SNB & CHF

The Volkswagen emissions scandal began in September 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States accused the Volkswagen group of violation of environmental laws. (Keystone) The lawyer representing about 500 people in Switzerland who have filed a complaint against German carmaker Volkswagen and importer AMAG says the Swiss attorney general is dragging his feet in the so-called ‘Dieselgate’ case....

The bid-ask spread of both (spot) gold and silver has blown out. Both, on March 1. In gold, the spread had been humming along around 13 cents—gold is the most marketable commodity, and this is the proof, a bid-ask spread around 1bps—until… *BAM!* It explodes to around 35 cents, or two and half times as wide. On the same day, silver went from half a cent to 1.5 cents, or about triple. We zoomed out far enough—it does...

Last April, monetary officials in Japan were publicly contemplating ending asset purchases under QQE. This April, they are more quietly wondering what other financial assets they might have to buy just to keep it all going a little longer. I’d suggest something like the clouds passing over the islands or the ocean water surrounding them. Nobody would notice either way and it would be equally as effective. Before the...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.23% at 1.1401 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 01(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The May Day holiday has shut most markets in Asia and Europe, making for subdued market action. Equity markets that are open, like Australia and the UK, advanced and US shares are trading higher helped by Apple’s upbeat forecasts and...

On Monday, Swiss President Ueli Maurer was received by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the end of a week-long visit to China. Discussions between the pair focused on strengthening relations, notably on economic and finance affairs, according to a Swiss government statement. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) --- 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...

Japanese mangas depicting love stories between men – written, drawn, and read by girls – have been popular in Japan for more than twenty years. Now ‘yaoi’, which has become its own literary genre, is also attracting fans among Swiss teenage girls and igniting dialogue about sexuality in the process. --- 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...

On Monday, Swiss President Ueli Maurer was received by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the end of a week-long visit to China. Discussions between the pair focused on strengthening relations, notably on economic and finance affairs, according to a Swiss government statement. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) --- 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...

Japanese mangas depicting love stories between men – written, drawn, and read by girls – have been popular in Japan for more than twenty years. Now ‘yaoi’, which has become its own literary genre, is also attracting fans among Swiss teenage girls and igniting dialogue about sexuality in the process. --- 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...

We remain underweight peripheral euro area bonds in general due to continued political uncertainty, which will feed volatility. On April 28, Spain held its third general election in less than four years. As was expected, the centre-left Socialists (PSOE) emerged the largest party, but it does not have an absolute majority, so negotiations with other parties will be needed. But the political fog in Spain is unlikely to...

Xi and Maurer (centre) during the welcome ceremony in Beijing on Monday. Swiss President Ueli Maurer has been received by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, for a state visit at the end of a week-long visit to China. The talks on Monday focused on strengthening relations, notably on economic and finance matters, according to a government statementexternal link. Bilateral ties are at a “historic high in terms of...