Tag Archives: Featured

We talk a lot about the falling interest rate, the too-low interest rate, the near-zero interest rate, the zero interest rate, and the negative interest rate. Hat Tip to Switzerland, where Credit Suisse is now going to pay depositors -0.85%. That is, if you lend your francs to this bank, they take some of them every year. Almost 1% of them. A bank deposit comes with a risk. But instead of compensating you for the risk, the bank pays you nothing. So it’s a return-free...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.20% to 1.0989 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 21(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The UK’s departure from the EU remains up in the air as a new attempt to pass the necessary legislation through Parliament continues today. Many market participants seem to remain optimistic that Prime Minister Johnson’s plan will ultimately succeed. After slipping to $1.2875...

USD/CHF bounces off from a multi-week low. 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, late-September bottoms can question the recent upside. The USD/CHF pair’s latest recovery is less likely to prevail for long unless clearing near-term key resistance area. The quote seesaws around 0.9860 by the press time of the pre-European session on Monday. While 50% Fibonacci retracement of late-August to the early-October upside, at 0.9870, can act as an immediate upside barrier, 0.9900/10...

Demand has been highest for train trips to France, and the TGV Lyria high-speed train is planning to offer 30% more seats on its routes. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Travellers in Switzerland are increasingly taking to the rails for trips abroad, with the Swiss Federal Railways reporting a 10% increase in demand for international journeys and 25% more demand for trips by night train. According to a report in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, demand for night train...

I feel a bit like the proverbial guy that asks, “Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?” in trying to discuss the week ahead without knowing the results of the UK Parliament’s decision on the new deal negotiated between Prime Minister Johnson and the EU. I will write a separate note about Brexit before the Asian open. However, there are several other developments next week that will help shape the investment climate. Europe is front and center. Three...

This is only a partial list of what we’ve lost to globalism, cheap credit and the Tyranny of Price which generates the Landfill Economy. A documentary on the decline of small farms and the rural economy in France highlights what we’ve lost in the decades-long rush to globalize and financialize everything on the planet— what we call Neoliberalism, the ideology of turning everything into a global market controlled by The Tyranny of Price and cheap credit issued to...

We are beginning to become more constructive on EM. The main trigger for some optimism is the shifting US-China dynamic. In our view, the partial trade deal reveals weakness on the part of the US. Reports suggest China will begin pushing for all existing tariffs to be dropped as part of Phase 2, which would be very positive for EM. That is still likely months away but this shifting dynamic bears watching. We will be putting out a longer MarketView piece on this topic...

Planning on Your Behalf  Watch out! At this very moment, professional economists of all stripes are making plans on your behalf. They are dreaming and scheming new and innovative ways to spend your money long before you have earned it. While you are busy at the gristmill, grinding away for clients and customers, claims are being laid upon your life.  Your future earnings are being directed to boondoggles galore.  Yet these claims are in addition to everything...

The Swiss National Bank presented its new CHF100 banknotes in September. (Keystone / Peter Klaunzer) Swiss banknotes are far more resistant to counterfeiters than in previous years, dramatically reducing the number of fake copies, say federal police. By contrast, far more counterfeit coins were seized last year, probably as a result of better detection methods. In 2018, a record low of 1,200 fake banknotes were discovered by police. Their combined face value amounted...

In February, the Swiss government awarded mobile radio frequencies for 5G to three telecom operators: Salt, Sunrise and Swisscom. As more governments mull the risks of working with foreign vendors of 5G networks, eyes are on Switzerland as one of the technology’s early adopters. Will the Swiss take a heavier hand in restricting foreign providers like Huawei in the 5G supply chain or let the market decide? In a grim but not-so-far-fetched scenarioexternal link, a...