SNB & CHF

The Swiss economics minister is in Beijing to meet his Chinese counterparts. It is unfair that whilst Chinese investors can buy Swiss companies the reverse is not possible, says economics minister Johann Schneider-Ammann, who is currently on a visit to China. In an interview with the “Schweiz am Wochenende” newspaper, he reiterated his view that this must be rectified. For infrastructure like electricity supply and...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.82% at 1.1289 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, September 10(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar’s pre-weekend gains were extended against most the major currencies, but the euro, sterling, and Australian dollar have recovered in the European morning.  Emerging markets currencies are mixed. The euro fell to almost $1.1525 in...

Das südamerikanische Land Venezuela führt gerade vor, was geschehen kann, wenn die Inflation ausser Kontrolle gerät. Der Internationale Währungsfonds rechnet bis Ende Jahr mit einer Teuerung von 1 Million Prozent. Eine solche Inflation wird etwa erreicht, wenn sich das Preisniveau rund alle vier Wochen verdoppelt. Wenn sich Geld in einem solchen Ausmass entwertet, verliert es jeden Nutzen, denn dann kann es seine...

Many older people who lose their jobs are struggling in Switzerland. Despite recent government optimism about the Swiss economy, older people who lose their jobs are struggling, reports Sunday newspaper “Le Matin Dimanche”. The paper cites figures from the Bern University of Applied Sciences that found only 13.9 per cent of unemployed people over 50 in Switzerland find a stable job again. Many end up on social...

Summary Philippine central bank signaled another big hike. Poland central bank appears to be moving its forward guidance out further. Russia officials are sending confusing signals regarding monetary policy. Russia officials stand ready to support the ruble debt market if new US sanctions negatively impact it. South Africa’s African National Congress pledged to undertake land reform responsibly. Moody’s cut its 2018...

© Bernhard Richter _ Dreamstime.com Starting in September 2018, health insurance premiums in excess of 12% of income in the canton of Vaud will be covered by the government. From the beginning of 2019, this percentage will be reduced to 10%, increasing the number of people who qualify and the size of the subsidies, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The new system will replace the current system of health insurance...

The euro recorded the low for the year so far on August 15 near $1.13. We had been anticipating a corrective phase for a couple days before the low was recorded. Recall that the previous Friday, August 10, all the major currencies, but the Japanese yen and Canadian dollar were beyond their Bollinger Bands. The euro recovered toward $1.1735 on August 28, stopping shy of our initial objective of $1.1750. Yet through the...

Melting glaciers can provide a windfall of water for hydropower plants, such as Zervreila (pictured) in Graubünden. Although rapidly melting glaciers provide a temporary boost to Swiss hydropower production, their disappearance does not pose a threat, finds a study from the University of Lausanne. Forecasts predict that glacier melt will slow down between 2070 and 2090. But “fears of a threat to power generation are...

Unemployment Rate (not seasonally adjusted) Registered unemployment in August 2018 – According to SECO surveys, at the end of August 2018, 107,893 unemployed people were enrolled in the Regional Employment Centers (RAV), 1,841 more than in the previous month. The unemployment rate remained at 2.4% in the month under review. Compared to the same month of the previous year, unemployment fell by 27,685 people (-20.4%)....

United States The 201k rise in US non-farm payrolls edged above the median forecasts, but the 50k downward revision to the past two-months removes the gloss. It is the first August report in seven years that the initial estimate was above the Bloomberg median. U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls, Sep 2013 - Sep 2018(see more posts on U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls, ) Source: investing.com - Click to enlarge The most important part of the...