Some historians give Adlai Stevenson credit for inventing the word “brinkmanship” as part of his criticism of US foreign policy under Dulles, who said that “if you are scared of going to the brink, you lost.” But surely we can agree that the tactic is as old as civilization. The idea is you take the issue to the very edge, risking a significant confrontation, to force a deal, is the way it may seem. The Cuban Missile...
Read More »Monthly Macro Monitor – February (VIDEO)
Alhambra Investments CEO Joe Calhoun discusses the latest information about markets, specific categories affecting the economy. [embedded content] Related posts: Monthly Macro Monitor – October 2018 (VIDEO) Monthly Macro Monitor – December 2018 (VIDEO) Monthly Macro Monitor – August Monthly Macro Monitor – September 2018 Monthly Macro Monitor –...
Read More »New Crypto Valley Association President seeks to heal divisions
Daniel Haudenschild (left) with the new CVA board following their election. (Crypto Valley Association) The new President of the Crypto Valley Association has vowed to turn around the divided organization. Daniel Haudenschild was elected on Thursday evening together with a new board following months of unrest. Speaking to swissinfo.ch two days after his shock departure from Swisscom Blockchain, Haudenschild said his...
Read More »FX Daily, February 01: Did the Fed Steal the Jobs Data Thunder?
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.24% at 1.1407 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, February 01(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Weak manufacturing PMI readings are curbing risk appetites ahead of the US jobs report. Growth concerns are top and center after dovish Fed and the Bundesbank’s Weidmann warning that Germany may undershoot 1.5% growth this year, though...
Read More »Swiss Retail Sales, December 2018: -0.1 percent Nominal and -0.3 percent Real
01.02.2019 – Turnover in the retail sector fell by 0.1% in nominal terms in December 2018 compared with the previous year. Seasonally adjusted, nominal turnover fell by 0.3% compared with the previous month. These are provisional findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Real turnover in the retail sector also adjusted for sales days and holidays fell by 0.3% in December 2018 compared with the previous year....
Read More »Half of Swiss Population Commutes Half an Hour to Work
Not quite 10% walk to work in Switzerland; more than half drive. Nine out of ten employees in Switzerland – or four million people total – commuted to work last year, most of them to another municipality, and most by car. In 2017, the average one-way Swiss commute was 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) and took 30.6 minutes, reported the Federal Statistical Officeexternal link on Tuesday. Some 71% of commuters traveled to...
Read More »It’s Not That There Might Be One, It’s That There Might Be Another One
It was a tense exchange. When even politicians can sense that there’s trouble brewing, there really is trouble brewing. Typically the last to figure these things out, if parliamentarians are up in arms it already isn’t good, to put it mildly. Well, not quite the last to know, there are always central bankers faithfully pulling up the rear of recognizing disappointing reality. At the end of November, Mario Draghi went...
Read More »FX Daily, January 31: Did Powell Toss in the Towel or was it a Tactical Retreat?
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.08% at 1.14 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 31(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The Fed’s dovish tone and earnings news are the main drivers of the capital markets today, helping lift stocks, bonds, and currencies. Large equity markets in Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong, China’s CSI 300, India, and Indonesia, all...
Read More »Exports save the day for French GDP growth
Prospects for French economic growth are looking up, but disruptions to consumption are possible. French GDP rose by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q4, the same pace as in Q3. The details reveal that Q4 exports surged significantly, while household consumption and investment slowed. This left growth for the year at +1.5%, following +2.3% in 2017. The breakdown of GDP data show that household consumption growth...
Read More »Nearly Half of Swiss Admit to Stealing
© Industryviews Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge Either at work, at a restaurant, on public transport or in a shop, nearly half of Swiss admit to stealing, according to a survey by moneyland.ch 49% of the 1,500 questioned in the survey admitted to pocketing something without paying. Young people admitted to being the most light fingered. Around a fifth of those aged 18-25 had taken something from the supermarket...
Read More »