SNB & CHF

– Internet shutdowns (116 in two years) show physical gold is ultimate protection – Number of internet shutdowns increased in 2017 as 30 countries hit by shutdowns – Democratic India experienced 54 internet shutdowns in last two years; Brazil 2– EU country Estonia, a technologically advanced nation, experienced a shutdown – Gallup poll shows Americans more worried about cybercrime than violent crime – Governments use...

These are the poisoned fruits of a neofeudal system in which power, wealth and political influence are concentrated in the apex of the wealth-power pyramid. Stripped of pretense, ours is a culture of rape. Apologists for the system that spawned this culture of rape claim that this violence is the work of a few scattered sociopaths. The apologists are wrong: The system generates a culture of rape. The engine of our...

Stock Markets EM FX closed the week on a soft note.  For the week as a whole, best performers were MYR, PLN, and COP, while the worst were BRL, ZAR, and INR.  US inflation and retail sales data will likely set the tone for EM.  Also, the US fiscal debate is set to continue this week, so expect lots of choppy trading across many markets. Stock Markets Emerging Markets, November 13 Source: economist.com - Click to...

There seems to be a broad consensus on the trajectory of policy in the remaining weeks of the year. Barring a major shock or surprise the Federal Reserve will hike rates next month. The ECB’s course is set until at least the middle of next year when the current policy will begin to be debated in earnest. The BOJ’s Kuroda has made it clear that the BOJ will continue to pursue Quantitative and Qualitative Easing (QQE) and...

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QUESTIONS ON THE TABLE 1- How Large can Central Bank's Balance Sheets actually get before too much is too much? 2- Is Public Debt Monetization A

A doctor looks at an X-ray of a torso with her patient Just over 20% of Swiss residents decided not to see a doctor last year for medical treatment due to the high costs, according to a new report. This is one of the findings of the Health at a Glance 2017 report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Friday. The share of the population foregoing a doctor’s consultation due to...

– Gold coins and bars saw demand rise 17% to 222t in Q3, driven largely by China – Chinese investors bought price dips, notching up fourth consecutive quarter of growth– Jewellery, ETF demand fell while gold coins and bars saw increased demand – Central banks bought a robust 111t of gold bullion bars (+25% y-o-y) – Russia, Turkey & Kazakhstan account for 90% of 111t of central bank demand – Turkey increased gold...

Daniel M. (standing) at the trial. A Swiss man on trial in Frankfurt has been found guilty of spying on the tax authorities of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). ‘Daniel M.’ was handed a suspended sentence of 22 months and a fine of €40,000 (CHF46,600). The verdict brings to a premature end the twists and turns of a case that brought scrutiny on Swiss-German diplomatic relations since the arrest of the...

Big Crunch or Big Chill Physicists say that the universe is expanding. However, they hotly debate (OK, pun intended as a foreshadowing device) if the rate of expansion is sufficient to overcome gravity—called escape velocity. It may seem like an arcane topic, but the consequences are dire either way. If the rate of expansion is too low, then it will get slower and slower until expansion stops entirely, then finally,...