SNB & CHF

Deaths because of and with Covid19 Over the 7 days to 13 November 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 553 deaths among laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the death toll to 1,229 since summer and 2,960 since the beginning of the year. The 553 reported deaths this week represent 19% of the total so far, making the last 7 days the deadliest 7-day period since the virus arrived in Switzerland. There are currently 3,945 Covid-19...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.02% to 1.0796 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 13(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The largest bourses in the Asia Pacific region followed the US equity market lower, with the Nikkei posting its first loss in nine sessions. China, Hong Kong, and Australia moved lower as well. On the week, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained about 1% after rising 6.3% in the prior...

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA veröffentlicht den Risikomonitor 2020. Sie gibt damit einen Überblick über die aus ihrer Sicht aktuell bedeutendsten Risiken für die Beaufsichtigten und beschreibt den daraus abgeleiteten Fokus der Aufsichtstätigkeit. Die FINMA identifizierte im Corona-Jahr sieben Hauptrisiken. Neu auf der Liste sieht die FINMA drohende Ausfälle oder Korrekturen bei Unternehmenskrediten und -anleihen im Ausland. Das Jahr 2020 war klar von...

© Lauvergnat Laurent | Dreamstime.com Public worker absenteeism in Geneva costs at least CHF 285 million, according to Heidi.news, which calculated the sum based on information contained in an internal document. According to the news service the cost of absenteeism, which continues to rise, is equivalent to 11% of the 2.54 billion spent public sector workers’ salaries in 2019 and 3% of the canton’s total public sector spending that year. This is the first time that...

Pressure on the dollar has resumed; October CPI data will be the US highlight; US bond market was closed yesterday but yields have eased a bit today Weekly jobless claims data will be reported; monthly budget statement for October will hold some interest; Mexico is expected to cut rates 25 bp to 4.0%; Peru is expected to keep rates steady at 0.25% UK Q3 GDP rebounded strongly but September data show a loss of momentum; Brexit talks remain unresolved; the domestic...

The Brexit deadline of December 31st, the date beyond which the transition or implementation period cannot be extended, now looms large and the dreaded “No-Deal” Brexit outcome looks increasingly possible by the day. There is plenty of brinkmanship, rhetoric and passionately held views on the Brexit issue and recent days have seen this again. It is and will continue to be a highly partisan and divisive issue. It is important to tune out the political noise and...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.14% to 1.0788 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 12(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: There is a nervous calm in the capital markets today. The equity rally in the Asia Pacific region stalled to end an eight-day rally, though the Nikkei’s rally remains intact. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 in Europe is consolidating near eight-month highs visited yesterday, and US shares...

Implications for precious metals investors As the long-awaited “second wave” of the corona pandemic sweeps through Europe, another round of severe restrictions, travel bans and rules that prevent the proper function of international business and trade threatens to once again disrupt all kinds of sectors, including the gold industry. Lockdown 2.0 Until only a couple of months ago, multiple heads of state, government officials and all kinds of experts were openly...

On Monday the dollar had a ferocious rally, moving up from 15.87mg gold to 16.77mg and from 1.21g silver to 1.32g. In mainstream terms, the price of gold dropped about a hundred bucks, and the price of silver crashed $2.20. One notion we’re hearing a lot now is, “there is no alternative to stocks.” Certainly, stocks have been rallying. They were up in Sunday evening (as we reckon it here in Arizona) trading. Then Pfizer announced good news for its COVID vaccine, and...

Switzerland is home to the headquarters of several world leaders in raw materials, such as Glencore, based in the canton of Zug. Keystone / Alessandro Della Bella Home to big players in the raw materials, food and chemicals industries, Switzerland boasts one of the world’s highest concentrations of multinational headquarters. Multinationals play an important role in the Swiss economy, providing both jobs and tax revenues. In 2018, the Federal Statistical Office found...