SNB & CHF

Over the years I’ve written almost ad nauseum about the crazy I see (and saw) around me as a fund manager, family office principal and individual investor. The list includes: 1) an entire book on the grotesque central bank distortions of free market price discovery, 2) the open (and now accepted) dishonesty on everything from front-running Musk tweets and bogus inflation reporting to COMEX price fixing, 3) the insanity of 100-Year Austrian bonds or just...

Key developments in 2020 The current account surplus in 2020 was CHF 27 billion, down CHF 22 billion on the previous year. This decline was particularly due to the lower receipts surpluses in trade in goods and services. In the case of goods, the decline in receipts – with expenses remaining unchanged – caused the balance to decrease by CHF 11 billion to CHF 64 billion. While both receipts and expenses were substantially lower in the cyclically sensitive goods trade...

The Covid-19 pandemic demands the creative management of public funds but some authorities are finding this difficult. (Image: Cildo Meireles, ‘Zero Dollar’, 1978-84) Cildo Meireles Cildo Meireles The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the Swiss arts scene. Support measures have been introduced to “preserve cultural diversity” and some cantons have even launched monthly income support schemes for artists. But will these measures be enough? These have been...

Few political movements can boast of success like the firearms movement in the United States. Often overlooked is how before the 1980s there was no concept of licensed, let alone unlicensed, concealed carry in the overwhelming majority of the country. The sole exception was Vermont, which through an idiosyncratic state supreme court decision in 1903 has had unlicensed carry for over a century. “Vermont Carry,” the concept of unlicensed concealed carry, would be the...

If health is wealth, and it most certainly is the highest form of wealth, then we would be well-served to take charge of our health-wealth in terms of what behaviors we can sustainably modify. Longtime correspondent J.F. (MD) recently shared a fascinating graphic ranking the leading causes of death in the U.S. (2016 data, pre-pandemic) compared to searches on Google and what the media reports. (see chart below) Note that this data isn’t a survey asking people to...

Last month, British black studies professor Kehinde Andrews argued that the British Empire was “far worse than the Nazis.” It was a controversial comparison to be sure, but it raises the question: Compared to other expansionist regimes, how bad was the British Empire? A survey of the evidence suggests that the British Empire was relatively less harmful than other imperial efforts, and this is reflected in outcomes—in terms of health and economic growth, among other...

Today on The Daily Objective, Jonathan Hoenig, Seth Levine and Keith Weiner discuss: is gold the next Bitcoin? Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/

What do a famous broken bridge and Jimi Hendrix have in common with the monetary effects on consumer prices? Short answer: a dynamic system & positive feedback. CEO Keith Weiner recently presented at the Austrian Economics Research Conference 2021, discussing his upcoming paper, "The Theory of Interest and Prices". In the video, he discusses: --The fundamental confusion between monetary & non-monetary effects on consumer prices --Why the interest rate is the most...

Real Vision managing editor Ed Harrison welcomes to the Daily Briefing Amanda Agati, chief investment strategist of PNC Financial Services Group, and Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex. Agati shares her view on U.S. equity valuations, noting that stocks might have run too far, too fast amid reflation optimism, and Chandler argues that market performance will ultimately hinge on liquidity conditions, making the long-term case for why the dollar could be...

The Gold Exchange Podcast with Keith Weiner Ep16 - Inflation's Inconvenient Complexities, Part 2 In a prior episode, John Flaherty and CEO Keith Weiner discussed the intricacies of inflation, its definition, and the monetary and nonmonetary forces at play. This time, they go a little deeper. In this episode: --The simplest definition of inflation --How to properly measure inflation --One universal belief that is absolutely wrong --Two pending consequences of the Fed’s current...