SNB & CHF

Joint research activities will be carried out at the Novartis Campus in Basel, Switzerland, at the Novartis Global Service Center in Dublin, Ireland, and at Microsoft Research Lab in Cambridge, Britain. (© Keystone / Georgios Kefalas) Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis and computer giant Microsoft have signed a five-year partnership deal aimed at transforming the Basel-based pharma’s business – from finance to manufacturing – using artificial intelligence. The new...

For the second time this week, the ISM managed to burst the bond bear bubble about there being a bond bubble. Who in their right mind would buy especially UST’s at such low yields when the fiscal situation is already a nightmare and becoming more so? Some will even reference falling bid-to-cover ratios which supposedly suggests an increasing dearth of buyers. Bid-to-cover, however, is irrelevant. That only tells you about one part of the buying equation, the number...

Is blockchain being used as a gimmick in achieving sustainable development goals? (Keystone / Un Photo/loey Felipe Handout) Our regular analysis of developments in the world of fintech and Crypto Nation. All eyes were on Libra at the Blockchain 4 Impact summit in Geneva last week. But the Facebook stablecoin project was only one part of a two-day event asking the question: Can blockchain help meet Sustainable Development Goalsexternal link? The question of blockchain...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.37% to 1.0913 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 4(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The recovery of US shares yesterday signaled today’s fragile stability. Gains in Japan, Australia, and Taiwan blunted the losses elsewhere in the region, including a 1% slide in Hong Kong. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell for the third week. China’s markets have been closed since...

Bulls target risk back to the top of the channel and recent highs of 0.6750.  Bears seek a break of trendline support and a resumption of the downside within the bearish channel. AUD/CHF has been resilient against the odds, considering the risk-off tone in markets were otherwise, the CHF usually performs. The Swiss Nation Bank has evidently been intervening in recent weeks, protecting its currency against strength vs the euro, although, on a technical basis, vs the...

While this year’s festival was seen as an artistic success, the event has left a huge hole in the organisers’ finances (© Keystone / Valentin Flauraud) The organisers of the Fête des Vignerons – a traditional winegrowers’ festival in the Swiss lakeside town of Vevey – is scrambling to cover its multi-million-franc deficit for 2019. The local winegrowers’ guild behind the once-in-a-generation private festival, which started in the 17th century, reported a CHF15...

Swiss Franc flat versus US Dollar, down against its European rivals.  Another weak economic report from the US keeps the Greenback and markets under pressure.  The USD/CHF pair again was capped by the 1.0025/30 area and pulled back. Near the end of the session it is hovering around 0.9980/85 after falling to 0.9950. The Greenback weakened after US data and then recovered ground modestly. Despite rising against the US dollar, the Swiss Franc was the worst during the...

The WTO today downgraded its estimates for global trade growth. In April, the international organization had figured the total volume of world merchandise trade would expand by about 2.6% in all of 2019 once the year closed out on the anticipated second half rebound. Everyone took their lumps in H1 and the WTO like central bankers everywhere were thinking “transitory” factors. Last September, the same outfit was still forecasting trade growth would nearly reach 4% in...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.34% to 1.0959 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 3(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Disappointing economic data again drove US equities lower, which in turn carried into Asia Pacific activity. Losses were recorded throughout the region, with the notable exception of Hong Kong. The Nikkei and Australia’s ASX were off by 2%. After its largest losing session of the year...

USD/CHF stays positive above 200-day SMA, 50% Fibonacci retracement. A sustained run-up beyond 61.8% Fibonacci retracement can aim for late-May highs. Despite successfully trading above key support confluence, the USD/CHF pair fails to provide a daily closing above 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of April-August downpour. The quote takes the bids to 0.9975 while heading into the European open on Thursday. Given the bullish signals from 12-bar moving average convergence...