SNB & CHF

Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 10 2016(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar has started the new week on a firm note. The light news stream and holidays in Japan, Canada and the United States make for a subdued session. Notable exceptions to the dollar’s gains are the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso. Both currencies appear to have been. underpinned by US...

Why Krugman, Roubini, Rogoff And Buffett Dislike Gold By Jan Skoyles  Edited by Mark O’Byrne  A couple of weeks ago an article appeared on Bitcoin Magazine entitled ‘Some economists really hate bitcoin’. I read it with a sigh of nostalgia. As someone who has been writing about gold for a few years, I am used to reading similar criticisms as those bitcoin receives from mainstream economists, about gold. As with...

See the introduction and the video for the terms gold basis, co-basis, backwardation and contango. Don’t be a Spruiker On 18 September we said, “the market is in the grips of a mini silver mania (we would not dare say bubble, at least not without trigger warnings).” Since then, we have warned every week that the fundamentals of silver were lousy. Last week we said, “Buying silver right now—at least if you’re buying it...

The only way to govern successfully is to actually solve the underlying systemic problems, but doing that requires overthrowing a corrupt, self-serving elite. Regardless of who wins the presidency, a much larger question looms: will the U.S. be ungovernable 2017-2020? There are multiple sources of the question. One is of course the remarkable unpopularity of the two candidates for the presidency. For all the reasons...

Swiss social partners signing the collective labour agreements (CLA) have agreed a nominal rise in real wages estimated at 0.4% for 2016, of which 0.2% is to be awarded collectively and 0.2% at individual level. Minimum wages were increased by 0.7%. The graph shows nominal wages since 1993. Changes in Swiss Nominal and Minimum WagesChanges in Swiss Nominal and Minimum Wages - Click to enlarge Download this press...

Swiss manufacturing is often associated with quality and precision. Automation could soon be part of the equation too. (srf/swissinfo.ch/cp) According to an index by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Switzerland is top in the world when it comes to innovation, but it’s also faced with some of the highest labour costs in the world. Robots could be the solution. Martin Frauenfelder, managing director of Paro AG, which manufactures assembly line production machines in...

A third of paraplegics or tetraplegics have difficulty finding work, even if employment is key to rehabilitation. But finding understanding employers is not easy. (RTS/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 more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube channel: Website:...

The Swiss Freiberg breed is trying to shake off its work horse image. The pedigree that used to be popular with the army and famers was recently on show at the Marché-Concours horse show in Saignelégier, canton Jura. (SRF/swisisnfio.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 more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or...

Stock Markets Despite the weaker than expected US jobs report, the dollar remains firm and EM is ending the week on a soft note.  The main culprit was higher US rates, with the 2-year yield moving up to 0.85% and is the highest since early June.  Concerns about Brexit impact and as well the health of European banks remain ongoing and could weigh on risk sentiment this coming week.  Lastly, oil may come under more...

High frequency economic reports will be not be among the key drivers of the capital markets in the week ahead. The light schedule, consisting mostly of industrial production in Europe, inflation for Scandinavia, and US retail sales, will have minimal impact on rate expectations. A November rate Fed move was never very likely. The September employment report needed to be amazingly strong to boost the chances, and it was...