Tag Archives: newsletter

This isn’t about COVID. It’s been building since the end of August, a shift in mood, perception, and reality that began turning things several months before even then. With markets fickle yet again, a lot today, what’s going on here? What you’ll hear or have already heard is something about Europe and more lockdowns, fears about a second wave of the pandemic. No, that doesn’t fit the herdlike change in direction you can observe across many different markets (below)....

Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.34% to 1.068 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 28(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Sickened by the surging virus, animal spirits are bed-ridden today. Several European countries are experiencing the most fatalities and illnesses in several months, and policymakers are responded with national restrictions. In 32 US states, hospitalizations have surged by over 10% in...

© Dwfotos | Dreamstime.com Recent petitions from two groups of scientists clash over herd immunity. The Great Barrington Declaration On 4 October 2020, three public health experts launched the “Great Barrington Declaration”, a petition calling on governments to protect the vulnerable and allow the young and healthy to live their lives without restrictions. This group says it has grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing...

Interview with Patrick Barron – Part I of II We’re less than two weeks away from the US election, and yet this sense of utter confusion, bitter political conflict, and economic uncertainty that has been ominously hovering over the nation, as well as the rest of the world, doesn’t seem to have subsided. The country still appears to be in a directionless state, with its economy in serious trouble and its society dangerously fragmented. There seems to be a wide rift in...

The ECB meets Thursday and is widely expected to stand pat until the next meeting. Macro forecasts won’t be updated until the December 10 meeting, but the bank will have to acknowledge the deteriorating outlook now. There’s a small risk of more jawboning against the stronger euro, but it should otherwise be an uneventful meeting. We expect the ECB to increase QE in December but another rate cut seems very unlikely, as does activation of OMT. POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS...

Increasing virus numbers have pushed European governments to once again start imposing national measures; the week is starting off on a risk-off note Today may see the official end of stimulus talks; odds for Biden victory are increasing again but is already mostly priced in US manufacturing surveys for October will continue to roll out; Chile’s referendum on a new constitution passed in a landslide Brexit negotiations have been extended; Germany’s October IFO survey...

The Democrats, Liz Cheney, and the Never Trumpers still want endless wars, and they hate Trump’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for embracing their dreams of empire. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack. Original Article: “On Foreign Policy, Trump Is Still the Lesser Evil“. You Might Also Like Walter Berns and the Cult of “Patriotic” Sacrifice [unable...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.12% to 1.0727 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 27(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The surging pandemic sapped the risk-taking appetites as some investors hunker down for what could be a volatile period ahead. The S&P 500 lost nearly 3% at its lows before rebounding 1% in late dealings. However, the US’s fiscal stimulus remains highly likely even if not...

Don’t expect healthcare or any other hollowed-out, heavily optimized system to function as it once did. A great many Americans will be shocked when our healthcare systems start failing because they believed the PR that “we have the finest healthcare system in the world.” The ability to deliver the finest care to a few does not translate into an ability to deliver the finest care to the many, nor does it mean the system is robust enough to withstand a tsunami. As I...

© Fabiobalbi | Dreamstime.com Numbers published today by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) show a further 17,440 tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland over 72 hours, a daily average of 5,813. Last Monday, the same 72-hour figure was 8,737, roughly half this Monday’s number. Half of Switzerland’s laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak began in February have been recorded over the last 15 days. Hospital numbers are up too. Numbers...