Tag Archives: Featured

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.05% to 1.0782 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 05(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: New actions to contain the virus are being taken in the US and Europe, but investors are looking past it and taking equities and risk assets, in general, higher to start the new week. MSCI Asia Pacific recouped most of last week’s 0.7% loss with gains of move than 1% in Japan, Hong...

Asset Allocation Rising coronavirus cases accompanied by flagging recovery momentum and a fractious run-up to the US elections make prospects for equities highly reliant on 3Q results and further policy stimulus. Against this background we have downgraded our stance on euro area equities from neutral to underweight, following a similar downgrade for US equities in August. We continue to like structural growth drivers and select, high-quality cyclical stocks. We...

The University of Basel is one of the hacked institutions Keystone Unidentified cybercriminals have managed to siphon off employee salary transfers from at least three Swiss universities, including the University of Basel. “According to our information, several universities in Switzerland have been affected,” said Martina Weiss, Secretary General of the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities, confirming to the AFP news agency a report in the SonntagsZeitung....

© Ocskay Mark | Dreamstime.com Nearly 44% of renters surveyed said that coming up with the money pay rent is now harder than it was before Covid-19, according to ASLOCA, a renters’ association. Following the survey the organisation is calling for more protection against the cancellation of rental contracts and moratoriums on evictions. The main reason cited for the current financial difficulties faced when paying rent was falling revenue from fewer hours of work,...

Things Change October 2, 2020 “Doing more of what’s hollowed out our economy and society” is a slippery path to ruin. Things change, supposedly immutable systems crumble and delusions die. That’s the lay of the land in the  The Empire of Uncertainty I described yesterday. It’s difficult not to be reminded of the Antonine Plague of 165 AD that crippled the Western Roman Empire. The exact nature of the virus that struck down as many as one-third of the Empire’s...

Today’s headlines announced Donald and Melania Trump “tested positive” for covid-19. Another claims nineteen thousand Amazon workers “got” covid-19 on the job. Both of these pseudostories are sure to ignite another absurd media frenzy. As always, the story keeps changing: Remember ventilators, flatten the curve, the next two weeks are crucial, etc.? Remember Nancy Pelosi in Chinatown back in February, urging everyone to visit? Remember Fauci dismissing masks as...

The US political outlook has been upended by recent developments; lack of a significant safe haven bid for the dollar so far is telling This is a very quiet week in terms of US data; FOMC minutes will be released Wednesday; there is a full slate of Fed speakers The eurozone has a fairly heavy data week; Brexit talks continue in London; UK has a heavy data week Japan has a fairly heavy data week; RBA meets Tuesday and is expected to keep policy unchanged; that same...

Though they are hardly on their last legs, demand for office space will drop. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Despite the easing of Covid-19 measures, remote working is still widespread in Switzerland, with almost a third of service sector employees still working from home. According to a survey published on Thursday by the Credit Suisse bank and the Procure.ch purchasing managers association, 29% of service employees and 16% of industry employees in Switzerland are...

Researchers insist that not only can people live longer, but they can also enjoy a healthier life. Keystone / Fernando Bizerra Jr. A group of wealthy investors is gathering virtually in Switzerland to stake their money on a new asset class. It’s longevity, underpinned by the science and technology of longer and healthier lives, and it could be a multi-billion-dollar market. “Longevity will become one of the largest investment opportunities in the coming decades. It...

The dollar remains under pressure as market sentiment continue to improve; stimulus talks were extended Two major US airlines announced significant job furloughs starting today; US data for September will continue  to roll out; weekly jobless claims will be reported The pound is underperforming as the flurry of optimism in the recent negotiations fades; final eurozone September manufacturing PMI was steady at 53.7 Bank of Japan quarterly Tankan report came in weaker...