SNB & CHF

In the midst of the emerging economic chaos triggered by the COVID-19 coronavirus, individuals are seeking answers from governments as to how to prevent the emerging economic disaster. Most economic experts are sympathetic to this and are urging the authorities to push massive injections of money. Thus in the US the central bank has embarked on a $2 trillion stimulus. At the same time government officials are imposing draconian measures to keep the population in...

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA veröffentlicht heute ihren Geschäftsbericht 2019. Dieser umfasst neben dem rückblickenden Jahresbericht auch die Jahresrechnung. Weiter stellt die FINMA ab heute neu Angaben zu den Enforcementfällen in einer Datenbank sowie Statistiken als Excel-Dokument auf ihrer Webseite zur Verfügung. “In unsicheren Zeiten auf den internationalen Finanzmärkten braucht die Schweiz stabile Finanzmarktinstitute.” So äussern sich der...

With less surgeries taking place, some doctors and healthcare professionals don’t have enough work. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) With the ban on non-emergency surgeries and other procedures, some hospitals and medical practices are applying for partial unemployment support for at least 20,000 healthcare workers. On Thursday, the German language paper TagesAnzeigeexternal linkr reported that due to the social distancing restrictions and ban on non-urgent medical...

Swiss commodity traders are hard at work so that people can continue to buy basic goods.  (Keystone) The strategic importance of commodities and experience in handling fluctuations has helped commodity firms weather the coronavirus storm better than most. swissinfo.ch caught up with Florence Schurch, general secretary of The Swiss Trading and Shipping Association (STSA), to find out how the commodities sector is handling the crisis and what it means for Switzerland....

The Swiss financial regulator took a closer look at cryptocurrency activities last year. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Switzerland’s financial regulator brought charges against eight “initial coin offering” (ICO) blockchain projects for breaching anti-money laundering rules last year. ICOs raise money from the public by selling digital tokens that promise to hold future value for the consumer. The fundraising activity is designed to make it easier for start-ups to...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.17% to 1.0551 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, April 03(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Global equities are finishing the week on a soggy tone despite the 2%+ gains seen in the US yesterday. The extension of shutdowns, rising contagion and fatality rate, and imploding economies weigh on prices.  In Asia, Korea and Indonesia bucked the trend to most minor gains. Europe...

The pound continued to strengthen against the Swiss franc yesterday following the news that the UK’s current lockdown situation appears to be slowing the spread of COVID-19, causing a 0.85% movement in GBPCHF exchange rates throughout the day. Scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine questioned 1,300 people in the UK in an online study, which found that the average number of daily contacts was down 70% now compared to before the country...

© Erfphotog | Dreamstime.com Tourism is one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus and the response to it. Figures from a study by HES-SO Valais published by the newspaper Blick suggest the industry will see revenues in Switzerland drop 18%, or CHF 6.4 billion, in 2020. The hotel sector alone, which generates around CHF 10 billion annually, could lose CHF 2 billion if the shutdown lasts until the end of May, according to the forecast. The cancelation of events...

[embedded content] While most businesses have temporarily shut down, others are starting up or finding new ways to reach the public in their homes. Some Swiss farm shops, like Thierry Miauton’sexternal link in Oleyres, canton Fribourg, are delivering local produce to people’s doorsteps, so the clients don’t have to risk possible contact with virus-contaminated shoppers in supermarkets. The well-stocked farm shop can hardly keep up with demand and has taken on...

In March,  the G10 and many emerging market countries, governments, and central banks unveiled large emergency measures.  The motivation is to blunt the economic impact of the novel coronavirus that has seen more than two billion people around the world have their movement restricted. Large swathes of the world’s economy have shut down.  The nature of the shock means that the first countries to push its companies to re-start, and especially export-oriented...