Tag Archives: Featured

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) piled on more bad news to the otherwise pleasing GDP headline for the first quarter. In its first revision to the preliminary estimate, the government agency said output advanced just a little less than first thought. This wasn’t actually the substance of their message. Accompanying this first revision was the first set of estimates for corporate profits. For the second straight...

Money Supply Growth Continues to Decelerate Here is a brief update of recent developments in US true money supply growth as well as the trend in the ratio of industrial production of capital goods versus consumer goods (we use the latter as a proxy for the effects of credit expansion on the economy’s production structure). First, a chart of the y/y growth rate of the broad US money supply TMS-2 vs. y/y growth in...

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.01% at 1.1214 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 31(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The US announcement to lay a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico (starting June 10) until it stops the flow of “illegal migrants” spurred sharp losses in the Mexican peso and general risk-off move that strengthened the yen. The...

New Focus Article series published on data portal The Swiss National Bank is expanding its offering in the field of statist ics. It is to start publishing articles on selected statistical subjects at irregular intervals. These articles will appear on the SNB data portal (data.snb.ch, Resources, International economic affairs, Focus articles) as so-called focus articles. The first focus article is out now and...

31.05.2019 – Turnover in the retail sector fell by 0.1% in nominal terms in April 2019 compared with the previous year. Seasonally adjusted, nominal turnover rose by 0.4% compared with the previous month. These are provisional findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Real turnover in the retail sector also adjusted for sales days and holidays fell by 0.7% in April 2019 compared with the previous year. Real...

View of the main building of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich. IMD ranked Switzerland highly for its university and management education. Switzerland is Europe’s most competitive nation, coming fourth in the annual global ranking of the Lausanne-based IMD business school. The small Alpine nation climbed from fifth to fourth place in the 63-country competitiveness ranking. It was helped by economic...

Investors in Switzerland like gold and it is the second most popular investment after property or real estate 20% plan to invest in gold in the next 12 months Almost two-thirds buy or invest in precious metals at their bank; fewer than one-in-ten buy gold online by Alistair Hewitt of the World Gold Council There’s no doubt about it: the Swiss like gold. Switzerland has the second-highest per capita gold demand in the...

As a society, we are ill-prepared for the end of “politics is the solution.” It’s fun to be a politician when there’s plenty of tax revenues and borrowed money to distribute, and when the goodies get bipartisan support. An economy that’s expanding all household incomes more or less equally is fun, fun, fun for politicians because more household income generates more income tax revenues and more spending that generates...

The US dollar closed today above CAD1.3500 for the first time since January 2.  Despite the setback, the Canadian dollar is the strongest of the major currencies year-to-date with a little less than a one percent gain.  The yen, in second, has is up about 0.2% (~JPY109.50).  Among emerging market currencies,  the Mexican peso’s 2.6% gain puts it in in second place behind the Russian rouble’s 7.2% appreciation. It is a...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.03% at 1.1215 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, May 30(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: After significant moves in equities and interest rates, investors are taking a collective breath, waiting for fresh developments. A nervous calm has settled over the capital market. China, Japan, and Australian equities leaked lower, but...