Tag Archives: Featured

I do get a big kick out of the way Communists over in China announce how they are dealing with their enormous problems especially as they may be getting worse. Each month, for example, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) will publish figures on retail sales or industrial production at record lows but in the opening paragraphs the text will be full of praise for how the economy is being handled. If you thought the Western media was liberal with the...

There are numerous and wide-ranging reasons why someone may choose to invest in physical precious metals. A deep understanding of monetary history provides plenty of solid arguments, and so do the mounting geopolitical risks, the spiking probability of a recession and the long-term goal of many conservative investors to safeguard their financial self-determination. For me, while all of these reasons are important, there is also another argument that I find...

The number of financial firms servicing crypto enthusiasts is growing in Switzerland. Singapore-based crypto financial services company Matrixport is setting up a European operations centre in Switzerland. Matrixport has close links to the Chinese cryptocurrency mining giant Bitmain, which is simultaneously winding down its Swiss presence. Matrixport joins a growing band of Swiss-based players, such as Bitcoin Suisse, Crypto Finance, Sygnum and SEBA banks, that are...

The dollar remains resilient; optimism towards a Phase One deal continues to support risk appetite There was also optimism from Fed Chairman Powell yesterday; the US economy is not out of the woods yet Turkish President Erdogan started deploying Russia’s S-400 missile system, raising the specter of sanctions Hong Kong reported weak October trade data; Philippine central bank Governor Diokno said a December cut was possible The dollar is mostly firmer against the...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.08% to 1.0982 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 26(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Neither optimistic comments from Federal Reserve Chairman, that the economic glass is more than half full, nor a seemingly positive spin on the weekend fall calendar between Chinese and US officials have succeeded in deterring some profit-taking today. Most of the large markets in...

26.11.2019 – The social partners signatory to Switzerland’s main collective labour agreements (CLA) agreed a nominal rise in real wages of 1.1% and a nominal rise in minimum wages of 0.8% for 2019. Real wages increased by 0.5% at collective level and by 0.6% at individual level. These are the some of the results of the wage agreements survey carried out by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). . Download press release: Real and minimum wages increased by 1.1% and...

26.11.2019 – Total employment rose in the third quarter by 1.3% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. At 5.137 million jobs it reached the highest level since the statistics began. In full-time equivalents, employment in the same period rose by 1.1%. The Swiss economy counted 6900 more vacancies than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (+9.6%). The employment outlook indicator is indicating a downward trend (-0.2%) and difficulties in...

USD/CHF declines from the highest in nearly six weeks. 61.8% of Fibonacci retracement acts as immediate support. Monthly trend line resistance limits nearby upside. USD/CHF takes U-turn from one-month-old resistance line while trading around 0.9965 amid the initial trading session on Tuesday. Given the gradual pullback in the 14-bar Relative Strength Index (RSI) from the overbought conditions, prices might witness additional downside. In doing so, 61.8% Fibonacci...

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak’s third corruption trial opened earlier this month. He faces multiple corruption charges linked to the looting of the 1MDB fund, a scandal that contributed to his election defeat last year. Two bankers who worked at Coutts private bank in Zurich were fined by the Swiss authorities for failing to report suspicious transactions linked to the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB scandal, it was reported on Sunday. The Sonntag Zeitung and Le...

Patek Philippe’s steel Grandmaster Chime comes with a reversible dial plate, which can be seen here A CHF640 ($645) bar of chocolate is a sign of either the end of civilisation or a healthy market economy. Whatever your view, Switzerland holds several world records when it comes to expensive goods. “As the hammer came down on $31 million (CHF30.6 million), the audience leapt as one to its feet, erupting in wild cheering and thunderous applause,” the Financial Times...