SNB & CHF

The Swiss team hopes the pod will attain speeds of 400km/h on the SpaceX track in California (swissloop) A pod built by students at Zurich’s Federal Institute of technology (ETHZ) will be competing to be the fastest to navigate the Hyperloop experimental high-speed transportation system in California. The Swiss pod, named Escher after the 19th century Swiss entrepreneur Alfred Escher, was unveiled at ETHZ at a ceremony...

Men who do housework are becoming less of a rarity. However, it is still the women who do the lion’s share of household and family tasks, especially if children are involved. (SRF/swisisnfo.ch) --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube channel: Website:...

Summary Indonesia’s parliament approved a revised budget for 2017 that sees a wider deficit. Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ousted Prime Minister Sharif. Polish President Duda vetoed portions of the judicial reform bill submitted by the Law and Justice party. The European Commission (EC) is preparing possible sanctions against Poland. The US House of Representatives voted to impose new sanctions against Russia, Iran, and...

Swiss Franc The franc is off another 0.5% today, to bring its weekly loss to a sharp 2.5%. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 28(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is mostly lower, though one of the features of recent days has been the dramatic slide of the Swiss franc, and that is continuing today. The euro finished last week near CHF1.1030 and is now...

The Swiss franc has fallen to its lowest point since the January 2015 unpegging of the currency from the euro. The symbolic moment will be a huge relief to Swiss exporters and the tourism industry. As of Thursday morning, the franc was trading at 1.12 to the euro, a drop of 1.8 percent since Monday. It is the weakest level reached since the decision by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to remove the cap two-and-a-half years...

  A Shift in Perception – Indians in Silicon Valley When I was studying in the UK in early 90s, I was often asked about cows, elephants and snake-charmers on the roads in India.  A shift in public perception— not in the associated reality — was however starting to happen. India would soon become known for its vibran As more IT graduates from India moved to the US to work, they lobbied to change how India was viewed,...

The KOF Economic Barometer rose further and reaches a value of 106.8 in July. In June, the Barometer stood at a value of 105.8 (revised from 105.5). The Barometer has been trending above its historical average for some time now and the outlook for the Swiss economy remains favourable. In July 2017, the KOF Economic Barometer rose further – the new reading of 106.8 remains above its long-term average. The strongest...

The paper mill closure will end 125 years of industrial history in the region (Keystone) The closure of a paper factory in canton Bern will leave only one such plant supplying the newspaper and magazine industry in Switzerland from next year. The 125-year-old Utzenstorf factory will close its doors at the end of 2017, management announced on Tuesday. The decision was blamed on the strong franc that has appreciated...

Many asset managers have been bullish European shares this year. European and emerging market equities are among the favorite plays this year. Surveys of fund managers find that the allocation to US equities is among the lowest in nearly a decade. The case against the US is based on overvaluation and being a crowded trade. Many are concerned about  too hawkish of a Federal Reserve (policy mistake) or the lack of tax...

Latest Investment Outlook In his latest investment outlook, Fasanara Capital’s Franceso Filia, who two months ago explained in one chart how the “fake market” operates… … discuss what happens when a “Twin Bubble meets quantitative tightening” and answers why record-low volatility breeds market fragility and precedes system instability. We’ll have more to share on that shortly, but for now, here is Filia with his take...