SNB & CHF

Currently, home owners in Switzerland must pay tax on fictional rent, calculated based on a home’s size and location. At the same time home owners get to deduct mortgage interest and home maintenance costs from their taxable income. ©-Stefano-Ember-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge The system was designed to bring the taxation of home owners into line with that of renters. The logic is sound. Renters must pay rent...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.29% at 1.1275. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 31(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The dramatic price action seen yesterday among several emerging market currencies is eased today, but here at month-end, demand for risk-assets is tentative at best. The macro backdrop, including the increase in US core inflation, expectations...

Life is good. They could not have imagined what we have now, back in the dark ages. So I have never understood why people prep for a return to the dark ages. The only thing I can think of is that they don’t really picture what life is like. 14 hours a day of back-breaking labor to eke out a subsistence living. Subject to the risks of rain, sun, and insects. Prepping makes no sense to me. I don’t know if I would choose...

Keith Weiner, CEO of Monetary Metals talks about his personal motivations, why he is fighting the fight. He doesn’t believe that prepping for the so called “zombie apocalypse” makes any sense, when you think about what you’re prepping for. What a so called “reset” will be. A new dark age. Recorded August 12, 2018. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Links of possible interest... The Dollar Cancer and the Gold Cure:...

Keith Weiner, CEO of Monetary Metals talks about his personal motivations, why he is fighting the fight. He doesn’t believe that prepping for the so called “zombie apocalypse” makes any sense, when you think about what you’re prepping for. What a so called “reset” will be. A new dark age. Recorded August 12, 2018. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Links of possible interest... The Dollar Cancer and the Gold Cure:...

In August 2018, the KOF Economic Barometer fell slightly by 1.4 points to a new reading of 100.3. It thus now pints to a level that is only marginally above its long-term average. Accordingly, in the near future Swiss growth should hover around its average over the last ten years. In August 2018, the KOF Economic Barometer fell from 101.7 in the previous month (revised up from 101.1) by 1.4 points to a...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.40% at 1.1315. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 30(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is mostly firmer, while global equities are softer and bonds little changed. The Turkish lira and South African rand remain under pressures. However, there does not appear to be an overall theme in today’s markets. Disappointing...

  Introductory Remarks: The “Anti-Politician” Godfrey Bloom, by PT Most of our readers will probably remember former UKIP chief whip and European Parliament representative Godfrey Bloom. As far as we know, he is the only politician who ever raised the issue of the workings of the fractionally reserved central bank-directed monetary system in the EU parliament. This system is of course central to the phenomenon of the...

Small watchmakers had complained about restrictions to the supply of spare parts by major watch firms (Keystone) The Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) has decided not to open a formal investigation into watchmakers including Swatch, LVMH and Richemont over the supply of spare parts for independent watch repair shops. Citing a separate European Commission decision about the same firms, COMCO said in a statement on...

In the second quarter of 2018, the number of jobs in Switzerland rose to 5.048 million, a 2.1% increase on the second quarter of 2017. ©-Catalin205-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge Regions rising the most were Lake Geneva (+3.0%), north west Switzerland (+3.0%), central Switzerland (+2.4%) and Zurich (+2.1%). Rises in job numbers in eastern Switzerland (+1.6%), Mittelland (+1.3%) and Ticino (0%) were lower. Sectors...