SNB & CHF

How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policyby John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian RosatoYale University Press, 2023; 304 pp. How States Think surprised me. John Mearsheimer is a well-known critic of American foreign policy, and his analysis of the Ukraine war has been deservedly influential. As result, I anticipated that this book would expand his critique. The book does contain some critical discussion of American foreign policy, but, for the most part, the...

Fabrizio Carboni, the Regional Director of the Middle East section of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), explains how the organisation's neutrality was vital in building up trust with Isreal and Hamas to facilitate hostage releases. For more on this story, visit http://www.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 many, tax refunds feel like a mini-windfall—a delightful surprise at the beginning of the year. A chance to cover old debts, splurge on something desired, or simply bolster savings. But what happens when this eagerly anticipated money doesn’t arrive on time?  Delays can, unfortunately, throw a wrench in your financial plans, causing unnecessary stress. This is where a tax refund cash advance emergency loan might come into the picture as a potential savior. Why...

Overview: The US dollar is narrowly mixed against the G10 currencies. The Canadian and Australian dollars lead the advancers, while the Scandis are pacing the losers off 0.1%-0.2% in quiet turnover. Most the freely accessible emerging market currencies are sporting softer profiles today, the Chinese yuan is among them. However, most Asia Pacific currencies, are firmer. Benchmark 10-year yields were softer in the Asia Pacific region in mostly a catch-up to the...

The eternal “climate emergency” is upon us. While doomsday is said to be around the corner, the reality is that the only thing rising is the level of government control.  Original Article: The "Climate Emergency": Fueled by 21st Century Marxism [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

From the onset of the current Israeli-Hamas conflict, the statements from the Joe Biden administration and Congress were crystal clear: America is the indispensable nation, and we’re rich and powerful enough to be able to afford two wars to guarantee the safety of the world. Even with the displeasure over an unstoppable growth in debt and a declining economy, the message to both the domestic and international audiences is DC will get involved wherever it need be. We...

The new problem we now face arises from the fact that huge deficits are only manageable so long as interest rates remain very, very low.  Original Article: The Federal Reserve is Running Losses. Does This Cost Anyone Anything? [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

The leviathan does not rest in pursuing free universities, creeping ahead unchecked by either reason, law, or accounting principles. Why is student assessment of their federal-debt-financed degrees so low? Why are 26 percent of past payments delinquent? More than 50 percent of students agree that they either studied the wrong major or wasted time and money. Less than half have found work in their major field of study. Public dialogue is lured into discussing...

Overview: The dollar is beginning the week on a soft note, despite the modest backing up of yields over the last couple of sessions and better than expected data, including Black Friday sales and the preliminary November PMI. It is sporting minor losses against all the G10 currencies, but the Canadian dollar, which is the weakest of the major currencies this quarter and month. The greenback is also lower against most emerging market currencies, but the Turkish lira...

While Israel receives praise for being a "democracy" in the undemocratic Middle East, its surveillance policies mirror those of China, which is decidedly not democratic. Original Article: Israel Isn’t the Brilliant Friend of Freedom the Beltway Claims It to Be [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter