SNB & CHF

(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links) If you want to invest in the stock market, you will need to choose a portfolio. Ideally, you will want to invest in index funds via Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). For, this you will need to decide on an ETF Portfolio for Switzerland. Choosing a good portfolio is an important decision. You need to invest in a portfolio that will have low fees, high diversification, and good returns. And you should be...

How bad is it? That is the question on everyone’s mind as we come to grips with the economic carnage caused by global economic shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and ongoing quarantines of million of people. Do we face another Great Depression, or simply a deep recession more like 2008? And equally important, are soft Americans prepared for either? Have we started to process all of this psychologically? Have we really come to terms with the enormity of the...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.10% to 1.0522 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 15(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The S&P 500 staged an impressive recovery yesterday, a sell-off that took it to its lowest level since April 21, to close more than 1% higher on the day, helped set the tone in the Far East and Europe today. Gains in most Asia Pacific markets, but Hong Kong, Shanghai, and India,...

The issuance of the ninth banknote series was concluded on 12 September 2019. The Swiss National Bank intends to communicate the statutory recall of the banknotes from the eighth series two months in advance in the first half of 2021. Notes from the eighth series will remain legal tender until they are recalled and may continue to be used or exchanged without restriction. After their recall by the SNB, the banknotes lose their status as legal tender. They can,...

Becoming Swiss can cost up to CHF4,000 in some cantons (Keystone) Naturalisation fees vary among Switzerland’s 26 cantons. This has caught the eye of the federal price watchdog, who doubts that the fees fall within the legal framework. The law on Swiss citizenshipexternal link stipulates that “the fees may not amount to more than is required to cover costs”. But for price watchdog Stefan Meierhans this is “more than questionable”, as he writes in his...

Part of the Acropolis in Athens, one of the destinations where SWISS plans to expand its services (Keystone) After grounding most of its fleet because of Covid-19, Swiss International Air Lines will partially restart its flight operations in June and plans to operate up to 190 flights from Zurich and Geneva to 41 European destinations. The return to the skies would follow in stages, and the range of flights available will gradually be increased over the coming weeks,...

Risk-off sentiment has intensified; as a result, the dollar is getting some more traction Fed Chair Powell pushed back against the notion of negative rates in the US; US Treasury completed its quarterly refunding Weekly jobless claims are expected at 2.5 mln vs. 3.169 mln last week; Mexico is expected to cut rates 50 bp to 5.5%There have been growing discussions about negative rates in the UK; weak UK data, rising Brexit risks, and a more dovish BOE have taken a toll...

[This article is part of the Understanding Money Mechanics series, by Robert P. Murphy. The series will be published as a book in late 2020.] Starting with Carl Menger’s undisputed role in the “marginal revolution,” which ushered in subjective value theory, the Austrian school has made important contributions that have been absorbed into standard economic theory. However, the Austrian theory of the business cycle is still something unique to the school, differing not...

Interview with Robert Hartmann, Co-Owner ProAurum Over the last couple of months, we’ve witnessed unprecedented changes in the global economy, in the markets and in our societies. The corona crisis and the governmental measures that were introduced had a dramatic and direct effect on all of us, as investors and as citizens. That is especially true of precious metals investors. A new gold rush is now underway, with impressive price gains and...

Marc Chandler, a political economist and currently managing partner at Bannockburn Global Forex, joined the podcast to provide his assessment of the coronavirus impact on the global economy. Listen to the full episode here: https://contrarianpod.com/content/podcasts/season2/assessing-economic-damage-from-coronavirus-crisis-and-plotting-a-way-forward/