© Marc Bruxelle _ Dreamstime.com In 2018, Switzerland and the EU struck a deal to extend Swiss stock market equivalence until 30 June 2019, a date fast approaching. Stock market equivalence makes a trade on the Swiss stock exchange equivalent to a trade on an exchange in an EU country. This allows trades to be pooled across countries, something that supports global trade and improves international market liquidity, a...
Read More »The Lessons of Rome: Our Neofeudal Oligarchy
Our society has a legal structure of self-rule and ownership of capital, but in reality it is a Neofeudal Oligarchy. The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000 is not an easy, breezy read; its length and detail are daunting. The effort is well worth it, as the book helps us understand how the power structures of societies change over time in ways that may be largely invisible to those living through...
Read More »Millionaires in Switzerland still on the rise
One million dollars in Switzerland won’t buy you a mansion, but it’s not bad. Switzerland is home to the fourth-largest number of dollar millionaire households, according to a report by the Boston Consultancy Group (BCG). Worldwide, the number of such millionaires continues to rise. There are now some 500,000 millionaire households in Switzerland, BCG said, putting the Swiss in fourth place behind the US (around 15...
Read More »FX Daily, June 21: Markets Pause Ahead of the Weekend
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.30% at 1.1115 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 21(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The global capital markets are trading quietly ahead of the weekend. Equity markets are mostly narrowly mixed. Chinese shares extended their run, and the major benchmarks were up 4%+ on the week. Japan, Australia, South Korea, and...
Read More »The Fed’s Casino Is Giving Away Free Gambling Chips (But Only to the Super-Rich)
The rest of us eat our losses, either all at once or in bitter bites as we trudge through the financial wasteland left after bubbles burst. The news that the Federal Reserve Casino is giving away free gambling chips triggered a frenzied rush that trampled the bears, including poor Yogi: There’s just one catch to the giveaway: you have to be rich, and if you want more than a token free gambling chip, you need to be...
Read More »A third of young Swiss experience financial hardship
Around 30% of young adults in Switzerland have faced financial difficulties at least once in their lives Around 30% of young adults in Switzerland have faced financial difficulties, according to data from the Young Adult Survey Switzerland (YASS). The survey, which questions some 70,000 19-year-olds around the country every four years, aims to gain an “empiric and interdisciplinary insight” into the “educational...
Read More »FX Daily, June 20: Doves Rules the Roost Except in Oslo
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.48% at 1.1104 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 20(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The prospect of “lower for longer” continues to fuel the bond and stock rally. The initial US equity response to the Fed was positive but not strong and closed about 0.3% higher. Asia Pacific equities followed suit with mostly modest...
Read More »Switzerland Construction prices rose by 0.5 percent in April 2019
20.06.2019 – The construction price index recorded a rise of 0.5% between October 2018 and April 2019, reaching 99.8 points (October 2015 = 100). This result reflects an increase in building prices and a stabilisation in civil engineering prices. Year on year, construction prices increased by 0.7%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Development of the construction price index in Switzerland...
Read More »Dear Central Bankers: Prepare to be Swept Away in the Next Wave of Populism
The political moment when the “losers” connect their discontent and decline with central bankers is approaching. The Ruling Elites’ Chattering Classes still haven’t absorbed the key lesson of the 2016 U.S. presidential election: the percentage of the populace that’s becoming wealthier and more financially secure in the bloated, corrupt, self-serving Imperial status quo is declining and the percentage of the populace...
Read More »Gold Bullion International Lease #1 (gold)
Monetary Metals leased silver to Gold Bullion International, to support the growth of its gold jewelry line. The metal is held in the form of inventory in a third party depository. For more information see Monetary Metals’ press release. Metal: Gold Commencement Date: May 29, 2019 Term: 1 year Lease Rate: 2.0% net to investors The lease is 260% oversubscribed. The graph of the offers is less illustrative than others, as...
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