SNB & CHF

What if Germany’s economy falls into recession? Unlike, say, Argentina, you can’t so easily dismiss German struggles as an exclusive product of German factors. One of the most orderly and efficient systems in Europe and all the world, when Germany begins to struggle it raises immediate questions about everywhere else. This was the scenario increasingly considered over the second half of 2018 and the first few months of 2019; whether or not recession. Over the past...

There is an ongoing tug-of-war between trade tensions and fundamentals Due to renewed trade tensions, the S&P 500 corrected by 6.0% and the Stoxx Europe 600 by 5.8% from the late July peak to the 5 August low. Because the pullback was clustered around just a few days, its intensity was reminiscent of the worst market days of past major crises. Safe haven assets benefitted significantly, with gold gaining 7.4% from the late July equity market peak to the 5 August...

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and a key financial hub for the world. Switzerland’s financial centre has a positive reputation abroad, despite a string of scandals in 2018, according to a 19-nation survey conducted by Presence Suisse. The reputation and quality of Swiss banks were rated as “good” to “very good” by most respondents in the international poll of 12,767 people. The ethics and responsibility of the Swiss banking sector are also well regarded....

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.11% to 1.0851 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 13(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The confrontation in Hong Kong and the fallout from the Argentine primary over the weekend join concerns the conflict between the two largest economies and slower growth to force the animal spirits into hibernation. Global equities remain under pressure. Japan’s Topix joined several...

CHF is up as Wall Street indices start the week in the red.  The level to beat for bears are at the 0.9675 and 0.9660 levels. USD/CHF daily chart USD/CHF is trading near 2-month lows below the main daily simple moving averages (DSMAs). US equity markets are starting the week on the back foot, driving demand for safe-haven currencies such as the Swiss franc. USD/CHF daily chart, August 13(see more posts on USD/CHF, )...

We have recently written several essays about the fallacious concept of Gross Domestic Product. Among GDP’s several fatal flaws, it goes up when capital is converted to consumer goods, when seed corn is served at the feast. So we proposed—and originally dismissed—the idea of a national balance sheet. It’s easy (conceptually) to add up all the assets and the liabilities. But the problem is that the falling interest rate...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.06% to 1.0883 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 12(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: China again tried to temper the downside pressure on the yuan, and this appears to be helping the risk-taking attitude. Many centers in Asia were closed today, including Japan and India, though most of the other equity markets advanced...

Darauf deuten die Sichtguthaben bei SNB hin, die als Indiz für solche Interventionen gelten und in der vergangenen Woche deutlich gestiegen sind. Die Einlagen von Bund und Banken lagen am 9. August bei 585,5 Milliarden Franken, wie die SNB am Montag mitteilte. Das ist ein Anstieg von rund 2,8 Milliarden gegenüber der Vorwoche. Schon in den beiden Vorwochen waren die Sichtguthaben um 1,5 und 1,7 Milliarden angestiegen,...

Increased trade tensions have boosted the gold price to above USD 1,500. The increased trade tensions following Trump’s 1 August tweet threatening additional tariffs on Chinese goods has boosted the gold price above USD 1,500 per troy ounce. The recent developments are supportive of gold investment demand because of a lower opportunity cost associated with holding gold and greater demand for safe haven assets. Coupled...

A study by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Northwest Switzerland shines a light on homelessness in Switzerland. Despite a social welfare net, there are still people dropping out of the system. On a stroll around Bern's public parks, Roger, who's been homeless for 22 years, tells his story. Nouvo brings you short videos about Switzerland, Swiss current affairs and the wider world. Keep up to date and watch the videos wherever you are, whenever you like. --- swissinfo.ch is the...