SNB & CHF

The coronavirus has dominated all of our lives in recent months. Radical paths were taken by politicians in the form of lockdowns to contain the pandemic. But we should recognize that even if the coronavirus is a (major) challenge for us, we always have to keep a holistic view of world events. Just as there are epidemiological factors to consider in this crisis, there are also economic, social, cultural, political and other health factors at play. It is precisely...

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part II of II Claudio Grass (CG): Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve witnessed extreme efforts to increase top-down control and to centralize power in ways that affect almost all aspects of a citizen’s life. Do you expect that this can all be reversed once the crisis is over, or has the Rubicon been crossed?  HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein (PM): I still hope, but I am not very confident,...

Rising prices feature in many economic forecasts for the US.  It is seen as part of the reflation meme as the vaccines roll out.  There seem to be three threads to the discussion.  The first is practically mathematically certain.  Economists refer to it as the base effect.  As the pandemic struck and the economy shut down, prices fell.  Headline CPI fell by 0.4% in March 2019, by 0.8% in April, and another 0.1% in May.  The PCE deflator, which the Fed targets, fell...

On 19 December 2020, the French government advised against French residents travelling to Switzerland to ski and introduced rules that made returning difficult, including a requirement to show a negative Covid-19 test less than 72 hours old or to quarantine on arrival. © Anne Laure Affre | Dreamstime.comThe rule covered all those entering France from the cantons of Graubünden, Jura, Neuchâtel, Uri, Valais and Vaud. However, it was not initially clear who was...

Charles Hugh Smith explains the “Fourth Estate” that refers to the press and news media, both in explicit capacity of advocacy and implicit ability to frame political issues.

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part I of II As we’re preparing to leave 2020 behind, a year that will most likely feature prominently in future history books, it is hard to look back on all that has happened without a sense of apprehension and uncertainty over what lies ahead. A lot has changed, economically, socially and politically, and those changes and challenges are unlikely to subside in the year to come. Whether they have paved the...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a deal on December 24 Paul Grover Britain has finally negotiated a deal with the European Union. The European Court of Justice will not act as a court of arbitration. Some Swiss voices are now calling for Switzerland to get the same deal. This content was published on December 28, 2020 – 13:51December 28, 2020 – 13:51 Sibilla Bondolfi The UK and the EU managed to agree on a last-minute trade deal after all. It...

Have the Swiss and European Union economies already been through the worst, or will the pandemic cause more damage in 2021? Keystone / Martin Ruetschi Lockdown, home office, travel bans. The pandemic has shaken up the economy, but its disruptive power is having a selective effect. While the pharmaceutical industry is sailing through the crisis unscathed, the watch industry is being hit harder than any time since the last world war. What is the future of...

A parking fine with a QR code in Zurich in July © Keystone / Christian Beutler Digitalisation is increasing pressure on state authorities, with almost three-quarters of Swiss expecting more digital services from the authorities, according to a survey by consultants Deloitte. This content was published on December 29, 2020 – 08:39December 29, 2020 – 08:39 Keystone-SDA/ts Whether it’s paying parking fines or obtaining motorway toll stickers, Swiss want to be able to...

Shortly after the UK announced it was struggling to contain a new faster spreading strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Swiss government announced a backdated 10-day quarantine requirement for UK arrivals. This affected hundreds of UK tourists already in the winter resort of Verbier. Verbier, SwitzerlandAround 400 UK tourists, who had arrived after the retrospective 14 December 2020 quarantine cut off date, were staying the Swiss resort. Hotels and chalets were...