SNB & CHF

The CFTC Commitment of Traders reporting week ending February 16 was short due to the US holiday.  This may have contributed to the small adjustments to speculative positioning in the currency futures.  It also may reflect the lack of conviction that a dollar recovery was at hand.   On a net basis, speculators had switched to a long yen position six weeks ago.  In the latest period, speculators swung to a net long Australian dollar position for the first time since last May.  The 2.8k...

The CFTC Commitment of Traders reporting week ending February 16 was short due to the US holiday.  This may have contributed to the small adjustments to speculative positioning in the currency futures.  It also may reflect the lack of conviction that a dollar recovery was at hand.   On a net basis, speculators had switched to a long yen position six weeks ago.  In the latest period, speculators swung to a net long Australian dollar position for the first time since last May.  The 2.8k...

After a terrible first several weeks of the year, global capital markets stabilized in the past week.  Chinese markets re-opened after the extended Lunar New Year holiday and proved not to be disruptive.   Chinese equities did not decline to catch-up to the performance of global markets in its absence and instead gained 3% on the week. The offshore yuan appreciated during the holiday, and the onshore yuan strengthened to converge with it.  It traded in a narrow range after the markup. ...

After a terrible first several weeks of the year, global capital markets stabilized in the past week.  Chinese markets re-opened after the extended Lunar New Year holiday and proved not to be disruptive.   Chinese equities did not decline to catch-up to the performance of global markets in its absence and instead gained 3% on the week. The offshore yuan appreciated during the holiday, and the onshore yuan strengthened to converge with it.  It traded in a narrow range after the markup. ...

Zurich is of the busiest train stations in the world. It rarely comes to a standstill. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) Zurich’s main railway station is the largest in Switzerland. Every day more than 400,000 people travel through it. Zurich’s railway hub came into service in 1847 and is the second oldest railway station in the country. It was built as a terminus for the Swiss Northern Railway, the first railway to be built within Switzerland’s borders. Because of its central location within...

Swiss-Turkish comedian Müslüm is using humour to raise awareness of the issues surrounding immigration in a new television series. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) Swiss public television, SRF1, is airing new series this spring looking at the country’s comedy scene. “MüslümTv” is one of the shows in the series. Müslüm is the stage name of Semih Yavsaner, a Bern musician and comedian of Turkish origin. The political satire programme follows anti-hero Müslüm as he tries to put together a makeshift...

There has never been a divorce in the picturesque Valais villages of Niederwald and Bister. swissinfo.ch went there to find out the secret to a lasting marriage. (Julie Hunt, 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:...

People from other parts of the world often have different blood subgroups or characteristics.This effects the work of Swiss blood donation centres and hospitals. (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, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube channel: Website:...

Every year the Swiss army sells off around 20 properties it no longer requires. Swiss television, RTS, went along to a viewing of a Second World War bunker. (RTS/swissinfo.ch) A bunker in Bellegarde in canton Fribourg is for sale for a guide price of CHF10,000 ($9,800). It was built in 1941 under Switzerland’s Second World War strategy of creating a heavily fortified region which would provide a final resistance when facing invasion. After the tour of the bunker, potential buyers were...

Data storage facilities are growing faster in Switzerland than in any other European country. Apart from having mountain bunkers in which to squirrel away servers, the country’s strict data protection law is also proving a draw for global business. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) During the Second World War, Switzerland bored a vast network of bunkers and tunnels into its mountains as part of the country’s defensive strategy. These underground fortresses are now making a 21st century, digital age,...