SNB & CHF

Switzerland has a strong economy, low inflation, low national debt and a low unemployment rate. It’s hard to believe that only a few generations ago, Switzerland was poor and many had to leave to find work abroad. In this episode of 'Switzerland Explained' we look at how the job market has dramatically transformed since then and continues to change. In the 19th century, the country’s textile and chemical industry started taking off, followed by the machine industry and the...

22.10.2020 – In Switzerland, 19.2% of people who pursued a professional activity left their job between 2018 and 2019. Mobility is particularly strong among young people, people with a fixed-term contract or working in the hotel and restaurant sector. A change of job led to a higher work-time percentage for 1 in 5 people and a wage increase for 1 full-time employee in 3. These are some of the results from the “Occupational mobility in Switzerland 2019” publication...

All the staging is a means to an end, and everyone in America is nothing more than a means to an end: close the sale so the few can continue exploiting the many. You know how realtors stage a house to increase its marketability: first, they remove all evidence that people actually live there. (Of course a vacant house is ideal for staging because there’s none of the messy real-life stuff to deal with.) All the clutter of everyday life must be moved elsewhere so the...

© Martinmark | Dreamstime.com On 21 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 5,596, new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours. The highest daily reported figure during spring was 1,293. A significant increase in testing means infection figures reported over spring are not comparable to today’s numbers. However, the difference in test positivity is narrowing. During the peak in March 2020 around 25% of tests were positive. Over...

Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.com In Geneva, the number hospitalised with Covid-19 has reached 134, the highest it has been since the first wave in spring. On Friday 16 October 2020, there were 94 patients. This represents a jump of 43% in 3 days. Across Switzerland, the picture is similar. On Friday there were 582 Covid-19 patients hospitalised. By Monday, this number had risen to 751, according to data published by RTS, a jump of 29%. The current trend in...

Hans-Hermann Hoppe has shown in his writings on democracy that democracy leads to economic impoverishment and political disaster under certain conditions. But what are those conditions, and are they dominant in electoral institutions in the United States today? And what role does ideology play in limiting the abuse of the ballot box by voters? Additional Resources “Stop Saying We’re a Republic, Not a Democracy“ by Ryan McMaken: Mises.org/RR_38_1 Patrick Newman’s...

Swiss Franc The Euro is stable by 0.00% to 1.072 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 21(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The dollar is falling against most of the world’s currencies today, even as long-term yields rise to the most in four months and drags global yields higher. The US 10-year yield is pushing above 0.80%, and the 30-year is above 1.60%. Many are linking the backup in yields to prospects...

Second Covid Wave in Europe The second wave of the Coronavirus is currently raging in Europe.  The attached image shows the number of newly infected people in European countries on a linear scale. In particular in the Czech republic, but also in Switzerland, France or Spain, one can see a tendency towards exponential growth. New cases in Europe - Click to enlarge Multiplier between Newly Infected and Newly  Recovered Many people quickly recover after having...

Clearly, the Fed reckons the public is foolish enough to believe the Fed’s money will actually be “free.” It’s pretty much universally recognized that authorities use crises to impose “emergency powers” that become permanent. This erosion of civil and economic liberties is always sold as “necessary for your own good.” Of course the accretion of ever greater power in the hands of the few is for our own good. How could it be otherwise? (Irony off) In this environment...

© thanakorn hormniam _ Dreamstime.com SARS-CoV-2 tests that give results in 15 minutes scored well on sensitivity, according to a study by Unisanté in Lausanne, Switzerland. The tests, which involve taking a sample of nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat, test for a protein present in the virus. The main PCR test used currently looks for genetic material specific to the virus, a more complicated laboratory-based process that can take around a day....