by Claudio Grass, Hünenberg, Switzerland It will come as no surprise to friends and regular readers that I hold but a handful of contemporary intellects in high esteem, given the present Zeitgeist, the current state of state education and the level of public discourse. It will be even less surprising that Fernando del Pino Calvo-Sotelo is one of them. He is a free and independent thinker, whose original, unshackled and unadulterated ideas I have often...
Read More »We Are Not the Government, but America Is No Longer Anything More than the Government
We must, therefore, emphasize that “we” are not the government; the government is not “us.” The government does not in any accurate sense “represent” the majority of the people. Murray Rothbard wrote this in his popular Anatomy of the State. His point still stands to this day. The state cannot be said to represent “us” in any accurate or serious way. It may be even more true today than ever before. However, what is murkier today is who “us” even is. If “we” are not...
Read More »Intraday Momentum Indicators Point to a Dollar Recovery After the Employment Report
Overview: Asia Pacific bourses followed yesterday’s US loss, but after opening lower Europe’s Stoxx 600 has steadied. US futures are narrowly mixed ahead of the US jobs report. Benchmark 10-year yields are higher across the board. The US 10-year Treasury yield is near 3.84%, slightly higher on the day. It is up a single basis point on the week. European yields are 3-5 bp higher. The dollar is softer against the G10 currencies, but as we note below, the intraday...
Read More »Companies increasingly pessimistic about Swiss economy
Despite a negative outlook overall, most CFOs believe that their companies will experience growth in the near future © Keystone / Gaetan Bally Chief financial officers (CFOs) are more pessimistic about the economic outlook for Switzerland than they were six months ago, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte for the second half of 2022. However, a majority of the 127 managers surveyed believe that their companies will experience growth in the near future. “The...
Read More »Market Currents: Don’t Listen to Buy and Hold Investing Advice
For decades a Buy and Hold strategy was a staple of financial advice. But should it be? Alhambra CEO separates myth and reality. [embedded content] [embedded content] Tags: Alhambra Research,Bonds,commodities,currencies,economy,Featured,Markets,newsletter,Real Estate,stocks
Read More »In 2021, 58% of buildings were heated by fossil fuels
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...
Read More »Schweizer McDonald’s akzeptiert Bitcoin
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...
Read More »2021 a ‘mixed year’ for farmers and their profits
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...
Read More »Volatility Snaps Near-Term Conviction
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...
Read More »The Front Lines of the Language Wars
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...
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