Tag Archives: Featured

Yes, this time it’s different: all the foundations of a healthy economy are crumbling into quicksand. The rallying cry of Permanent Bulls is this time it’s different. That’s absolutely true, but it isn’t bullish–it’s terrifically, terribly bearish. Why is this time it’s different bearish going forward? The basic answer is that nothing that is structurally broken has actually been fixed, and the policy “fixes” have...

In its first run, the Federal Reserve was actually two distinct parts. There were the twelve bank branches scattered throughout the country, each headed by almost always a banker of local character. Often opposed to them was the Board in DC. In those early days the policy establishment in Washington had little active role. Monetary policy was itself a product of the branches, the Discount Rate, for example, often being...

New Zealand holds elections at end the of next week as well. While the German contest does not appear close and the odds on the most likely scenario are a return of the Grand Coalition, in New Zealand, the center-right’s decade-long rule is being seriously challenged by a resurgent Labour Party. The New Zealand dollar fell by around 5.7% in August. The pullback was twice as deep and lasted twice as long the as the...

Swiss universities are known to be very international More than half of those doing a doctorate in Switzerland come from abroad, according to a new global education report. Foreign students are especially drawn to courses in the natural sciences. International students make up 17% of those studying at Swiss universities, said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECDexternal link) in its Education...

A tragedy… get the hankies out! ? [PT] The Instability Problem Bitcoin is often promoted as the antidote to the madness of fiat irredeemable currencies. It is also promoted as their replacement. Bitcoin is promoted not only as money, but the future money, and our monetary future. In fact, it is not. Why not? To answer, let us start with a look at the incentives offered by bitcoin. We saw a comment this week, which is...

A tragedy… get the hankies out! ? [PT] The Instability Problem Bitcoin is often promoted as the antidote to the madness of fiat irredeemable currencies. It is also promoted as their replacement. Bitcoin is promoted not only as money, but the future money, and our monetary future. In fact, it is not. Why not? To answer, let us start with a look at the incentives offered by bitcoin. We saw a comment this week, which is...

Princeton University economist Alan Krueger recently published and presented his paper for Brookings on the opioid crisis and its genesis. Having been declared a national emergency, there are as many economic as well as health issues related to the tragedy. Economists especially those at the Federal Reserve are keen to see this drug abuse as socio-demographic in nature so as to be absolved from failing in their primary...

Housing markets are one itsy-bitsy recession away from a collapse in domestic and foreign demand by marginal buyers. There are two attractive delusions that are ever-present in financial markets:One is this time it’s different, because of unique conditions that have never ever manifested before in the history of the world, and the second is there are no cycles, they are illusions created by cherry-picked data;...

“Avant, à Genève, il régnait une effervescence certaine. Les gens dépensaient de l’argent, certes pas forcément déclaré. Aujourd’hui, ce temps est fini et on ne voit pas vraiment ce qui pourrait extraire la ville et sa place financière de cette stagnation”. Exprimé en privé voici quelques jours par un professionnel de la finance de la cité de Calvin, ce constat rejoint celui de beaucoup, beaucoup d’autres gens ayant...

© Nwanda76 | Dreamstime - Click to enlarge Home vacancy rates in Switzerland’s main cities have all risen over the last few years, bringing some hope to those looking for a place to live. The latest 2017 data confirm this trend. While these percentage shifts might appear big, very low vacancy rates underly them. On 1 June 2012, none of these cities had a vacancy rate above 1%. Zurich (0.29%), Bern (0.48%), Basel...