USD/CHF extends Thursday’s downpour, nears short-term key supports. An upside break of 0.9985 could recall June month highs. Given the failure to rise past-0.9980/85 area, USD/CHF carries the previous day’s declines while trading around 0.9913 ahead of the Europe markets open on Friday. The bearish signal from 12-bar moving average convergence and divergence (MACD) indicates brighter chances of pair’s further declines to 100-bar moving average on the four-hour chart,...
Read More »Dollar Mixed on Central Bank Thursday
As expected, the Fed cut rates by 25 bp; the dollar firmed after the decision but has since given back some gains During the North American session, there will be a fair amount of US data BOE is expected to keep rates steady; UK reported August retail sales SNB and BOJ kept rates steady, as expected; Norges Bank unexpectedly hiked 25 bp Brazil cut rates 50 bp to 5.5%; Indonesia cut rates 25 bp to 5.25%; Taiwan kept rates steady at 1.375%; SARB is expected to remain...
Read More »Switzerland faces looming shortage of workers
© Georgerudy | Dreamstime.com As more baby-boomers – born from 1946 to 1964 – retire, Switzerland will faces a shortage of workers, according to Credit Suisse, a bank. Economists at the bank estimate that 1.1 million people in Switzerland will retire over the next 10 years, a figure which includes nearly 800,000 people currently working. By 2021, there will be more people leaving the job market than joining it. The current peak in Switzerland’s age pyramid is 55...
Read More »The New Orthodoxy: Blasphemy, Heresy and the New Inquisition
A corrupt Orthodoxy devoid of new ideas, an Orthodoxy devoted to maintaining the wealth, status and power of insiders regardless of cost, is a brittle, fragile, unstable system. When the ruling Elites sense their control of the populace is waning, they seek to regain full control via the imposition of a strict Orthodoxy, enforced by an Inquisition. We are living in just such an era. Everywhere we turn, a New Orthodoxy reigns. Dissent is blasphemy, and any narratives...
Read More »FX Daily, September 19: Investors Looking for New Focus
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.22% to 1.0975 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, September 19(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Central bank activity is still very much the flavor of the day, but investors are looking for the next focus. The Bank of Japan and the Swiss National Bank stood pat, while Indonesia cut for the third consecutive time and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Saudi Arabia quickly followed the Fed. Brazil...
Read More »Powell plays the ‘insurance’ card again
In spite of internal divisions, the Fed may go for a third rate cut in October and step in to alleviate pressure in repo market. The Federal Reserve (Fed) cut rates by 0.25% on Wednesday, as widely anticipated. The new fed funds target range is 1.75%-2.00%. The interest rate on banks’ excess reserves was cut by 0.30% to 1.80%. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell again justified this second rate cut since July as “insurance” against risks to the US outlook – mostly the weak...
Read More »SNB leaves policy rate unchanged at -0.75 percent
SNB announces its latest monetary policy decision – 19 September 2019 Sight deposits rate unchanged at -0.75% Willing to intervene and will remain active in FX market as necessary Expansionary monetary policy continues to be necessary Trade tensions could further hurt global economic mood Franc remains highly valued 2019 GDP forecast at 0.5% to 1.0%; previously 1.5% 2019 inflation forecast at 0.4%; previously 0.6% 2020 inflation forecast at 0.2%; previously...
Read More »Another Swiss bank delves into cryptoassets
The canton Zug-based Arab Bank Switzerland joins a growing list of established banks now offering clients access to cryptocurrencies. Arab Bank Switzerland has teamed up with blockchain technology firm Taurus to offer its wealthy clients access to bitcoin and ethereum. The bank joins a growing list of established players joining forces with fintech firms to tap into cryptoassets. The partnership says it will launch a “new range of digital asset services, including...
Read More »Monetary policy assessment of 19 September 2019
Swiss National Bank leaves expansionary monetary policy unchanged and adjusts basis for calculating negative interest on sight deposits at SNB The Swiss National Bank is keeping the SNB policy rate and interest on sight deposits at the SNB at −0.75%. It remains willing to intervene in the foreign exchange market as necessary, while taking the overall currency situation into consideration. Furthermore, the National Bank is adjusting the basis for calculating negative...
Read More »Markets That Live by the Fed, Die by the Fed
The “everything bubble” is not permanent. All eyes are again on the Federal Reserve, as everyone understands that the Fed is the market— the stock market, the bond market, the art market, the housing market, etc. All markets have been driven higher by one force: central bank money creation and distribution to the financial sector of financiers and corporations, the richest of the rich. What few seem to grasp (because they’re paid not to?) is the Fed is powerless over...
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