SNB & CHF

Why don’t elections bring harmony and closure rather than ever greater political friction? Hans-Hermann Hoppe explained all of the fundamental problems with mass democracy more than 20 years ago in Democracy: The God That Failed. Jeff Deist finishes his series on this devastating classic with a look at Hoppe’s final chapters, critiquing conservatism, liberalism, and constitutionalism. Why do both conservatism and liberalism fail? (hint: democratic mechanisms)....

On Wednesday last week, the price of silver dropped from over $24.25 to just a bit over $23 before bouncing back to around $23.50. The next day, the price dropped again, briefly to around $22.60 before mostly recovering (but a dime to a quarter down). Let’s look at the graph of the price and basis (i.e. abundance) action for 28 and 29 October. At the end of the day (second day), the price is about a buck lower. And the basis (i.e. abundance) is about 50bps lower....

Death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax—call it what you will, they all mean that some government entity wants to put its hand in your pocket or your heirs’ pockets, after your demise. On the federal level, the estate tax issue is not as big a deal as it was back in the day. Today individuals can pass on more than $11 million and couples can pass on more than $23 million before Washington comes after your money. 17 states, on the other hand, have not moderated their...

Romeo Lacher ist Verwaltungsratspräsident von Julius Bär. Bild: ZVG At its meeting today, the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank decided to propose to the General Meeting of Shareholders of 30 April 2021 that Romeo Lacher and Christoph Mäder be elected to the SNB Bank Council for the remainder of the 2020–2024 term of office. Romeo Lacher is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Julius Baer Group Ltd. and Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. Christoph Mäder is...

On 28 October 2020, after a record number of 8,616 daily new cases of infection were reported, Switzerland’s federal government announced new measures to fight against the spread of Covid-19. These rules come into effect from Thursday 29 October 2020.Nightclubs to close Discos and nightclubs will be closed. New rules for restaurants and bars No more than four people will be allowed to sit at a table in restaurants and bars, with the exception of families with...

© Niccolo Pontigia | Dreamstime.com On 29 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 9,386 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours, bringing the total to 145,044. New daily cases continue to rise in Switzerland. The number of reported laboratory-confirmed cases today was 9% higher than yesterday. Over the last 14 days, Switzerland has recorded 837 new cases per 100,000, with nearly half of Switzerland’s laboratory-confirmed...

[A Selection from Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition.] Equality Nowhere is the difference between the reasoning of the older liberalism and that of neoliberalism clearer and easier to demonstrate than in their treatment of the problem of equality. The liberals of the eighteenth century, guided by the ideas of natural law and of the Enlightenment, demanded for everyone equality of political and civil rights because they assumed that all men are equal. God created...

Although he was a scholar with degrees in mathematics and economics, Murray Rothbard was very much a fan of the American layman. Indeed, he was a populist both in temperament and in his political views. In a 1992 column outlining his populist strategy, Rothbard noted the importance of reaching out to the general public and especially to those groups that were most negatively impacted by state power: This two-pronged strategy is (a) to build up a cadre of our own...

The increasing volatility of SNB Earnings Annual results are not really definite. Given that the SNB accumulates foreign currencies with interventions, they have huge swings. But the SNB may lose 50 billion in one year and win 60 billion in the next year or vice verse. Low Inflation, Crashes and Central Bank Money Printing The crisis caused by the Covid19 virus,is a typical crisis with low inflation (at least for now). During such a crisis, central bank money...

© Piccaya | Dreamstime.com On 28 October 2020, Switzerland’s federal government removed all but 6 nations/regions from its quarantine list, effective from 29 October 2020. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection has risen so high in Switzerland that most of the world is less infected. Quarantining those arriving in Switzerland from all but a few places is now senseless. Currently, there are 90 nations or regions from where people must quarantine on arrival in Switzerland....