Tag Archives: Featured

- Click to enlarge I appeared on CNBC earlier today to talk about the dollar.  I was given the time to briefly sketch out my view of the dollar.  Near-term, I am concerned about the political and economic events in September,  but I am looking for a better Q4 for the greenback. I have not given up the idea that the dollar’s pullback this year is a correction to the bull move that began in mid-2014.  The euro...

The problem with stagnant wages is our socio-economic system requires ever-higher incomes to function. One of the enduring mysteries for conventional economists is why wages aren’t rising for the bottom 95% even as unemployment is low and hiring remains robust. According to classical economics, the limited supply of available workers combined with strong demand for workers should push wages higher. Why have wages for...

Zurich remains the dearest location for Swiss property at CHF12,250 ($13,000) per square metre. However, houses in Lucerne have gained the most in value over the past decade, with one square metre costing CHF8,500, up 82% on 2007. In particular demand are homes in lake regions, according to a report published on Thursday by the federal institute of technology ETH Zurich and the online comparison service Comparis. The...

After last year’s vote to speed up procedures in national centres, the government now plans to cut subsidies for rejected asylum seekers. (Keystone) The government wants to cut its financial contributions to asylum seekers as part of efforts to tighten the asylum procedure in Switzerland. The payments for individuals, currently around CHF6,000 ($6,312), could be reduced by a third, according to the Swiss News Agency....

– Trump could be planning a radical “reboot” of the U.S. dollar– Currency reboot will see leading nations devalue their currencies against gold– New gold price would be nearly 8 times higher at $10,000/oz– Price based on mass exit of foreign governments and investors from the US Dollar– US total debt now over $80 Trillion – $20T national debt and $60T consumer debt– Monetary reboot or currency devaluation seen...

I had the distinct of honor of being on Bloomberg television today with David Gura and Francine Lacqua. Dino Kos, formerly of the NY Fed and now at CLS, joined this segment as well. The broad topic was the Jackson Hole Symposium, and the challenge is fostering more dynamic growth. While short-term market participants are hoping for some clues into the Fed and ECB thinking, We are not convinced that our information set...

Summary India Prime Minister Modi has started a cabinet shuffle. Freeport McMorAn ceded control of the world’s second largest copper mine to the Indonesian government. Central Bank of Russia took over Bank Otkritie, once Russia’s largest private bank. Kenya’s top court nullified last month’s presidential election. Fitch cut Qatar’s rating by one notch to AA- with negative outlook. Chile’s economic team saw a big...

In Ian Fleming’s 1959 spy novel Goldfinger, he makes mention of the Moscow Rules. These were rules-of-thumb for clandestine agents working during the Cold War in the Soviet capital, a notoriously difficult assignment. Among the quips included in the catalog were, “everyone is potentially under opposition control” and “do not harass the opposition.” Fleming’s book added another, “Once is an accident. Twice is...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.04% to 1.1418 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, September 01(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates As the markets head into the weekend, global equities are firmer, benchmark 10-year yields are mostly lower, and the dollar is consolidating after North American pared the greenback’s gains yesterday. Manufacturing PMIs from China, EMU,...

– Gold surges as N. Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan– Safe haven buying sees gold break out to 10-month high after Jackson Hole and rising North Korea risk of attack on Guam – South Korea’s air force dropped eight MK 84 bombs near Seoul;  simulating the destruction of North Korea’s leadership– Gold rises from $1,291 to $1,325; Silver surges 3.2% from $17.05 to $17.60– Volatility as seen in VIX surges as stocks...