SNB & CHF

You’ve heard of the virtuous circle in the economy. Risk taking leads to spending/investment/hiring, which then leads to more spending/investment/hiring. Recovery, in other words. In the old days of the 20th century, quite a lot of the circle was rounded out by the inventory cycle. Both recession and recovery would depend upon how much additional product floated up and down the supply chain. Deflation, too. On the contraction side, demand might fall off a bit for...

Losses will be taken and sacrifices enforced on those who don’t understand the Chinese state will no longer absorb the losses of speculative excess. Let’s start by stipulating that no one outside President Xi’s inner circle really knows what’s going on in China, and so my comments here are systemic observations, not claims of insider knowledge.Many western observers have noted the centrality of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist doctrine in President Xi’s writings. This is...

Parmelin struck a personal note in his speech at the UN in New York and mentioned his professional background as a wine-grower. 2021 Getty Images Guy Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, has called for solidarity to tackle global environmental and trade issues. Addressing the United Nations general assembly in New York, Parmelin said the Covid pandemic had entrenched protectionist policies and laid open the vulnerability of global production...

From a revival of the inflation-deflation debate to the imminent collapse of the global banking system, there is no shortage of market & economic news, and noise, although there does seem to be a shortage of high quality thought about what’s really going on. So let's get our bearings and try to think correctly about all of the unfolding dynamics, so that we do not fall victim to them. And to help us understand what’s happening in the markets and the economy, today,...

On this week's episode of the Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan invites an incredibly special guest onto the show... He's a man who's launched over 1,000 new products, acquired dozens of businesses, and employed thousands of people... In a way, he's largely responsible for helping Dan get to where he is today... His biggest claim to fame is founding Agora Financial, now the largest independent research network on the planet... The one and only Bill Bonner. For those of you...

Overview:  The market's reaction to the FOMC statement was going according to our script, with the dollar backing off on a buy rumor sell the fact type of activity until Powell provided an end date for the tapering (mid-2022) before providing a start date (maybe next month).  This spurred a dollar rally.  Equities pulled back but recovered.  The dollar is paring its gains today.  It is lower against the other major currencies, but the yen, and the euro, which had...

The mainstream media is asking if China's property developer's imminent demise will be the "Lehman" moment. Unlikely. It's more likely this will be yet another Chinese Bear Stearns. The first? Shanghai Chaori Solar, in 2013... this isn't a new development. A reading, by Emil Kalinowski. ----------WHO---------- Jeff Snider of Alhambra Investments. Read by Emil Kalinowski. Art by David Parkins. Intro/outro is "Born in the 90's" by Ameryh at Epidemic Sound....

11:35 Der Schweizer Aktienmarkt tendiert am Donnerstag auf breiter Front fester und hat damit die Kursverluste vom vergangenen Montag bereits wieder wettgemacht. Zu verdanken ist dies laut Händlern zum einen der Entspannung der Lage bei dem in der Krise steckenden chinesischen Immobilienentwickler Evergrande, der eine heute fällige Couponzahlung einer Anleihe leisten will. Zudem reagiert der Markt positiv auf den “Nullentscheid” der Schweizerischen Nationalbank...

In the second quarter of 2021, the current account surplus amounted to almost CHF 11 billion, CHF 7 billion higher than in the same quarter of 2020. The rise was mainly attributable to a higher receipts surplus in goods trade. This was counteracted by primary income, where the  expenses surplus increased compared to the same quarter in 2020 due to the fact that, in direct investment, expenses rose more strongly than receipts. In the financial account, reported...

Poster advertising of tobacco products and e-cigarettes that can be seen from public places – for example, here in Zurich – will be banned. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally The Swiss parliament has agreed new advertising and sponsorship regulations for tobacco products. However, the supporters of a total ban on tobacco advertising are unimpressed. The long-running debate was heated until the end, with the political left trying in vain to push through a more restrictive...