SNB & CHF

Please consider helping us publish these three new books: The World at War, Full Reserve Banking vs. Real Bills Doctrine, and Austrian Business Cycle Theory: an Introduction. The World at Warby Ralph Raicoedited by Edward FullerTo understand war, you also have to understand economics. Ralph Raico’s lecture “The World at War” is a masterpiece. Recorded in 1983, it remains perhaps the best introduction to the classical-liberal interpretation of the two world wars of...

Time preference refers to the preference of satisfaction in the present as compared to a future time. A person who heavily prefers current consumption to future consumption has a high time preference as he places a heavy premium upon satisfaction as soon as possible. By contrast, a person who does not place a heavy premium upon instant satisfaction has a low time preference. People with low time preferences are more likely to save and invest their money for greater...

America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictatorsby Jacob HeilbrunnLiveright, 2024; 249 pp.Jacob Heilbrunn, who is the editor of The National Interest, is dismayed that some leading figures on the American Right show an affinity for European dictators; he has in mind especially the “Hungarian strongman” Viktor Orbán and the Russian president Vladimir Putin. This admiration, not the foreign policy realism they claim to champion, leads these figures...

The latest retail sales data suggests a robust consumer, leading economists to become even more optimistic about more robust economic growth this year. To wit: “It has been two years since forecasters felt this good about the economic outlook. In the latest quarterly survey by The Wall Street Journal, business and academic economists lowered the chances of a recession within the next year to 29% from 39% in the January survey. That was the lowest probability...

Pharmaceutical giant Novartis invested billions in Slovenia, helping turn the country into a global player in generic drug production. Now, as cheap Asian competitors increasingly dominate the market, Swiss drug companies see the tiny Balkan nation playing a key role in their shift to more complex, expensive medicines. Articles and videos on Switzerland's investment in Slovenia are available on swissinfo.ch. For other science stories from Switzerland please go to www.swissinfo.ch/science....

Mainstream economists believe our knowledge of the world of economics is elusive, so the criteria for choosing a theory should be its predictive power. If the theory “predicts,” it is regarded as a valid framework to assess the economy. Once a theory fails in that role, the search for a new theory begins.For instance, an economist believes that consumer outlays on goods and services are determined by disposable income. Once this view is validated by statistical...

This week we've talked about the world's most expensive drug. Zolgensma, a one-off treatment for infants born with a rare and often fatal genetic disease, came to the market at an eye-watering $2.1 million. But how are drug prices determined? And why do they change from country to country and over time? Watch the full video on our YouTube channel and find out. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and...

(Frankfort, Kentucky) — In a high-stakes showdown with Gov. Andy Beshear over a gold and silver sales tax exemption, the Kentucky legislature has deemed his attempted line-item veto as an illegal act — and directed the Secretary of State to enroll the exemption into law. This action makes the Bluegrass State the 45th state in the nation to enact this sound money policy – and the second this year. Originally introduced by Rep. Steven Doan as a standalone bill, the...

Swiss-Brazilian artist Guerreiro do Divino Amor leads Switzerland at the 60th Venice Art Biennale. Watch the full video on our YouTube channel to get an exclusive sneak peek at his installation, guided personally by the artist himself. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or...

Javier Milei’s administration is generating much deserved commentary, both positive and negative. Critical discussion is vital since he is the first libertarian president, so keeping a distance between libertarianism itself and his government actions is a must if libertarians don’t want to fall with him should his government plans fail. Just because he is a libertarian and has accessed the presidency doesn’t mean he has immanent support from the rest of the...