SNB & CHF

Governments regularly suppress freedom—yet few complain. One wonders if Stockholm syndrome is at work. Original Article: Liberty: Stifled by the Stockholm Syndrome [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

On Sunday, the populist Austrolibertarian Javier Milei was elected president of Argentina. In the United States, the reaction ranged from concerned curiosity on the part of the political establishment to enthusiastic celebration across the populist Right—including, notably, some economic nationalists. Several renowned libertarians also brought attention to some of Milei’s many flaws, such as his views on geopolitics. Milei’s libertarian skeptics make many good...

Overview: Corrective forces helped the dollar stabilize yesterday and it enjoys a firmer today. The euro has slipped below $1.09, and the dollar has resurfaced above JPY149.00. The FOMC minutes seem dated by the more than 30 bp decline in the US 10-year yield, the 7% rally in the S&P 500 and roughly 3% drop in the Dollar Index. The implied year-end 2024 Fed funds rate has fallen by 10 bp to 4.51% (5.33% currently). The Japanese government downgraded its economic...

Resettling Gazans in America—at taxpayer expense—will be sold as a "humanitarian" effort, but anyone who sees through the propaganda will see that it's really all a cynical effort to please Israeli politicians. Original Article: You're Paying for the Israel War. You'll Also Pay for the Refugees. [embedded content] Tags:...

Central banks around the world target a stable price inflation rate of 2 percent annually over the medium term. This is widely considered to be monetary policy’s most important contribution to the smooth functioning of a dynamic economy. This view is wrong on multiple grounds, but there is one problem with it that is commonly ignored. Inflation, even if it remains relatively moderate, can contribute to rising inequality and undermine social mobility. It therefore...

Econometric model building attempts to produce a laboratory with controlled variables. By means of mathematical and statistical methods, an economist establishes functional relationships between various economic variables. For example, personal consumer outlays are related to personal disposable income and interest rates, while fixed capital investments are explained by the past stock of capital, interest rates, and economic activity. A group of such estimated...

In Mexico, many relatives of people who have been forcibly disappeared are actively searching for their missing loved ones, as authorities struggle to cope with the sheer scale of disappearances in the country. This Thursday, we will look at how forensic experts in Switzerland are trying to lend these authorities a hand. Click here to get notified when the full video goes live 👉 https://youtu.be/GkzlIPiF5qk --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting...

The University of Lausanne’s School of Criminal Sciences and the University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva set up courses in forensic science for Mexican officials involved in search and investigation of the disappeared. We spoke to Christophe Champod, director of the Lausanne school. “What we are trying to do is give them a methodology that they can apply in their own situation.” Click here to get notified when the full video goes live 👉...

Mexico has more than 110,000 missing persons and 52,000 unidentified bodies. The Mexican authorities asked other countries including Switzerland for help in tackling their "forensic crisis". This Swiss responded by setting up forensic science courses for Mexican officials at the University of Lausanne’s School of Criminal Science. School director, Christophe Champod, says evidence is gathered using certain tools like a drone. The equipment was tested on bags of buried...

Switzerland, a model democracy, is tired of politics. 🗳️⁠ ⁠ This is how some have analysed the turnout at the most recent Swiss elections. ⁠ ⁠ At 46.6%, voter turnout is admittedly slightly higher than in 2019 (45%). But as has always been the case in recent decades, more than half the electorate failed to turn out at the polls. ⁠ ⁠ Here are two possible reasons for this. What do you think about it? ⁠ ⁠ Click here to see how the Swiss Abroad voted differently last October:...