Tag Archives: Featured

© Blondsteve | Dreamstime As next year’s health premium bills find their way into Swiss mail or email boxes, the reality of another round of price increases starts to bite. Earlier this week, Switzerland’s Federal Council unveiled 38 measures that will be considered as part of a plan to tackle Switzerland’s rising health costs. A final plan will be presented next spring, according to 20 Minutes. A number of measures,...

– Gold will be safe haven again in looming EU crisis – EU crisis is no longer  just about debt but about political discontent– EU officials refuse to acknowledge changing face of politics across the union– Catalonia shows measures governments will use to maintain control– EU currently holds control over banks accounts and ability to use cash– Protect your savings with gold in the face of increased financial threat from...

Economic growth is subject to gradation. There is almost no purpose in making such a declaration, for anyone with common sense knows intuitively that there is a difference between robust growth and just positive numbers. Yet, the biggest mistake economists and policymakers made in 2014 was to forget that differences exist between even statistics all residing on the plus side. It was misconception sometimes by design,...

USD/CHF EUR/CHF EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 31(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge USD/JPY [embedded content] USD/JPY with Technical Indicators, October 30(see more posts on USD/JPY, ) - Click to enlarge EUR/USD [embedded content] EUR/USD with Technical Indicators, October 30(see more posts on EUR/USD, ) - Click to enlarge GBP/USD [embedded content]...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.29% to 1.606  CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 30(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The markets are mixed, mostly responding to idiosyncratic developments, as the week’s large events loom ahead. These BOJ, BOE, and FOMC meetings, eurozone flash CPI and US jobs reports. In addition, US President Trump is expected to...

- Click to enlarge L’histoire de la Chine et de son obsession pour l’or a été ravivée cette année, comme nous le prouvent les chiffres des importations effectuées via de Hong Kong et négociées sur le Shanghai Gold Exchange. Mais au vu des articles que nous, commentateurs du marché de l’or, écrivons au sujet de l’amour de la Chine pour l’or, il est surprenant de constater qu’il y a moins de cent ans, le pays...

The majority of middle class wealth is locked up in unproductive assets or assets that only become available upon retirement or death. One of my points in Why Governments Will Not Ban Bitcoin was to highlight how few families had the financial wherewithal to invest in bitcoin or an alternative hedge such as precious metals. The limitation on middle class wealth isn’t just the total net worth of each family; it’s...

The KOF Economic Barometer rose by 3.0 points in October. This is the second upward movement in succession. The indicator reached 109.1 points in October (after revised 106.1 in September). Autumn is welcoming the Swiss economy with a tailwind. In October 2017, the KOF Economic Barometer rose to a new reading of 109.1 points, its highest level since September 2010. The upward tendency is mainly driven by the...

Stock Markets EM FX gained some limited traction Friday but still capped off another awful week.  So far this quarter, the worst EM performers are TRY (-6%), MXN (-5%), ZAR (-4%), COP, and BRL (both -2.5%). We expect these currencies to remain under pressure as political concerns are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. Stock Markets Emerging Markets, October 30 Source: economist.com - Click to enlarge South...

Summary Busiest week of Q4. Fed, BOJ, and BOE, only the last is expected to change policy. Flash EMU CPI and US jobs. Positive developments in Italy, less so in Spain. The week ahead will be among the busiest in Q4. In this note, we provide a brief sketch of the different events and data points that will shape the investment climate. Given the importance of initial conditions, we will begin with an overview of the...