SNB & CHF

EM has been on a good run but this week will be a big test.  Brexit uncertainty may finally end.  Or it may not.  A delay would be positive for EM, whilst a potential hard Brexit would be negative.  The Fed meets Wednesday and key US data will be reported during the week, culminating with the jobs report Friday.  The dollar has been on its back foot as September data have come in weaker than expected, so any sort of positive data surprises this week could add to the...

How times have changed. In the middle of 2018, we were told the risks to the global economy were all tilted to the upside. If central bankers weren’t careful, they chanced an uncontrollable inflationary breakout, the kind that would make the last few years of the 2010’s look too much like the 1970’s. Always eager to bottle up the inflation genie, Germany out of everyone actually welcomed negative factors as they built up during the year. From last August: In spite of...

Swiss National Bank – © J0hnb0y | Dreamstime.com The Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, has earned CHF 388 million from negative interest rates since introducing them in 2014 to tame the rising strength of the Swiss Franc, according to the newspaper SonntagsBlick. On 15 January 2015, the SNB announced that it was abandoning its policy of maintaining an exchange rate cap of 1.20 francs to 1.00 euro. At the same time it increased negative interest...

© Marekusz | Dreamstime.com According to a recent report by the bank Credit Suisse, the Swiss are worth more on average than the residents of any other nation. The bank’s annual Global Wealth Report calculates average net worth per Swiss adult to be US$ 564,653 (CHF 560,643) at mid-2019. The median figure was US$ 227,891 (CHF 226,273). Switzerland’s combined personal wealth of US$ 3.9 trillion represents 1.1% of the global total, while the nation’s population...

A motorway underpass means the gutting of this district in Zurich and the loss of more affordable apartments. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Under pressure to invest, Swiss pension funds are ploughing money into real estate, considered a safe and profitable option. As this drives up housing prices, however, desperate residents are fighting back through direct democracy. Building land in central Switzerland is scarce, and apartments and houses expensive, especially in...

The intraday pullback finds decent support ahead of 0.9900 handle. Move beyond 0.9935 will set the stage for additional near-term gains. The USD/CHF pair did witness some intraday pullback but showed some resilience below 38.2% Fibonacci level of the 1.0028-0.9837 recent downfall. The pair managed to find decent support near 200-hour SMA and has now moved back closer to over one-week tops set earlier this Friday. Meanwhile, technical indicators on the 4-hourly chart...

Mark Zuckerberg appearing before the US Congress hearing into Libra. Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of the US Congress on Wednesday about his company’s plans to launch a new, global digital currency. During a marathon hearing, the Facebook chief executive and founder attempted to change the narrative surrounding Project Libra. The proposed currency has been beset by criticism from regulators and politicians, while support from corporate partners has dwindled. Mr...

Brunaupark from the air, with Credit Suisse’s Uetlihof building on the right (Keystone) In a modest Zurich neighbourhood, long-time residents of a sprawling apartment complex will lose their homes if a planned renewal project backed by a pension fund goes ahead. Similar projects are happening across Switzerland as funds invest heavily in real estate amid low interest rates. Fifteen minutes from Zurich’s main station by tram, the Brunaupark lies in the southwest of...

The Census Bureau reported today New Home Sales remained at a better than 700k SAAR in September following the big jump over the previous few months. Though the number was slightly lower last month than the month before, it wasn’t meaningfully less. As discussed yesterday, while that might seem the Fed’s rate cut psychology combined with the bond market’s pessimism (reducing the mortgage rate) is having a positive effect, I don’t see it that way. From yesterday:...

Charles Hugh Smith new book – Will You Be Richer Or Poorer? Click here for the full transcript: http://financialrepressionauthority.com/2019/10/25/the-roundtable-insight-charles-hugh-smith-new-book-will-you-be-richer-or-poorer/