SNB & CHF

Listen to the Audio Mises Wire version of this article. Listening to the news, you might have the impression that its Christmas and the government is Santa Claus. Under legislation recently introduced in Congress, Americans over the age of sixteen would receive $2,000 per month for at least six months. This follows the government’s $1200 giveaway in progress. Milton Friedman, the creator of the term “helicopter money,” warned that the helicopter was unlikely to fly...

Maurer (left) has publicly voiced concern over the costs caused the economic lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Keystone/Peter Klaunzer) Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer wants the country’s central bank to contribute to the reduction of the debt caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “I suggest the Swiss National Bank spends the money from an annual surplus to reduce coronavirus-related debts,” he told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday. The central...

© Damir Senčar | Dreamstime.com In Switzerland, around 3% of medical staff have been infected with Covid-19, based on data covering the period up until Easter, according to Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health. The highest rates of infection were among staff in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, regions with Switzerland’s highest infection rates. The low rate suggests the Swiss health system has the required material and equipment to protect staff,...

Global equity markets continue to trend higher; the dollar remains under pressure The two-day FOMC meeting ends today; the first look at Q1 US GDP comes out France and Spain laid out plans to reopen; the UK will rely on a contact tracing plan to limit the viral spread Ahead of the ECB meeting Thursday, European policymakers are showing a similar willingness to act as needed Fitch cut Italy by a notch to BBB- with stable outlook; Germany reports April CPI Reports...

Gold in USD – 3 Days - Click to enlarge “Yes It Will. The Only Question Is When” – WATCH HERE [embedded content] You Might Also Like Gold Surges To New Record Highs in Euros at €1,581/oz and $1,726/oz in Dollars Gold prices surged to new all time record highs in euros and other digital fiat currencies today due to concerns about the outlook for risk assets and currencies in an era of unprecedented...

Central bankers think too much saving is a problem that must be solved with more money creation. But the real problem is the Keynesian-style fractional reserve banking system. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “Why Americans Don’t Have Any Savings“ You Might Also Like Why This Bubble Economy Keeps Going and Going Quite a...

Swiss International Air Lines is a subsidiary of German group Lufthansa. (Keystone / Ennio Leanza) The Swiss aviation sector, including the airlines SWISS and Edelweiss, is set to receive financial aid of almost CHF1.9 billion to help it through the liquidity crisis caused by Covid-19. Some CHF1.275 billion ($1.31 billion) is directly for the two airlines, while up to CHF600 million will be for other companies vital to the functioning of the sector, the government...

Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but motor fuel has grown increasingly scarce in the past year due to US sanctions aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Several Swiss companies and banks have found themselves in the line of fire as the United States ramps up pressure on the Venezuelan government. Washington has sanctioned numerous top officials for money laundering and drug...

Dollar softness this week will take some pressure off of the foreign currencies but it’s too early to sound the all clear.  This piece focuses on how  central banks around the world may be intervening to influence their currencies.  Most of the world, particularly EM, is grappling with supporting weak currencies but a select few are dealing with stronger currencies. This is a very opaque process and so we are simply making our best guesses.  As April reserves data...

Government restrictions on production are driving prices up as unemployment drives them down. It’s impossible to say now whether price inflation or price deflation will be the predominant factor in the crisis’s next phase. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “Why the Current Unemployment Is Worse Than the Great Depression “ You Might Also...