SNB & CHF

The lockdown vs. opening debate continues in just about every country; the dollar is consolidating recent gains Reports suggest the White House and House Democrats are nearing a deal on another aid package worth nearly $500 bln; the extra fiscal stimulus will add to downward ratings pressure on the US Chicago Fed National Activity Index for March will be reported; late Friday, Moody’s downgraded Mexico a notch to Baa1 with negative outlook The debate about re-opening...

A journalist attends a Covid-19 briefing at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on March 6. WHO has played a leading role in fighting the virus, amid criticism. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone) The pandemic is testing the limits of the United Nations system, say Geneva and New York-based experts, amid funding challenges and an ongoing blame game between the United States and China. The UN is marking its 75th anniversaryexternal link this year. What could have...

Closed shops, cancelled flights, shut construction sites: the pandemic is causing the Swiss economy to lose an estimated CHF4-5 billion a week (Keystone) The current pandemic will plunge the world economy into recession, at least in the first part of the year. What tools does Switzerland have to minimise the economic and social damage of this crisis? And what factors could jeopardise the prospects for an economic recovery? The CHF10 billion ($10.3 billion) in...

In the early days of the outbreak, pundits rushed to the ramparts of Twitter to proclaim that “there are no libertarians in a pandemic.” However, this glee at the apparent failure of markets was soon dashed as more evidence accumulated showing that government intervention was actually the main impediment to success. From an economic standpoint, the channels by which government failure accumulated were legion: Centralizing and restricting testing: the most egregious...

Restoring shuttered companies back to health may take more than state handouts. (Keystone / Laurent Gillieron) The CHF60 billion Swiss state bailout of companies is well underway. But there is a feeling that government funds that hand out loans and pay workers’ wages will not be enough. How do companies maintain contact with customers and develop their brands during a lockdown? The obvious solution is to embrace digital. The last few weeks has seen a number of...

© Panuwat Dangsungnoen | Dreamstime.com By 14 April 2020, a total 25,936 cases of Covid-19 infection had been recorded in Switzerland, a rise of 3,683 over the preceding 7 days. However, despite the continued rise in cases there are indications measures to slowdown the spread of the virus are working. New daily infections since the start of April 2020 from four different sources presented in the chart below all show a broadly downward trend. It is important to note...

The price of a great many assets will crash, out of proportion to the decline in demand. Oil is the poster child of the forces driving massive deflation: overcapacity / oversupply and a collapse in demand. Overcapacity / oversupply and a collapse in demand are not limited to the crude oil market; rather, they are the dominant realities in the global economy. Yes, there are shortages in a few high-demand areas such as PPE (personal protective equipment), but across...

. [This text is excerpted from the introduction to The Anatomy of the Crash, a Mises Institute ebook to be released in April 2020.] The Great Crash of 2020 was not caused by a virus. It was precipitated by the virus, and made worse by the crazed decisions of governments around the world to shut down business and travel. But it was caused by economic fragility. The supposed greatest economy in US history actually was a walking sick man, made comfortable with...

There is no way authorities can limit the coronavirus and restore global growth and debt expansion to December 2019 levels. Authorities around the world are between a rock and a hard place: they need policies that both limit the spread of the coronavirus and allow their economies to “open for business.” The two demands are inherently incompatible, and so neither one can be fulfilled. The problem is the intrinsic natures of the virus and the global economy. This...

The government is expected to present its Covid-19 exit plans on Thursday. The picture shows Swiss President Sommaruga (centre) with Interior Minister Berset (right) and Economics Minister Parmelin (left) talking to the government spokesman. (Keystone/Peter Klaunzer) Political parties, trade unions and other interest groups have published their proposals for the government to relax restrictions introduced to stem the Covid-19 pandemic. The calls come a day ahead of...