In a CEPR Discussion Paper, Sascha Becker, Thiemo Fetzer, and Dennis Novy argue that education and income mainly explain voting outcomes. In the abstract of their paper, the authors write: We find that exposure to the EU in terms of immigration and trade provides relatively little explanatory power for the referendum vote. Instead, … fundamental characteristics of the voting population were key drivers of the Vote Leave share, in particular their education profiles, their historical...
Read More »Blocher and the People That Ruined the EU
Last weekend, European leaders gathered in Rome for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. They discussed, not for the first time, how to get the EU back on track. And they told each other they are still committed to the Union and believe in its future. (We’ve heard that one before, too.) But let’s just suppose that, when the European leaders sat down for lunch at the Quirinal Palace, some of them had a little too...
Read More »Cool Video: Brexit, Europe and EU Challenges
Earlier today, I had the opportunity to discuss the outlook for sterling and the US dollar on Bloomberg TV with Rishaad Salamat and Haidi Lun. It is a momentous day with Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty being formally triggered by UK Prime Minister May, nine months after what was, at least initially, a non-binding referendum. European Council President Tusk is expected formally to respond for the EU before the...
Read More »FX Daily, March 15: Greenback Softens Ahead of FOMC
Swiss Franc Switzerland Producer Price Index (PPI) YoY, February 2017(see more posts on Switzerland Producer Price Index, ) Source: Investing.com - Click to enlarge GBP/CHF Today is crucial for Swiss Franc exchange rates with a number of economic releases and political events happening around the world which are likely to have a direct bearing on the direction of the Swiss Franc. The US Federal Reserve...
Read More »FX Daily, March 14: Brexit Takes Fresh Toll on Sterling, While Dollar Firms more Broadly
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, March 14(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates UK Prime Minister May got the parliamentary approval the courts ruled was necessary to formally trigger Article 50. It is not clear what UK she will lead out the EU. Scotland is beginning the legal proceedings to hold another referendum on independence. There is some talk that Northern Ireland, which...
Read More »M&G zieht Konsequenzen aus dem Brexit
M&G verschiebt seine Fonds aus Grossbritannien - allerdings nicht in die Schweiz, sondern nach Luxemburg. M&G Investments legt eine Palette luxemburgischer SICAV-Fonds auf, die die gleichen Anlagestrategien wie die britischen offenen Investmentfonds verfolgen werden. M&G Investments sorgt für den Brexit vor und dupliziert die Fondspalette in Luxemburg. M&G gründet ausserdem...
Read More »The Consensus Narrative does not Appreciate the Resilience of the System
Summary: The system of checks and balances is working. Populism-nationalism is not sweeping across the world. Even in US and UK, populist agenda was appropriated by the main-center right party. The attack on the body politics is activating the immune system in ways that the consensus narrative does not recognize. The high level of anxiety among investors is masked by the rise of equities. As political issues...
Read More »Martin Armstrong: “EU in Disintegration Mode”
Martin Armstrong Frames the Issue Famous market forecaster Martin Armstrong wrote a recent article describing the current situation in Europe. Similar to our article, “Trouble Brewing in the EU”, the Armstrong’s piece discusses growing discontent and fractures in the E.U. Martin Armstrong observes that, “The EU leadership is really trying to make Great Britain pay dearly for voting to exit the Community. Like the...
Read More »FX Daily, January 24: UK Supreme Court Requires May to Submit Bill on Brexit to Parliament
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, January 24(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge GBP/CHF The Supreme Court ruling is finally upon us this morning which will determine whether or not UK Prime Minister Theresa May can invoke Article 50 to commence exit negotiations without as Act of Parliament. With so many political forces at work and a movement to keep Britain with as close ties as possible to...
Read More »UK Supreme Court Decision: Anti-Climactic?
Summary: Sterling retreats on court ruling but key supports hold and it recoups initial loss. The US dollar is recovering with the help of firming US yields. Investors are still anxious for details of new US government’s tax, deregulation, and infrastructure investment plans. The UK Supreme Court will hand down its ruling tomorrow on the government’s appeal of a High Court decision that recognized the right of...
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