SNB & CHF

Never mind that the US Treasury’s indictment late last year of Switzerland as a currency manipulator rested on some flawed evidence and does not identify the crime. The clash between Washington and Berne marks another episode in this alpine nation’s dark history of trucking with foreign repression rather than developing its potential as a global haven and beacon of freedom. Occasionally there have been bright interludes but none so far with respect to the last...

The Stress of Losing Billions Up until the WallStreetBets crowd short squeezed Melvin Capital for a $7 billion loss, Robinhood had it made. But losing billions is stressful. And when your product blows up your customer the clucking that follows comes hot and heavy. A surprise revival of business at Game-Stop… [PT] One of the sweetest displays in the world, we’ve been told, is the bursts of digital confetti that shower down Robinhood’s investment app to celebrate the...

Switzerland was one of the last countries to grant women their right to vote, preceding only 22 other countries worldwide. Today, only one country doesn't allow women voters to cast their ballot in national elections, just because there aren't any. In Vatican City, an absolute monarchy, the legislators are appointed by the Pope. Neither male nor female citizens have the right to vote. February 7, 2021, marks the 50th anniversary of Swiss women's right to vote. Two thirds of the male...

Around 90% of federal funds go towards livestock protection measures like herd-protection dogs. Keystone / Peter Schneider The federal government spends CHF4 million (around $4.4 million) a year to minimise the damage caused by predators like wolves and lynx. Of this amount some three million Swiss francs are being invested in the protection of herds and flocks, the government revealed in its response to a question from a parliamentarian. Farmers receive around 70%...

Is there common ground the among proponents of gold and bitcoin? John Flaherty and CEO Keith Weiner take on that question in this episode. They also discuss: What bitcoin has been able to accomplish that gold hasn’t What gold and bitcoin have in common A billionaire’s comments regarding a bitcoin bubble Why ‘engineered money’ may give people pause [embedded content] Episode Transcript John Flaherty: Hello and welcome again to The Gold Exchange podcast. I’m John...

Everyone in Europe has long forgotten about what was going on there before COVID. First, an economy that had been stuck two years within a deflationary downturn central bankers like Italy’s new recycled top guy Mario Draghi clumsily mistook for an inflationary takeoff. Both the inflation puzzle and ultimately a pre-pandemic recession have taken a back seat to everything corona. Whereas Draghi spent those years howling for inflationary conditions that were nowhere in...

In Europe, Switzerland, Estonia, Malta and Cyprus have the most advanced and mature blockchain ecosystems with well-developed startup scenes and high levels of regulatory maturity, a paper by the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum says. More specifically, the European Commission (EC) blockchain think tank places Switzerland at the epicenter of blockchain activity, not only in Europe, but globally, noting the country’s massive blockchain industry of 800 dedicated...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]President Joe Biden vowed to put a “quick end” to the Trump administration’s Title IX regulations and return to Obama-era ones at universities. If this happens, the sexual misconduct hearings will be deeply impacted.

Scottsdale, Ariz, February 5, 2021—Monetary Metals® announces the renewal and expansion of its gold, silver & platinum leases to Money Metals Exchange, to finance the Idaho-based business’ bullion inventory. Money Metals Exchange (no relationship to Monetary Metals) was recently named “Best Overall Online Gold Dealer” for 2021 by Investopedia. Monetary Metals has a disruptive model, obtaining precious metals from investors and leasing it to qualified companies...

Please study these charts as a means of understanding the inevitability of economic stagnation and a revolt of the decapitalized middle class. I’ve been covering the decline of America’s middle class for over a decade with charts, data and commentary on the social depression that has accompanied the decline. While there are many mutually reinforcing dynamics in this 45-year decline–demographics, global energy costs, financialization and globalization, to name a few–...