned company has started testing...

Switzerland’s GDP rose by 0.6% in the 1st quarter of 2019. Growth was driven primarily by increasing domestic demand. Foreign trade also provided positive impetus. Value added grew in most sectors. Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) QoQ, Q1 2019(see more posts on Switzerland Gross Domestic Product, ) Source: investing.com - Click to enlarge Switzerland’s GDP rose by 0.6% in the 1st quarter of 2019, after...

That nothing is truly “free” will be another lesson of the S-Curve. I often refer to the S-Curve because Nature so often tracks this curve of ignition, rapid expansion, stagnation and decline. One lesson of the S-Curve is that the human bias to keep doing more of what worked so well in the past leads to doing more of what failed even as results turn negative. The dynamic in play is diminishing returns: the yield on the...

The New Annual Gold Report from Incrementum is Here We are happy to report that the new In Gold We Trust Report for 2019 has been released today (the download link can be found at the end of this post). Ronnie Stoeferle and Mark Valek of Incrementum and numerous guest authors once again bring you what has become the reference work for anyone interested in the gold market. Gold in the Age of Eroding Trust This year’s...

Last week, we wrote about the impossibility of China nuking the Treasury bond market. Really, this is not about China but mostly about the nature of the dollar and the structure of the monetary system. We showed that there are a whole host of problems with the idea of selling a trillion dollars of Treasurys: Yuan holders are selling yuan to buy dollars, PBOC can’t squander its dollar reserves If it doesn’t buy another...

Marc Chandler of Bannockburn Global Forex discusses what people may be missing from the US-China trade war, and other global risks that could impact markets.

Marc Chandler of Bannockburn Global Forex discusses what people may be missing from the US-China trade war, and other global risks that could impact markets.

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.20% at 1.1259 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 28(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The euro initially reacted positively to the EU Parliament elections. The populists did not do quite as well as many expected. The two main groupings failed to secure a majority, but with the help of the Liberals, and possibly the Greens,...

Voter turnout for European parliament elections surged across the continent, exceeding 50% for the first time in a quarter century and breaking the downward trend of the last four decades. However, differences in turnout across the EU have been substantial and a more fragmented parliament has emerged. Voter turnout was up for the first time ever and at 51%, higher than in any election since 1994. The results delivered...

Chinese spies are on the radar of the Swiss intelligence service. Swiss investigators have broken up a Chinese industrial spying scheme that stole hundreds of sensitive documents from a technology company in Switzerland, reports the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Prosecutors confirmed that a technician was fined for his part in the affair. The news comes days after the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service had highlighted the...