SNB & CHF

Injection of pressurised water underground creates a lot of pressure in the spaces between the rocks and is believed to be responsible for minor tremors. (Keystone / George Frey / Raser Technologies) Identifying the kind of fault or tectonic forces in an underground reservoir can reduce the risk of tremors caused by geothermal energy or carbon storage. The injection of cold pressurised water into hot impermeable rocks several kilometres underground is how underground...

The US Treasury on Monday added Swiss Franc (CHF) back to its currency watch list and urged Switzerland to adjust its macroeconomic policies to more forcefully support domestic economic activity, according to Bloomberg. The Treasury report released Monday said: Despite borrowing costs for the Swiss government being among the lowest in the world, fiscal policy remains underutilized, even within the constraints of Switzerland’s existing fiscal rules. The Swiss Franc is...

Perhaps even PhD economists notice that manic-mania bubbles always burst–always. Just a friendly heads-up to all the Bulls bowing and murmuring prayers to the Golden Idol of the Federal Reserve: the Fed just slashed its balance sheet–yes, reduced its assets. After panic-printing $410 billion in a few months, a $24 billion decline isn’t much, but it does suggest the Fed might finally be worrying about the reckless, insane bubble it inflated: August 28, 2019: $3.760...

Since I advertised the release last week, here’s Mexico’s update to Industrial Production in November 2019. The level of production was estimated to have fallen by 1.8% from November 2018. It was up marginally on a seasonally-adjusted basis from its low in October. That doesn’t sound like much, -1.8%, but apart from recent months this would’ve been the third worst result since 2009. Mexico has rarely experienced that kind of seemingly mild contraction. It signals...

Looks amazingly similar to a real nugget: 18-​carat gold with latex as the base material. ( ETH Zurich / Peter Rüegg) Five years ago researchers at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich developed the lightest gold in the world, which could float on a cappuccino. But there wasn’t much they could do with it. Now they have created 18-carat light gold which can be used for watches, jewellery and electronics. It is based on a plastic matrix that replaces metallic...

Last week I discussed a new argument against paternalism in the important book of Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman, Escaping Paternalism. Today I’d like to give the other side a chance. Robert H. Frank is an economist at Cornell University, well-regarded for his work on the emotions and usually anxious to stress the flaws of the free market. In his just-published Under the Influence, he offers, among many other things, a defense of high taxes on cigarettes, and this is...

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Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.08% to 1.080 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 13(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: There are two big stories today. The first is the large scale protests in Iran after the government admits to accidentally shooting down the commercial airliner amid the fog of war. The market impact seems minimal but fueling speculation that this, coupled with the economic hardship...

Asset Allocation Our asset allocation is dominated by a wish to stay diversified in a fragile environment. Continued ‘noise’ around trade is likely to leave markets alternating between disappointment and hope. With this in mind, we have a neutral stance on government bonds and developed-market equities alike, although we still see select opportunities in equities and appreciate the protective function of safe-haven bonds. Geopolitical events such as the tensions...

USD/CHF stays below the five-week-old falling trend line, 23.6% Fibonacci retracement. Bearish MACD increases the odds of the pair’s declines. Channel’s resistance, 50% Fibonacci retracement will question buyers during the recovery. USD/CHF registers modest changes while taking rounds to 0.9730 ahead of the European session on Monday. The pair recently reversed from a descending trend line since December 06 while also slipping beneath 23.6% Fibonacci retracement of...