SNB & CHF

With potential to expand, solar power covers about 3-4% of Swiss energy consumption. (Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi) Switzerland has placed second in a global index comparing current energy systems and readiness for the transition to cleaner sources. In its new Energy Transition Indexexternal link, the World Economic Forum (WEF) identifies the coronavirus pandemic as a serious threat to the switch to renewable energies. “The transformation of the energy system over...

After years of futility, he was sure of the answer. The Bank of Japan had spent the better part of the roaring nineties fighting against itself as much as the bubble which had burst at the outset of the decade. Letting fiscal authorities rule the day, Japan’s central bank had largely sat back introducing what it said was stimulus in the form of lower and lower rates. No, stupid, declared Milton Friedman. Lower rates don’t mean stimulus they mean monetary policy has...

Forget performing William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The real art form is politicking. They sport taxpayer-funded windbreakers, speak with authority and urgency, and lead a brigade of specialists. When a crisis unfolds, whether it is a hurricane or a virus outbreak, politicians stand before the cameras, appearing to be in control of the situation—but they see an opportunity. As the catastrophe intensifies, the public recoils in fear and cowers before their dear leaders,...

© Mangpor2004 | Dreamstime.com On 13 May 2020, Switzerland’s government published more information on the Swiss Proximity Tracing App (Swiss PT), an app designed to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Developed by teams at EPFL and ETHZ, the app uses Bluetooth to detect when your phone comes within two metres of another phone or device with the app. It then records the contact as an anonymous key and the duration of contact, flagging any close contact longer than 15...

Some tyre abrasion particles can be removed from the environment via street cleaning and runoff water treatment. (Keystone/Eddy Risch) Each year some 14,000 tonnes of plastic waste end up in the Swiss environment. A federally commissioned analysisexternal link identifies two main culprits: tyre abrasion (around 8,000 tonnes) and littering (around 2,700 tonnes). The Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN) has published a new web pageexternal link with information on...

The core problem is the U.S. economy has been fully financialized, and so costs are unaffordable. To understand the long-term consequences of the pandemic on Main Street and local tax revenues, we need to consider first and second order effects. The immediate consequences of lockdowns and changes in consumer behavior are first-order effects: closures of Main Street, job losses, massive Federal Reserve bailouts of the top 0.1%, loan programs for small businesses,...

(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links) If you want to invest in the stock market, you will need to choose a portfolio. Ideally, you will want to invest in index funds via Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). For, this you will need to decide on an ETF Portfolio for Switzerland. Choosing a good portfolio is an important decision. You need to invest in a portfolio that will have low fees, high diversification, and good returns. And you should be...

How bad is it? That is the question on everyone’s mind as we come to grips with the economic carnage caused by global economic shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and ongoing quarantines of million of people. Do we face another Great Depression, or simply a deep recession more like 2008? And equally important, are soft Americans prepared for either? Have we started to process all of this psychologically? Have we really come to terms with the enormity of the...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.10% to 1.0522 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 15(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The S&P 500 staged an impressive recovery yesterday, a sell-off that took it to its lowest level since April 21, to close more than 1% higher on the day, helped set the tone in the Far East and Europe today. Gains in most Asia Pacific markets, but Hong Kong, Shanghai, and India,...

The issuance of the ninth banknote series was concluded on 12 September 2019. The Swiss National Bank intends to communicate the statutory recall of the banknotes from the eighth series two months in advance in the first half of 2021. Notes from the eighth series will remain legal tender until they are recalled and may continue to be used or exchanged without restriction. After their recall by the SNB, the banknotes lose their status as legal tender. They can,...