Employment expands in the Protected cartel-dominated sectors, and declines in every sector exposed to globalization, domestic competition and cheap capital. If you want to understand why the global economy is failing the many while enriching the few, start with the basics: capital, labor and resources. What happens when central banks drop interest rates to near-zero? Capital becomes dirt-cheap. It becomes ludicrously...
Read More »Gold Exports To London From U.S. Surge 152 percent In 2018
Gold Exports To London From U.S. Surge 152% In 2018 – U.S. gold exports to UK (primarily) London jumped over 150% from 25.5 metric tons to 64.3 mt in the first four months of 2018 (yoy)– Largest countries receiving U.S. gold exports are China/ Hong Kong, Switzerland and the UK – U.S. gold exports to London (UK) alone nearly as much as total U.S. gold production – Gold flowing from weak hands in West to strong hands in...
Read More »FX Daily, June 27: Renminbi Slide Continues and Oil Extends Surge
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.07% to 1.1542 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 27(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is mostly firmer today, though has slipped back below the JPY110 level, as lower yields and equities support the Japanese yen. The main story in the foreign exchange market today is the continued slide in the Chinese renminbi....
Read More »EU Unemployment Rule change could cost Switzerland dearly
Currently, across EU and EFTA countries, unemployment benefits are paid by the country of residence. Last week, the EU announced plans to make the country of employment pay unemployment benefits instead. ©-Meryll-_-Dreamstime.com-1 - Click to enlarge This change could be costly for Swiss cantons with large numbers of cross-border workers, workers who live in the EU but work in Switzerland. In March 2018, there were...
Read More »Buying more time
Switzerland: monetary policy At its quarterly monetary policy assessment last week, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) kept unchanged the target range for the three-month Libor at between -1.25% and -0.25% and the interest rate on sight deposits at a record low of -0.75%. The SNB reiterated its willingness to intervene in the foreign exchange market if needed. The central bank’s assessment of the Swiss franc also remained...
Read More »The Wealth Effect, Report 24 Jun 2018
See the introduction and the video for the terms gold basis, co-basis, backwardation and contango. Last week, we discussed Social Security, a Ponzi scheme that is inevitably approaching its default. That leads us to another point in our broader discussion of capital destruction. Let’s illustrate with an example. The Fraudulent Promise Suppose Eric works for wages. He is 50 years old. His house is paid off, he has no...
Read More »Dear High School Graduates: the Status Quo “Solutions” Enrich the Few at Your Expense
You deserve a realistic account of the economy you’re joining. Dear high school graduates: please glance at these charts before buying into the conventional life-course being promoted by the status quo. Here’s the summary: the status quo is pressuring you to accept its “solutions”: borrow mega-bucks to attend college, then buy a decaying bungalow or hastily constructed stucco box for $800,000 in a “desirable” city, pay...
Read More »FX Daily, June 26: Trade Tensions and Approaching Quarter-End Cast Pall Over Markets
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.08% to 1.1539 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 26(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The global capital markets have stabilized today after yesterday’s rout in equities, softer yields, and US dollar. The implementation of US tariffs on China and China’s retaliatory tariffs on the US is still ten days off. The immediate...
Read More »Sound Money Needed Now More Than Ever
The sound money movement reemerged on the national political scene a decade ago. In 2008, the financial crisis brought in a fresh wave of U.S. gold and silver investors. Ron Paul and the Tea Party advocated for limiting government and ending the Federal Reserve system. Sound money advocates made real inroads in recruiting Americans to their cause based on evidence that the nation is headed for bankruptcy. The...
Read More »Nearly 1 in 20 in Switzerland are millionaires, according wealth to report
© Andrii Chernykh | Dreamstime.com The 2017, a wealth report, published by Capgemini, shows there were 389,000 US$ millionaires in Switzerland, around 4.5% of the population, or close to 1 in 20. If children under the age of 15 are excluded, Switzerland’s millionaire percentage rises to 7.3%. In addition, these figures include only investable wealth, which does not include the value of family homes. If this wealth was...
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