Tag Archives: Featured

Vehicles imported into Switzerland are subject to a 4% tax, with the exception of electric vehicles that attract none. This week, the government decided to end the exception from the beginning of next year. Photo by Hyundai Motor Group on Pexels.comThe import tax, along with fuel and other taxes, is used to build and maintain roads. Given current federal budget pressures, and the logic of charging all road users, the federal government has decided to tax the...

How to Think about the Economy was written to accomplish something big: economic literacy. It is intentionally kept very short to be inviting rather than intimidating. You will gain a life-changing understanding of how the economy works in practically no time. Narrated by John Quattrucci. Download the complete audiobook (12 MP3 files) in one ZIP file here. This audiobook is also available on Soundcloud and via RSS.​ Purchase the Audiobook on Audible/Amazon, or...

Every year on April 25, Anzac Day is observed in Australia and New Zealand. It originally commemorated Australians and New Zealanders who served and died during the First World War. It has since become a day of remembrance for all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in military conflicts. One can understand the desire to mourn the dead. However, the loyalist nature of the commemorations—military and government figures are prominent, and there is...

Overview: The holiday continues. In the Asia Pacific region, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand, and the Philippines markets were closed. The regional bourses advanced but China.  European markets remain closed. US equity futures are narrowly mixed. The 10-year US Treasury yield is off nearly three basis points to about 3.36%. The dollar is trading quietly mostly within ranges seen before the weekend. It is slightly softer against most of the G10 currencies, but...

Jeff and Bob review the history and impact of The Human Action Podcast—formerly Mises Weekends—and discuss where the podcast is headed.  Get Jeff's new book A Strange Liberty: Politics Drops Its Pretenses: Mises.org/Strange [embedded content] [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

This episode explores precious metals. Gold (Au) is the main precious metal, followed by Silver (Ag), Platinum (Pt), and Palladium (Pd). These are distinct from valuable industrial metals such as copper (which served as money historically), nickel, and zinc, which have served as token coins in modern times. There are many different ways and forms you can own precious metals. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. [embedded content]...

Bank shares rose in Japan and Europe for the second consecutive week, but the KBW US bank index fell nearly 2% after increasing 4.6% in the last week of March. Emergency borrowing from the Fed remains elevated ($149 bln vs. $153 bln). Bank lending has fallen sharply (~$105 bln) in the two weeks through March 29. This appears to be a record two-week decline. Commercial and industrial loans had fallen a little in the first two months of the year (before the bank...

On October 29, 2018, on Lion Air Flight 610 out of Jakarta, Indonesia, a Boeing 737 MAX’s safety control pushed the plane’s nose down hard, paused for five seconds, then repeated this cycle, over and over. The pilots fought to pull the nose back up, only to get overpowered again and again. The passengers fell back against their seats, then fell forward, over and over. The seconds stretched on across all these souls’ last moments alive. On March 10, 2019, on Ethiopian...

With the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, financial markets all around the world are on edge. Despite promises from the Federal Reserve that a “soft landing” of the economy is on the way, all signs point to an imminent “crash landing”! While the full consequences of these bank failures are yet to fully play out, a prized and popular scapegoat has already been trotted out to explain the current crisis: deregulation of financial markets....

A century ago, the US coal industry was at its peak employing 883,000, and today, coal employs fewer than 41,000. Is that a bad thing? Is the US worse off because of this? Though it’s remarkable––that 95 percent fewer coal miners are needed to power a population that’s now 2.9 times larger––can you name someone who cares? Is declining employment in the coal industry a threat to “national security”? Do the majority bemoan the rapidly declining prevalence of black...