Tag Archives: Featured

On 12 October 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced an increase in state pensions from 1 January 2023 by 2.5%. Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com The minimum pension with rise from CHF 1,195 to CHF 1,225 per month, while the maximum amount will rise from CHF 2,390 to CHF 2,450 (US$ 2,450). The amount paid in state pension in Switzerland is related to the level of contribution, which relates to salary level and the number years. Swiss state pensions are...

Reminder: Our online conference “End Inflation and at the Fed,” continues this evening at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) with the third talk of our series. Our speaker will be Kevin Dowd, professor of finance and economics at Durham University, much of whose work revolves Austrian and Public Choice economics. The title of his talk is “Central Bank Digital Currencies.” Speaker: Kevin Dowd, professor of economics and finance, Durham UniversityTime: 7 pm – 8 pm Eastern...

It is commonly held that prices of goods and services can produced by means of supply and demand curves. These curves describe the relationship between the prices and the quantity of goods supplied and demanded. Within the framework of supply-demand curves, an increase in the price of a good is associated with a fall in the quantity demanded and an increase in the quantity supplied. Conversely, a decline in the price of a good is associated with an increase in the...

Overview: The markets have returned from the weekend with a greater appetite for risk. Equities and bonds are rallying, and the dollar is better offered. China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Indian bourses advanced. Mainland shares edged higher even though Zhengzhou, a city of one million people, near an iPhone manufacturing hub was locked down due to Covid. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is up nearly 0.5% to extend its recovery into a third session. US futures are trading a...

When a person is free to work, shop, and invest, he brings to each task his knowledge from doing the other tasks. As he works, he has a sense of what it takes to please customers, because he’s also a customer. As he shops, he has a sense of what workers can do for him, because he’s also a worker. As he invests, he has a sense of who adds value best, because he also works to add value and shops for value. Deadtime Makes Economic Control Hard for Everyone Government...

Cornelia Ritz Bossicard leads swissVR, an independent Swiss association of board members. She explains the role that boards of directors and their members play in steering businesses. A director of the board for several companies, Bossicard became president of swissVR in 2018. The aim of swissVR is to strengthen the skills of Swiss boards by offering a forum for sharing experiences, organising company visits, publishing surveys and reports, and providing...

In 2021, 82% of mothers in Switzerland were economically active, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com The rate of mothers working in 2021 (82%) was 22 percentage points higher than it was in 1991 (60%). At the same time fathers were not working at a significantly lower rate. In 2021, 97% of fathers with children aged 15 or under were in the workforce, compared to 99% in 1991. Two...

Markets were rather volatile last week. That’s a wild understatement and what passes for sarcasm in the investment business. Stocks started the week waiting with bated (baited?) breath for the inflation reports of the week. It isn’t surprising that the market is focused firmly on the rear view mirror for clues about the future since Jerome Powell has made it plain that is his plan, goofy as it is. Stocks were down slightly Monday and Tuesday fearing the worst and...

By nearly any measure one chooses, the dollar is historically rich. When it does turn, it would likely be dramatic. That is what happened after the stronger-than-expected US CPI figures. However, the lack of follow-through is what one would expect if the greenback’s bull move was intact.Still, we expect the dollar’s super-cycle is entering a new phase. The market has practically priced in a 5.0% terminal Fed funds rate, and we suspect that it needs clear guidance...

In my previous article on the college problem, I discussed the cultural factors that have contributed to the falling value of a university degree, which I hoped would show that we cannot reduce the decline of higher education to public policy failures. However, bad policy has been a major contributor to the problems plaguing the university system, both at the federal and state levels. President Joe Biden’s plan to eliminate up to $20,000 of student loan debt for...