Tag Archives: Featured

Turning down heating in households could help stave off energy rationing, the government says. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally The Swiss government has appealed to the population to save on household energy ahead of anticipated electricity and gas shortages this winter. On Wednesday, the government launched a campaign entitled “Energy is scare, let’s not waste it” along with the formation of an Energy Saving Alliance. The plans are backed by cantons, business associations,...

Keith Weiner and Michael Oliver return as guests on this week’s program. The U.S. government hates gold because its rising price shines the light on the destruction of the dollar caused by the Federal Reserve’s printing press used to finance massive government deficits. The detractors of gold have long suggested that owning gold doesn’t make sense because it doesn’t pay interest. They can’t say that any longer because Monetary Metals now pays interest rates to small...

30.08.2022 – Switzerland’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 4.2% in 2021 at the previous year’s prices. This marked increase follows the decline seen in 2020 (-2.4%) due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to this recovery, the GDP is above the 2019 level, although parts of the Swiss economy continued to be affected by the pandemic situation. Gross national income (GNI) at current prices increased by 5.4%. These initial estimates for 2021 from the...

01.09.2022 – The consumer price index (CPI) increased by +0.3% in August 2022 compared with the previous month, reaching 104.8 points (December 2020 = 100). Inflation was +3.5% compared with the same month of the previous year. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).The 0.3% increase compared with the previous month can be explained by several factors including rising prices for in-patient hospital services, social protection services and...

Last week, I went to a vision center to get my new eyeglass prescription filled. Because I wear progressive lenses with antireflective coating and do not have vision insurance, I anticipated that the out-of-pocket cost of the glasses would be quite high. When I entered the shop and stated my business, the manager immediately asked if I had vision insurance, and I responded that I did not. The manager consulted with a saleswoman and sent her to assist me in choosing...

Overview: The rise in global interest rates continues. The US 10-year yield is a few basis points near 3.15% and European benchmarks are mostly 5-6 bp higher. Of note, the sharp sell-off in UK Gilts has being extended. Yesterday’s 10 bp rise has been followed by another 14 bp surge today. Italian bonds are also getting hit. The 10-year yield is up a little more than 10 bp. The US dollar is mostly firmer against the major currencies, though the yen and Australian...

Progressive Conservatism: How Republicans Will Become America’s Natural Governing Party by F.H. Buckley Encounter Books, 2022; 254 pp. Frank Buckley is always a thoughtful and provocative author, but I disagree with what he has to say in Progressive Conservatism more than with other books of his I’ve reviewed, such as his outstanding American Secession and Curiosity (see my review here). In the present book, he defends a “national conservatism” and is critical of...

Since 1935, Social Security has been synonymous with retirement. It was always intended to supplement retirement income, never be a person’s total retirement income. Unfortunately, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about half of older Americans rely on Social Security for at least 50% of their income, and 25% of retirees rely on it for 90% of their income. That’s why more Americans are choosing to work longer. For decades, labor force...

Refined gold bars have their origins monitored, but purchase of raw materials for smelting can slip through the net. Keystone / Martin Ruetschi Swiss legislation is lagging behind in the fight against money laundering, and “seldom anticipates developments at international level”, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) has warned. SFAO audits have “revealed weaknesses and, hence, financial and reputational risks for the Swiss authorities,” the office said in a report...

Das Weltwirtschaftsforum (WEF) wurde 1971 vor 51 Jahren gegründet. Es hat im Laufe der Jahrzehnte immer mehr an Bedeutung gewonnen und ist zu einer Plattform für futuristisches Denken und Planen geworden. Als Treffpunkt der globalen Elite bringt das WEF die führenden Persönlichkeiten aus Wirtschaft und Politik sowie einige wenige ausgewählte Intellektuelle zusammen. Analysiert man die sogenannten „Projektionen“ des Forums, scheint seine Hauptstoßrichtung die...