Tag Archives: Featured

06.10.2022 – In 2021, there were 1.77 million residential buildings and 4.69 million dwellings in Switzerland. 58% of buildings were heated by fossil fuels (heating oil and gas) and 17% were equipped with heat pumps. The share of the latter has quadrupled since 2000. In terms of the population, one person in four had gas heating. These are some of the findings from the Buildings and Dwellings Statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). You will find further...

In der Schweizer Stadt Lugana kann nun mit Bitcoin und Tether bezahlt werden. Die Stadt ist mit seinen 63.000 Einwohnern eine größere Kleinstadt, doch ein Erfolg des Projekts könnte den Fast Food Riesen durchaus zu einer flächendeckenden Einführung bewegen. Bitcoin News: Schweizer McDonald’s akzeptiert BitcoinDie Stadt Lugana kann als Vorreiter im Bereich digitaler Ökosysteme betrachtet werden, da viele Tech-Projekte hier mit offenen Armen empfangen und umgesetzt...

Agricultural income in Switzerland grew slightly in 2021 to reach an average of CHF80,700 ($81,765) per farm, according to latest statistics. The 1.9% average rise in 2021 came despite a “mixed year” for farmers and farming in Switzerland, said the federal centre of agricultural research Agroscope on Tuesday. While the price of beef and milk rose that year, the situation for pork was more complicated due to oversupply, the research centre said. The weather was also...

Overview:  The markets seem to lack conviction today. Stocks in the Asian Pacific region advanced. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is giving up its earlier advance, and US futures are heavier. Australian and New Zealand bonds played catch-up after the rise in the US and Europe yesterday. Their benchmark yield rose 14 bp and 10 bp, respectively. The US 10-year Treasury yield is firm near 3.77%, while European bonds are narrowly mixed, though Gilts are under pressure. The 10-year...

Language is the perfect instrument of empire. —Antonio de Nebrija, bishop of Ávila, 1492 The bishop was correct, in his time and ours. Spain proceeded to become the most powerful empire in the world over the following century, spreading her mother tongue across the Americas—just as the Roman army had imposed Latin across its sweep and just as the British Empire would bring English to India and Africa. American dominance in the twentieth century similarly meant...

Die Schweizerische Nationalbank (SNB) ist zu weiteren Zinserhöhungen bereit, um die Inflation unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Es gebe vermehrt Anzeichen für Zweitrundeneffekte, sagte SNB-Direktoriumsmitglied Andrea Maechler am Mittwoch bei einer Veranstaltung in Zürich. “Es könnte wirklich gut passieren, dass wir auch noch weitere Zinsenerhöhungen machen müssen.” Die Schweizer Währungshüter hatten angesichts der gestiegenen Teuerung im vergangenen Monat den Leitzins um...

Our guest this week is Ed Steer, expert gold and market analyst and author of the Gold & Silver Digest. We invited Ed onto GoldCore TV to get his take on what is concerning him most in financial markets, movements in SLV and sanctions against Russia. He also draws our attention to central bank purchases of gold. Ed’s interview serves as a reminder that those who currently do own gold and silver are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of people...

Overview: Hopes that the global tightening cycle is entering its last phase supplied the fodder for a continued dramatic rally in equities and bonds. The euro traded at par for the first time in two weeks, while sterling reached almost $1.1490, its highest since September 15. The US 10-year yield has fallen by 45 bp in the past five sessions. Yet, the scar tissue from the last bear market rally is still fresh and US equity futures are lower after the S&P 500 had...

The energy crisis is causing electricity prices to soar across Europe, including in Switzerland. But the impact on the country is very unequal because of specific characteristics of its market. The sharp rise in electricity prices has delivered a heavy blow to the European market, which has been fully liberalised since 2007. States are being forced to delve deep into their coffers to support households and businesses. Voices questioning the wisdom of fully opening...

Today’s intellectual framework considers government spending to be the solution to any economic and social problem. Be it helicopter money to households and businesses during the pandemic, subsidies for electric cars, or debt forgiveness to students, the government generosity must be growth and welfare enhancing by definition. Government spending is even more praised if it is labeled an “investment” in green projects, in industries making countries self-sufficient in...