Tag Archives: Featured

– Silver bullion remains good value on positive supply and demand factors– Industrial demand set to continue to climb from 2017, into 2018 and beyond– Speculators are bearish on silver as net short positions in silver futures reach record– Investment demand sees silver ETF holdings at eight-month high of 665.4 million ozs– 2017 saw fifth consecutive annual physical deficit in scrap silver, of 26 moz– Global silver mine...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.23% to 1.1944 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, April 23(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The new week has begun much like last week ended, with rising rates helping to extend the dollar’s recent gains. The US 10-year yield is flirting with the 3.0% threshold. The two-year yield is firmer, and, like in the second half of last...

– New all time record highs for gold in 2019– ‘Powerful bull market’ will likely send gold to $5,000 to $10,000– If USD & Treasuries keep falling, stocks may decline at ‘moment’s notice’– Traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds will not protect investors– “Gold will replace bonds as the go-to hedge” by Brian Delaney of Secure Investments Gold is gaining momentum after a 5-year consolidation and is set to...

The digital revolution has launched a wave of innovation in the world’s cities, says MIT’s Carlo Ratti, providing opportunities to improve urban mobility and create better workspaces for the changing nature of work. These are exciting times for cities, according to Carlo Ratti, Director of MIT’s Senseable City Lab and co-founder of Carlo Ratti Associati architecture studio. Although they occupy just 2 per cent of the...

On 6 April, the Trump Administration announced additional and more severe sanctions against Russia “in response to the totality of the Russian government’s ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern of malign activity around the world”. US sanctions target seven Russian oligarchs, 12 companies controlled by them, and 17 high-ranking government officials. The measures freeze any US assets held by those targeted and cut them...

Worries about a trade war appear to have eased, at least for the moment, but that does not make investors worry-free. The concerns have shifted toward rising US interest rates, perhaps more than anything else, but general anxiety seems elevated. The unpredictableness of Trump Administration is not helpful, and even though oil prices recovered, they did react quickly,  losing a dollar a barrel in response to his tweet....

Summary The Reserve Bank of India is tilting more hawkish. Tensions on the Korean peninsula are easing. The Trump administration reversed course on Russia sanctions. Turkey is heading for early elections. Raul Castro stepped down as president of Cuba. Mexico polls show continued gains for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Stock Markets In the EM equity space as measured by MSCI, Qatar (+4.8%), Russia (+3.3%), and Singapore...

Palladium bullion has surged a massive 17% in just nine trading days. From $895/oz on Friday April 6th to over $1,052/oz today (April 19th). The price surge is due to palladium being due a bounce after falling in the first quarter and now due to Russian supply concerns. In a volatile month, precious metals and commodities have been the clear winners so far, with palladium having the greatest gains of all – up 10.7% in...

The ECB’s Governing Council may have to wait a little longer to get a clearer view of where euro area core inflation is heading in the near term. The early timing of Easter this year has made travel-related services prices more volatile. Another reason is that an unexpected drop in core goods inflation has fuelled concerns over a potentially larger FX pass-through. We are not too worried, as weakness in non-energy...

Statistics published today show a further rise in Swiss healthcare costs. © Aviahuismanphotography | Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge In 2016, spending on healthcare rose by 3.8% reaching over CHF 80 billion, 12.2% of GDP. In 2015, Swiss healthcare spending was equal to 11.9% of GDP. The challenge of rising healthcare costs is not confined to Switzerland. In the UK in 2015, healthcare costs rose 3.6% to reach 9.9% of...