Tag Archives: Featured

Andreas Marquart and Philipp Bagus (see their mises.org author pages here and here) were recently interviewed about their new book by the Austrian Economics Center. Unfortunately for English-language readers, the book is only available in German. Nevertheless, the interview offers some valuable insights.  Mr. Marquart, Mr. Bagus, you have released your new book „Wir schaffen das – alleine!” (“We can do it – alone!”)...

What the Federal Reserve is actually whining about is not low inflation–it’s that high inflation isn’t pushing wages higher like it’s supposed to. It’s not exactly a secret that real-world inflation is a lot higher than the official rates–the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Personal Consumption Expenditures PCE). As many observers have pointed out, there are two primary flaws in the official measures of inflation: 1....

Unemployment Rate (not seasonally adjusted) Berne, 10 October 2017 – Registered unemployment in September 2017 – According to the SECO surveys, 133,169 unemployed persons were registered at the regional employment services centers (RAV) at the end of September 2017, 2,409 less than in the previous month. The unemployment rate remained at 3.0% in the reporting month. Compared to the previous month, unemployment fell by...

USD/CHF EUR/CHF EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 10(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge EUR/JPY [embedded content] EUR/JPY with Technical Indicators, October 10(see more posts on EUR/JPY, ) - Click to enlarge EUR/AUD [embedded content] EUR/AUD with Technical Indicators, October 10(see more posts on eur/aud, ) - Click to enlarge USD/CHF [embedded content]...

See the introduction and the video for the terms gold basis, co-basis, backwardation and contango. Where the Good Things Go Many gold bugs make an implicit assumption. Gold is good, therefore it will go up. This is tempting but wrong (ignoring that gold does not go anywhere, it’s the dollar that goes down). One error is in thinking that now you have discovered a truth, everyone else will see it quickly. And there is a...

The app of Airbnb, a website for people to list, find and rent lodging, and other apps on a smart phone (Keystone) Online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb have negative effects on the Swiss housing market and lead to fewer homes available for tenants and higher rental prices, a study has revealed. According to a survey by the Inura Zurich Institute, commissioned by the Zurich Tenants’ Associationexternal link and...

– Perth Mint gold coins see sales double on month in September – Perth Mint silver bullion coin sales surge 78% in September – Perth Mint sold 46,415 ounces of gold in September– Nearly six times more gold coins sold at Perth Mint than U.S. Mint in September – Sales surge at Perth Mint from low base; could indicate trend change and higher demand in coming months Gold Coin Sales, Aug 2012 - Jul 2017(see more posts on...

Auto sales rebounded sharply in September, with most major car manufacturers reporting better numbers. Sales at Ford were up 8.9% last month from September 2016; +11.9% at GM; Toyota +14.9%; Nissan +9.5%; Honda +6.8%. The only negatives were reported by FCA (-9.7%) and Mercedes (-1.7%). US Vehicle Sales, Jan 2014 - Jul 2017(see more posts on vehicle sales, ) - Click to enlarge  The question is whether these...

The True Believer How is it that seemingly intelligent people, of apparent sound mind and rational thought, can stray so far off the beam?  How come there are certain professions that reward their practitioners for their failures? The central banking and monetary policy vocation rings the bell on both accounts.  Today we offer a brief case study in this regard. Photo credit: Linda Davidson / The Washington Post -...

Over the past few weeks, the markets have come to accept the likelihood of a December Fed hike. US interest rates have adjusted. The pricing of December Fed funds futures contract is consistent with around an 80% chance of a hike. The two-year yield is trading at the upper end of what is expected to be the Fed funds target range at the end of the year, after slipping below the current range a month ago. The Dollar Index...