Tag Archives: Featured

It is entirely accurate to say that the U.S. is addicted to waste and distant sources of essentials.The downside of dependency is in the air. The U.S. has allowed itself to become dependent on other nations for essentials, a policy that I view as an insanity fueled by greed. The problem with dependency is the cost can’t be calculated until it’s too late. Restoring independence is a massive, costly undertaking, but if you wait until the cost of dependency is clear to...

  Let’s examine winners and losers in the Ukraine crisis. Let’s start with the losers. The biggest loser are the people of Ukraine. They are being killed, injured, and maimed by the Russian invasion of their country. The invasion is also destroying their homes, businesses, and, well, their entire country.  The Ukrainian people are also the big losers because of the person they have as their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Yes, I know, the U.S....

Zum Monatsbeginn schaffte es der BTC wieder über 40K. Doch seitdem der Konflikt zwischen Russland und der Ukraine eskalierte, ging es steil bergab. Auch der traditionelle Investmentmarkt verlor deutlich. Edelmetalle wie Gold und Silber wurden zu den großen Gewinnern. Bitcoin News: Märkte verlieren im Ukraine-Konflikt wiederIm Wochenvergleich verlor der BTC mehr als 12 Prozent und sank dadurch erneut auf ungefähr 38.700 US-Dollar. Damit wurde das Kursplus der letzten...

Crude oil prices rose over 25% last week and as I sit down to write this evening the overnight futures are up another 8% to around $125. Almost every other commodity on the planet rose in prices last week too, as did the dollar. Those two factors – rising dollar and rising commodity prices – mean the likelihood of recession in the coming year has risen significantly in just the last week. Rising oil prices, in particular, have been a regular feature of past...

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have both had their assets frozen Keystone / Alexander Zemlianichenko The US, UK and EU have adopted sanctions aimed at freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in response to the war in Ukraine. They also plan to place sanctions on the Russian central bank and remove some of the country’s lenders from the SWIFT global payments system, in...

Aid workers load Swiss humanitarian relief supplies onto a train bound for Ukraine. Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit Around 35 tonnes of emergency aid, including medical equipment and tents, sent from Switzerland to help victims of the war in Ukraine have arrived in the capital, Kyiv. “The aid is urgently needed for hospitals serving the Ukrainian population,” the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) tweeted on Sunday. A large part of the humanitarian aid had been flown from...

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has renewed the Statement of Commitment to the FX Global Code based on the revised version of the Code dated July 2021. By signing this Statement, the SNB attests that its internal processes are consistent with the principles of the FX Global Code. The SNB also expects its regular counterparties to comply with the agreed rules of conduct. The FX Global Code sets out principles of good practice in the foreign exchange market. It was first...

On Whom Does the Incidence Fall? Whenever a law or labor union pressure burdens the employers with an additional expenditure for the benefit of the employees, people talk of “social gains.” The idea implied is that such benefits confer on the employees a boon beyond the salaries or wages paid to them and that they are receiving a grant which they would have missed in the absence of such a law or such a clause in the contract. It is assumed that the workers are...

Overview:  The economic disruption seen since the US warning of an imminent Russian attack on February 11 continue to ripple through the capital and commodity markets.  Equities are being slammed.  Most Asia Pacific bourses were off 2-3% today. Europe’s Stoxx 600 gapped lower ad has approached February 2021 levels, orr about 2.6% today.  US futures are around 1.5% lower. The reaction in the major bond markets is subdued.  The US 10-year yield is near 1.72%, off...

Franc is currently sought after as a refuge currency Franc appreciation also reflects inflation differential between Switzerland and other countries The franc continues to be highly valued SNB looks at overall currency situation Individual currency pairs do not play a special role Some verbal intervention there by the SNB but in typical cases for the franc, actions speak louder than words. That said, this could be a precursor before the “invisible hand” steps in. So,...