SNB & CHF

Both artists and athletes perform for others. When governments get involved it either is for subsidies or censorship. Neither is satisfactory. Original Article: "The Economics of Arts and Culture" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

After the hate crime against Christians perpetrated by a transgender shooter in Nashville in March 2023, there was the usual outcry to ban firearms. Days after the killing spree, activists staged an insurrection at the Tennessee State Capitol calling for tougher gun laws. This despite the fact that many in favor of gun control politicized the violence and called for more of it. However, the most jarring of all the gun-ban reactions to the Nashville attack was, to my...

Jonathan Newman joins Bob to critique a recent Twitter argument where some were claiming that supercomputers solved the socialist calculation problem. The Twitter thread on AI and Socialism: Mises.org/HAP394a Bob on Socialism and calculation vs knowledge: Mises.org/HAP394b Karras Lambert and Tate Fegley on economic calculation and AI: Mises.org/HAP394c [embedded content] [embedded content]...

Is Social Justice Just?Edited by Robert M. Whaples, Michael C. Munger, and Christopher J. CoyneIndependent Institute, 2023; xxiii + 348 pp. Before one can answer the question posed by this excellent book’s title, one needs to ask what social justice is, and answering this proves to be no easy task. As Robert Whaples says, “For many, the term social justice is baffling and useless, with no real meaning. Most who use it argue that social justice is the moral fairness...

Austrian economics is defined by its adherence to the a priori methodology, not empiricism. That places it at odds with mainstream economics, which stresses the methodology of positivism. Original Article: "Austrian Economists and Empiricism" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

The US Department of Energy has recently announced two new rules banning the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs starting in July 2022 and phasing in standards across industries over the following months. The Biden administration claims that this ban is a cost-saving measure that will “save consumers about $3 billion annually when fully implemented.” However, the net impact of this policy is unclear since the substitution of incandescents for LED lights comes...

Overview: The US dollar is weaker against all the G10 currencies today but the Swiss franc. The backdrop seems fragile even though a few regional bank shares have done better in after-hours trading and Apple's earnings were received well by the markets. Due to seasonal factors and other considerations, many are warning about a US jobs report, even though ADP's estimate surprised to the upside earlier this week. Equities were mixed in the Asia Pacific region, while...

The BEA is one of the most important agricultural fairs in the Swiss calendar. This year it’s celebrating its 70th edition. SWI swissinfo.ch’s Anika Rahm went to check it out and discovered that there was a lot more to see than cows and sheep. #agriculture #bern #switzerland #cow #fair #swissfood --- 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...

In March 2021, Dominion Voting Systems—a company that produces electronic voting equipment and software—sued Fox New Channel for 1.6 billion. Dominion claimed the company had been harmed by allegedly false claims made by Fox program hosts and guests about Dominion's role in alleged efforts to rig the 2020 US presidential election.  In April 2023, Fox New Channel settled with Dominion for $787.6 million. Dominion still has other lawsuits pending against other parties,...

In this episode of Radio Rothbard, Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop discuss the cancellation of Tucker Carlson's Fox News show and the similar treatment of Murray Rothbard by Bill Buckley. What does Tucker's cancelation mean for the growing anti-regime trends on the right, and why do "conservative" gatekeepers prefer the company of the left more than their audience? We look at this and more on this episode of Radio Rothbard. [embedded content] New Radio Rothbard...