SNB & CHF

The best contenders in the EuroSkills vocational championships tend to come from Switzerland. Like Bruno Pravato, a building foreman from Fully who recently won the gold medal. Swiss Public Television visited a hotel in Bad Ragaz, Canton St. Gallen, where future star chefs learn their trade. (SRF/swissinfo.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...

A funny thing happened on the way to a low-risk environment: loans in default (non-performing loans) didn’t suddenly become performing loans. If we had to summarize what’s happened in eight years of “recovery,” we could start with this: everyone’s been pushed into risky assets while being told risk has been transformed from something to avoid (by buying risk-off assets) to something you chase to score essentially...

Swiss economist Bruno S Frey explains why charging migrants a fee for being taken in would promote their integration and benefit their homelands. (SRF/swissinfo.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: http://www.swissinfo.ch Channel:...

Swiss Franc Switzerland Producer Price Index (PPI) YoY, February 2017(see more posts on Switzerland Producer Price Index, ) Source: Investing.com - Click to enlarge GBP/CHF Today is crucial for Swiss Franc exchange rates with a number of economic releases and political events happening around the world which are likely to have a direct bearing on the direction of the Swiss Franc. The US Federal Reserve...

In Switzerland, this ski season has been disappointing, particularly if you have school aged children. During the Vaud school holiday this season, the fourth week of February, there was limited snow. Even at high resorts like Verbier, snow conditions were fairly average across the week. The week before there was good snow. But then everyone was still at school. A two-week school holiday in February would increase the...

Summary: China will make its mainland bond market more accessible. As China’s portfolio of patents grows it will likely become more protective of others’ intellectual property rights. PRC President Xi will likely visit US President Trump early next month. The market’s immediate focus is on today’s FOMC meeting and Dutch elections.  However, China’s annual legislative session (National People’s Congress) ended...

The first major economic data of 2017 from China was highly disappointing to expectations of either stability or hopes for actual acceleration. On all counts for the combined January-February period, the big three statistics missed: Industrial Production was 6.3%, Fixed Asset Investment 8.9%, and Retail Sales just 9.5%. For retail sales, the primary avenue for what is supposed to be a “rebalancing” Chinese economy,...

The Producer Price Index (PPI) or officially named "Producer and Import Price Index" describes the changes in prices for producers and importers. For us it is interesting because it is used in the formula for the Real Effective Exchange Rate. When producers and importers profit on lower price changes when compared to other countries, then the Swiss Franc reduces its overvaluation. The Swiss PPI values of -6% in 2015...

Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, March 14(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates UK Prime Minister May got the parliamentary approval the courts ruled was necessary to formally trigger Article 50.   It is not clear what UK she will lead out the EU.  Scotland is beginning the legal proceedings to hold another referendum on independence.  There is some talk that Northern Ireland, which...

See the introduction and the video for the terms gold basis, co-basis, backwardation and contango. Rumor-Mongering vs. Data The question on the lips of everyone who plans to exchange his metal for dollars—widely thought to be money—is why did silver go down? The price of silver in dollar terms dropped from about 18 bucks to about 17, or about 5 percent. The facile answer is manipulation. With no need of evidence —...