Tag Archives: Featured

City Council in London, Ontario recently decided to explore their options for regulating “short-term rentals” arranged through companies such as Airbnb, HomeAway, etc. The motion was brought forward by Councillor Anna Hopkins, who is concerned about (a) complaints from residents about short-term-renters’ noisy parties, and (b) “the role those short-term rentals have on taking potential long-term housing options out of the market.” Hopkins is concerned (video 1:31:27)...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.05% to 1.0994 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 5(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The prospects that the US-China deal could include some rolling back of existing US tariffs helped underpin risk appetites. After new record highs in the US S&P 500 and NASDAQ, Asia Pacific markets marched higher, and the MSCI Asia Pacific reached its highest level since August...

Farinet banknotes were introduced in Valais in western Switzerland in spring 2017 to stimulate the local economy. The Farinet – a local currency introduced in canton Valais in 2017 – is to be withdrawn from circulation at the end of 2019 after failing to stimulate the regional economy as hoped. Farinet banknotes were introduced in Valais in western Switzerland in spring 2017. But on Tuesday the association external linkbehind the currency announced it planned to...

USD/CHF holds on to recovery gains above 100-day SMA amid increasing hopes of the US-China trade deal. Comments from Fed’s Daly add to the pair’s strength. The US PMIs, JOLTS Job Openings to decorate the economic calendar while trade/Brexit headlines will mostly drive risk-tone. In addition to increasing hopes of an initial trade deal between the US and China, broad US Dollar (USD) strength also helps USD/CHF to take the bids near 0.9885 during the initial Asian...

One OECD recommendation is that Switzerland raises the retirement age. Trade tensions coupled with a slowdown in Europe are likely to take a toll on the Swiss economy over the next two years, the OECD forecasts. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revised its growth forecasts downwards for Switzerland. It also recommended Switzerland raise its retirement age. Swiss GDP is expected to grow by 0.8% this year and by 1.4% in 2020,...

Two main developments drove the foreign exchange market in October. First, the market grew more confident that a hard Brexit could be avoided. This drove sterling sharply higher. It rallied from $1.22 on October 10 to a little above $1.30 on October 21 before doubts grew about the likelihood that Parliament will approve the new agreement. The other development was a heavier US dollar after strong gains over the past three months. The prospect that the US-China tariff...

The net result is the muddle class has the signifiers but not the wealth, power, capital or agency that once defined the middle class. The first use of the phrase The Muddle Class appears to be The rise of the muddle classes (Becky Pugh, telegraph.co.uk) in January 2007. The “muddle” described the complex nature of defining “the middle class,” which includes education, class origins, accents, and many other financial, social and cultural signifiers. Comedian Jason...

Not too long ago, we wrote about the so called Modern Monetary so called Theory (MMT). It is not modern, and it is not a theory. We called it a cargo cult. You’d think that everyone would know that donning fake headphones made of coconut shells, and waving tiki torches will not summon airplanes loaded with cargo. At least the people who believe in this have the excuse of being illiterate. You’d think that everyone would know that printing fake money and waving bogus...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.16% to 1.1015 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 4(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Investor optimism is reflected by the risk-taking appetite that is lifting equity markets and bond yields. With Japanese markets closed for a national holiday, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index was led higher by more than 1% gains in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand. The...

Around 20% of Nestlé’s palm oil is sourced from small farmers. When it came under fire from environmental groups over its harvesting of palm oil, Swiss food giant Nestlé committed to eliminating deforestation from its supply chain by next year. But it will take another three years to come close to accomplishing that goal. The year 2010 was a tough one for Nestlé. In March of that year, the environmental activist group Greenpeace uploaded a disturbing videoexternal...