Tag Archives: Featured

– Gold prices rise to $1,326/oz on concerns China may slow U.S. Treasury buying – Equities fell sharply on the report as did Treasurys and the U.S. dollar – Chinese officials think U.S. debt is becoming less attractive compared to other assets – Trade tensions could provide a reason to slow down or halt U.S. debt purchases – U.S. dollar vulnerable as China remains biggest buyer of U.S. sovereign debt – Currency wars to...

This is how our entire status quo maintains the illusion of normalcy: by avoiding a full accounting of the costs. The economy’s going great–but at what cost? “Normalcy” has been restored, but at what cost? Profits are soaring, but at what cost? Our pain is being reduced–but at what cost? The status quo delights in celebrating gains, but the costs required to generate those gains are ignored for one simple reason: the...

- Click to enlarge Axel Weber hat zwei Seelen in seiner Brust: eine als Ex-Notenbanker, eine als UBS-Präsident. Als Präsident der Deutschen Bundesbank hatte der Deutsche Weber gesagt, es gäbe keine Einlösungsverpflichtung der Deutschen Bundesbank für eine Banknote. „Wirtschaftlich gesehen sind unsere Banknoten eine Verbindlichkeit des Eurosystems. Dabei handelt es sich aber eher um eine abstrakte Verpflichtung. Wer...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.31% to 1.1725 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 10(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Sparked by fears that the BOJ took a step toward the monetary exit by reducing the amount of long-term bonds it is buying, there is an apparent scramble to cover previously sold yen positions. The dollar finished last week near JPY113.00....

Employees should also benefit from increased productivity, say trade unions. Pictured here is the dishwasher assembly line at the V-ZUG factory in Zug, Switzerland. (© KEYSTONE / GAETAN BALLY) The Swiss Trade Union Federation is demanding shorter work weeks, compensation for pension losses and enforcement of equal pay for men and women. At its annual media conference in Bern on Thursday, the Swiss Trade Union...

10 Reasons Why You Should Add To Your Gold Holdings – Gold currently undervalued– Since 2000, the gold price has beaten the S&P 500 Index– A ‘a once-in-a-decade opportunity’ as gold-to-S&P 500 ratio is at its lowest point in 10 years.– Reached ‘peak gold’ as exploration budgets continue to tighten– $80 trillion sits in global equities, a ‘ticking time bomb’ – Gold remains an appealing diversifier in the current...

In 2017, the BLS estimates that just 861k Americans were added to the official labor force, the denominator, of course, for the unemployment rate. That’s out of an increase of 1.4 million in the Civilian Non-Institutional Population, the overall prospective pool of workers. Both of those rises were about half the rate experienced in 2016. While population growth slowed last year, it produced, apparently, an almost...

According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), consumer prices in Switzerland remained broadly stable at 0.8% y-o-y in December, in line with consensus expectations, meaning that Swiss inflation stayed at its highest rate in almost seven years at the end of 2017. Core inflation (headline CPI excluding food, beverages, tobacco, seasonal products, energy and fuels) rose slightly from 0.6% y-o-y in November to...

- Click to enlarge Confederation and cantons to receive distribution of at least CHF 2 billion According to provisional calculations, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will report a profit in the order of CHF 54 billion for the 2017 financial year. The profit on foreign currency positions amounted to CHF 49 billion. A valuation gain of CHF 3 billion was recorded on gold holdings. The net result on Swiss franc positions...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.31% to 1.1725 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 09(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar’s upside correction that began before the weekend has been extended in Asia and Europe today. The main exception is the Japanese yen. The yen’s modest gains have been registered despite the firmness in US rates and continued...