SNB & CHF

Swiss Franc The Swiss Franc was the strongest currency. The euro fell from 1.0877 to 1.0808. Two fundamental reasons: Speculator anticipate that German investors buy Swiss francs in response to the court decision in favor of the OMT (see below) The German ZEW (see below) that was better than expected. We know that CHF acts as a proxy for the German economy via strong trade ties and the tradition that German...

  Summary: Every freedom loving person on the planet has their eyes fixed on this referendum. A clear majority voting for Brexit and therefore for more decentralization, would show that the British realized they can break free from their self-imposed nonage, and reclaim individual liberty. Mutating Promises  We are less than one week away from the EU referendum, the moment when the British people will be called upon...

Summary: Debt is just the flip side of credit. As debt goes bad, credit disappears. And then the system that created so much credit-money will go into reverse, destroying the nation’s money supply. The money supply (actually, the supply of ready credit) will shrink – suddenly and dramatically. And what should have been a minor, routine pullback in the economy will become a catastrophic panic. Bezzle BALTIMORE – ...

Summary: Bawerk explains how China will be the lender of last resort of many oil producers. China might let collapse a smaller producer and become much smarter at covering its political bases across producer states to protect longer term sunk costs. It took a while to play through, but our assessment that China would increasingly become the petro-state lender of last resort is starting to come good. The...

Sterling is hovering around seven cents above last week’s lows as many short-term participants better position themselves for the UK to vote to say in the EU, even though many opinion polls show a statistical dead heat.   The German Constitutional Court dismissed claims that the ECB’s Outright Market Transactions does not violate the German Constitution. Italy’s run-off for local elections was held over the past...

The betting and events markets have shifted more decisively than the polls in favor of the UK to remain in the EU.  Sterling extended its rally from $1.4010 last Thursday to nearly $1.4785 today, as the market participants adjust positions. What is particular striking is that the asymmetrical perceptions of the personal impact of a vote to leave the EU.  The Great Graphic here was posted on Business Insider,...

It goes without question, among economists of the central planning mindset, that if a central bank can just set the right quantity of dollars[1], then the price level, GDP, unemployment, and everything else will be right at the Goldilocks Optimum. One such approach that has become popular in recent years is nominal GDP targeting. How does a central bank affect the quantity of dollars? In discussing a nominal income...

Last summer there was a serious accident at an air show in Dittingen, near Basel. Because of such incidents, the organisers of air shows have taken extra safety measures, including the training of pilots. One course for aerobatic flights attracted an unusually large number of pilots. (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....

The Rhine has been home to the Atlantic Salmon, but hydroelectric plants have been blocking the fishes’ way upstream. If the wild salmon is to return to their Swiss nursing grounds, fish ladders will have to be made more accessible. It's a project WWF is working on. (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 more articles,...

Ever had to testify in a trial involving your father’s dealings in corrupt activities, and as a result had your tax records leaked for all of the public to see? Sergio Machado, the ex-head of Credit Suisse’s Brazil fixed-income business has, and now everyone knows how much he made in 2015. Sergio’s father, who goes by the same name, is a former Brazilian politician who went on to head the state run oil company...