SNB & CHF

Plastic is all around us: it’s so present in our everyday lives we don’t just find it in our cupboards and on our desks, we even find it inside human bodies. A study published by the University of Newcastle found plastic traces all the way inside our muscles. For a material that’s so intrinsic to the way we live, recycling plastics is surprisingly difficult, and still seems to be a riddle in Switzerland. As waste management is in each canton or commune’s hands, and...

If one is a central bank – such as the SNB and BOJ – life is easy: you just print as much money as you need out of thin air, and buy whatever you want, without regard for price. For those who are not central banks, having access to unlimited borrowed money may be the next best thing. It now appears that the millennial-targeting brokerage Robinhood, which offers its users “free” online trades in exchange for quietly selling their orderflow to frontrunning HFTs, has a...

In Switzerland Uber grew 30% in the last year, reaching 400,000 active users. It’s not the first time Uber has faced some bumps on the road in canton Geneva. But the latest move requiring the ride-hailing company to treat drivers as employees could spell big changes for the company. Will Uber call it quits or set a precedent for other cities? The thousands of diplomats, business travellers and tourists arriving at Geneva airport every month may soon need to return to...

I’m not of the opinion that the American economy is doing amazingly well. However, I’m also not of the opinion that it is falling apart, or that the American middle class is disappearing before our eyes. Nor is there is no one, single, magic statistic we can point to and say “see, we’re all worse off — or better off — now.” Aggregate economic data is by its very nature lacking in nuance, moreover, difference measures of economic growth and prosperity can be...

City Council in London, Ontario recently decided to explore their options for regulating “short-term rentals” arranged through companies such as Airbnb, HomeAway, etc. The motion was brought forward by Councillor Anna Hopkins, who is concerned about (a) complaints from residents about short-term-renters’ noisy parties, and (b) “the role those short-term rentals have on taking potential long-term housing options out of the market.” Hopkins is concerned (video 1:31:27)...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.05% to 1.0994 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 5(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The prospects that the US-China deal could include some rolling back of existing US tariffs helped underpin risk appetites. After new record highs in the US S&P 500 and NASDAQ, Asia Pacific markets marched higher, and the MSCI Asia Pacific reached its highest level since August...

Farinet banknotes were introduced in Valais in western Switzerland in spring 2017 to stimulate the local economy. The Farinet – a local currency introduced in canton Valais in 2017 – is to be withdrawn from circulation at the end of 2019 after failing to stimulate the regional economy as hoped. Farinet banknotes were introduced in Valais in western Switzerland in spring 2017. But on Tuesday the association external linkbehind the currency announced it planned to...

USD/CHF holds on to recovery gains above 100-day SMA amid increasing hopes of the US-China trade deal. Comments from Fed’s Daly add to the pair’s strength. The US PMIs, JOLTS Job Openings to decorate the economic calendar while trade/Brexit headlines will mostly drive risk-tone. In addition to increasing hopes of an initial trade deal between the US and China, broad US Dollar (USD) strength also helps USD/CHF to take the bids near 0.9885 during the initial Asian...

One OECD recommendation is that Switzerland raises the retirement age. Trade tensions coupled with a slowdown in Europe are likely to take a toll on the Swiss economy over the next two years, the OECD forecasts. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revised its growth forecasts downwards for Switzerland. It also recommended Switzerland raise its retirement age. Swiss GDP is expected to grow by 0.8% this year and by 1.4% in 2020,...

Two main developments drove the foreign exchange market in October. First, the market grew more confident that a hard Brexit could be avoided. This drove sterling sharply higher. It rallied from $1.22 on October 10 to a little above $1.30 on October 21 before doubts grew about the likelihood that Parliament will approve the new agreement. The other development was a heavier US dollar after strong gains over the past three months. The prospect that the US-China tariff...