SNB & CHF

The Western ruling elite has become oligarchic in nature; its political and economic influence is disproportionate and even harmful to society. It is necessary, therefore, to review its historical evolution and expose its current goals. Firstly, it must be recognized that it is natural and necessary for society to have an elite. Murray Rothbard wrote about the ideal of “natural aristocrats” who “live in freedom and harmony with their fellows, and rise by exercising...

Much of the progress being made in AI is captured within private companies aiming to keep in to themselves in order to profit from it. Open AI, a project started as an open-source non-profit has morphed into a largely closed-source profit-maximising project increasingly integrated into the software company Microsoft. Many see open-source as critical to the healthy development of AI. A super computer combined with the knowhow of Switzerlands world-leading federal...

© Bartolomiej Pietrzyk | Dreamstime.com The federal government spent less in 2023 than budgeted but overestimated revenue. The net effect was an additional shortfall of CHF 1.4 billion, reported SRF. At a media conference this week, finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said that the Federal Council was not aiming to raise a taxes to fund the additional shortfall. Raising taxes would require a constitutional amendment to get around the debt brake and would set a...

The preliminary schedule for the conference is here. Students apply here for a scholarship. The Austrian Economics Research Conference is the international, interdisciplinary meeting of the Austrian school, bringing together leading scholars doing research in this vibrant and influential intellectual tradition. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the South Royalton Austrian Economics Conference. In honor of this landmark event, there will be sessions and lectures...

On February 13, 2024, Bob participated (with Jim Rickards, Brent Johnson, and Michael Every) in a ZeroHedge debate on the fate of the USD. In this episode of the Human Action podcast, Bob highlights some of the key issues and explains why he thinks his side won. Murphy Gives Post-Game Analysis of ZeroHedge Dollar Debate Video of Murphy Gives Post-Game Analysis of ZeroHedge Dollar Debate The ZeroHedge Debate:...

In Artis Shepherd’s recent article, which I highly recommend, he aptly detailed the numerous benefits of homeschooling and data showing that homeschooled students—far from being socially stunted, academically insular young people—are actually generally high-achieving, socially adroit young adults ready to provide value in the world. Thus, in this commentary, I want to address a common argument against homeschooling: namely, that homeschooling is a breeding ground for...

Guess what's up for debate again? The statutory retirement age. On March 3, Swiss people will be casting their votes on a proposal brought by the Young Radical-Liberals. They want to raise the retirement age and tie it to life expectancy. A few other countries have already taken this route. What's your take on it? Let us know in the comments. And tap here to read more 👉...

US fiscal realities are well known. Total federal debt outstanding has now reached $34 trillion, up from $98 billion in 1981, $5.67 trillion in 2000, $13.56 trillion in 2010, and $26.95 trillion in 2020. And at 120 percent of the US economy’s productive capacity (gross domestic product), the federal debt matches that at the end of World War II. That $34 trillion, when spelled out, is the number thirty-four followed by twelve (count ’em) zeros separated by four...

Overview:  The US dollar is winding down this week on a quiet note. Most of the G10 currencies are trading within yesterday's ranges. On the week, only the Scandis are set to close with gains, though with a little effort, the Australian dollar could too. The Japanese yen and Swiss franc are the laggards off 0.65%-0.75% this week. Most emerging market currencies outside of central Europe are firmer. The South African rand is the strongest this week, followed by four...

Regarding the surprisingly strong employment data, Fed Chair Powell said the quiet part out loud. The media hopes you didn’t hear it as we head into a contentious election in November. Over the last several months, we have seen repeated employment reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that crushed economists’ estimates and seemed to defy logic. Such is particularly the case when you read commentary about the state of the average American as follows. “New...