SNB & CHF

In gold terms, the dollar went up a small 0.15 milligrams gold. The price of the dollar in silver went up considerably more as a percentage, 0.08 grams to 2.18g. Most people would say that gold went down and silver went down (though we continue to ask why should the prices of the monetary metals be measured in terms of the unstable dollar). As always, we’re interested in one thing: did the fundamentals change, or did speculators sell off a bit more? We call such price changes unimportant....

Full Description and Comments at: http://www.peakprosperity.com/podcast/95323/charles-hugh-smith-fixing-way-we-work Charles Hugh Smith returns to the podcast this week to discuss the theme of his new book A Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology and Creating Jobs for All. Automation and artificial intelligence are changing the landscape of work. Tens of millions of jobs are on track to be eliminated over the next decade or so by these advancing technological innovations in the...

In fiscal year 2014, which ended September 30 2014, the Federal government of the United States reported a cumulative deficit of US$484 billion, while the total debt outstanding increased by more than a trillion dollars. For fiscal year 2015, the difference was negligible because the US Treasury conducted so called emergency measures to adhere to the Congressional imposed debt ceiling. As soon as Congressional leaders agreed among themselves, the debt ceiling was raised and US debt...

Ticino's chestnut forests are doing well after the introduction of an insect that kills the gall wasps, which were attacking the trees. (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: http://www.swissinfo.ch Channel:...

Researchers at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich have developed a way of producing body parts containing cartilage, with the help of a 3D printer. One of the first practical applications of this method is reconstructive surgery. Damaged body parts, like a nose or an ear, can be rebuilt in a computer 3D model. Cartilage cells are thenremoved through a biopsy. In the laboratory these cells are cultivated and mixed with a biopolymer which is used as a shaping mould. From this body...

The Berlin Wall fell 26 years ago, paving the way for German reunification. A new book based on secret documents looks at Switzerland’s relationship with East Germany. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) The fall of the wall in 1990 was the end of the repressive East German Communist regime, an authority that Switzerland helped prop up, according to Swiss historian Ricardo Tarli. In his book, “Operationsgebiet Schweiz” (Operational area Switzerland), Tarli claims that the rogue regime would have collapsed...

Politicians want to get more women back in the job market, but family obligations and the Swiss school system are often obstacles for working mothers. (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: http://www.swissinfo.ch...

The price of gold dropped abruptly Friday morning (Arizona time). How much of a drop? $10.30, as measured by the bid on the December future. How abruptly? That move happened in under a second. At first, the price of gold in the spot market did not react. This caused what looks like a massive backwardation (recall that the cobasis = Spot(bid) – Future(ask)—if the future drops relative to spot, that is backwardation). See the graph of price overlaid with the Dec cobasis. The cobasis briefly...

I have written previously about the interest rate, which is falling under the planning of the Federal Reserve. The flip side of falling interest rates is the rising price of bonds. Bonds are in an endless, ferocious bull market. Why do I call it ferocious? Perhaps voracious is a better word, as it is gobbling up capital like the Cookie Monster jamming tollhouses into his maw. There are several mechanisms by which this occurs, let’s look at one here. Artificially low interest makes it...