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The Fed is the mortal enemy of the young generations, and thus of the nation itself. “The wealth effect” generated by rising stock and housing prices has long been a core goal of the Federal Reserve and other central banks. As Lance Roberts noted in his recent commentary So, The Fed Doesn’t Target The Market, Eh?(Zero Hedge), Ben Bernanke added a “third mandate” to the Fed – the creation of the “wealth effect”–in 2010,...

We have written numerous articles about capital consumption. Our monetary system has a falling interest rate, which causes both capital churn and conversion of one party’s wealth into another’s income. It also has too-low interest, which encourages borrowing to consume (which, as everyone knows, adds to Gross Domestic Product—GDP). What Is Capital At the same time, of course entrepreneurs are creating new capital. Keith...

The important events take place in the second half of the week ahead: the ECB meeting and the US employment report.  A dovish hold by the ECB is the most likely outcome.  US jobs growth is bound to slow from the heady 304k gain in January, but there won’t be anything in it that lends credence to ideas that the world’s largest economy is on the precipice of a recession. The Brexit drama could be moving into its...

Car manufacturers are bracing for the potential of a no-deal Brexit in three weeks, which experts predict could lead to sudden tariffs that could disrupt supply chains. The Geneva International Motor Show opens this week amid growing concerns about the impact of Brexit on car manufacturers in the UK and across Europe. Experts expect that a no-deal Brexit could lead to sudden tariffs that could disrupt the auto industry...

Rounding up the usual suspects won’t restore a vibrant middle class. What killed the middle class? The answer may well echo an Agatha Christie mystery: rather than there being one guilty party, it may be that each of the suspects participated in the demise of the middle class. If you doubt the middle class has expired, please consider the evidence: The Middle Class Is Shrinking Everywhere — In Chicago It’s Almost Gone...

01.03.2019 – Turnover in the retail sector fell by 0.3% in nominal terms in January 2019 compared with the previous year. Seasonally adjusted, nominal turnover fell by 0.3% 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 0.4% in January 2019 compared with the previous year....

While Western markets breathed a sigh of relief that US GDP didn’t confirm the global slowdown, not yet, what was taking place over in Asia went in the other direction. There has been a sense, a wish perhaps, that if the global economy truly did hit a rough spot it would be limited to just the last three months of 2018. Hopefully Mario Draghi is on to something. Therefore, Q4 US GDP wasn’t as bad as feared, cushioning...

Swiss Franc CHF Exchange Rates Graph - Click to enlarge The pound has rallied higher against the Swiss Franc with rates for the GBP/CHF pair now sitting over 1.32. Pound to Swiss Franc exchange rates have been lifted on the back of some optimism over Brexit, that a deal will be reached between Britain and the EU. The markets are awaiting developments over the contentious Irish backstop which could pave the way...

Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.14% at 1.1364 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, March 01(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: News that MSCI plans to substantially boost China’s equity weighting in its indices and a better than expected Caixin manufacturing PMI and some easing of India-Pakistan tensions helped bolster the risk-taking appetite going into the...

Switzerland’s GDP rose by 0.2% in the 4th quarter of 2018. Manufacturing saw dynamic growth. Concurrently, exports of goods increased significantly. In contrast, domestic demand stagnated. GDP growth was 2.5% for 2018 as a whole. Switzerland’s GDP rose by 0.2% in the 4th quarter of 2018.1 As in other European countries, this confirms a slowdown of the economy compared to the first half of the year. Switzerland Gross...